Imposters (2026) Review

Having moved out of the city into much quieter, rural surroundings, Marie (Jessica Rothe) and Paul (Charlie Barnett) host a block party to introduce themselves to their new community. During the party, their son Theo disappears. Paul suspects Orson (Bates Wilder), an odd local who has previously shown up at their place but Ezra Reid (Yul Vazquez), the local Chief of Police, assures ex-cop Paul that Orson has an alibi.

Subsequent searches of the area prove unsuccessful but one day Paul returns home to discover Marie has invited Orson in. Paul’s immediate reaction is to throw out the unwelcome guest but Orson tells of his connection to the house and that he has information about – and a map to – a nearby cave which possesses the power to return their child to them. Despite Paul’s reservations, both he and Marie take a walk through the woods to the cave but, once they are there, Paul refuses to go inside, scared of what he might find, so Marie ventures in alone. To Paul’s shock, Marie comes back an hour later covered in blood and holding a baby who looks very much like Theo…

So far, so possible spin on Pet Sematary, especially as Paul almost instantly decides that whoever, or whatever, that baby is, it’s definitely not Theo. However, nothing that transpires in writer/director Caleb Phillips’ examination of collapsing relationships, parental grief and wilderness weirdness is in any way obvious, spinning off in unpredictable directions and expanding its remit vastly in a second half which brims with imagination and complications.

To give anything more away plot wise would be to spoil Imposters completely but, as with previous FrightFest title Affection, the incredible Jessica Rothe takes centre stage and delivers another knockout performance that shares some DNA with her work in that sci-fi brain melter, cementing her status as one of the genre’s shining lights. Sometimes the viewer’s heart breaks watching her grieve, sometimes her obsession is terrifying. It’s to Barnett’s credit that he more than holds his own against such a powerhouse and both leads are assisted immensely by the writing, detailing each character with quirks and flaws which never feel thuddingly theatrical.

Even Paul’s decision making process, each path settled upon via the flip of a coin, is grounded in a previous, traumatic event and it’s up to each viewer to decide just how responsible this is, as is the opening revelation that Paul is cheating on Marie. Talk of the second chance of a “new home, new baby, new us” may just be a temporary stay of execution for a partnership which is circling the drain and Marie’s devotion to saving the marriage may have many of us thinking she should just leave him but these are well rounded protagonists who don’t immediately reveal their reasons for not packing up and getting out.

The supporting cast provides further layers to the already uncomfortable atmosphere, with Wilder switching between sympathetic and sinister and Vazquez exuding quiet authority, tolerating the charade he suspects is being perpetrated by a couple who clearly can’t get their story quite straight but making it known he’s no fool either, despite his natural sympathy for a man who was previously a badge.

The further Imposters goes – in all senses – attention is required to keep track of what’s happening but the tale is structured in a way that doesn’t try to be overly clever or confusing. Instead, it impresses with its controlled, layered developments and its head spinning number of potential outcomes. The resolution isn’t even straightforward, leaving the watcher to wrap their thought processes around the extraordinary ramifications of those final moments.

As a two-hander with Rothe and Barnett clashing over a child that surely could not have come back from the dead, Imposters would have easily sustained that premise for an hour and a half but Phillips takes us off that particular rollercoaster at the perfect time and drops us on to an even more frightening one, elevating an already impressive suspenser into an absolute mind blower, packed with thrills and continually, confidently raising the stakes without sacrificing its increasingly heart-pounding series of intelligent, attention demanding situations.

Twisty, gripping, brilliantly performed, this is an exceptional treat from start to finish. Could we get Jessica Rothe to appear in every single movie from now on, please?

Movie Rating:

Imposters trailer