Z

Christensen's Z centers on Elizabeth and Kevin Parsons and their eight-year-old son Joshua when a seemingly ordinary household is shaken by something unseen. Joshua insists he has an imaginary friend who seems more than just make-believe, and his behavior grows alarming as sleep becomes a battleground and trust fractures. As nocturnal disturbances escalate, Elizabeth seeks help while Kevin wrestles with fear that their son may be in danger from inside the home rather than outside. The family confronts mounting paranoia and a sense that the child's companion may be more real and malevolent than anyone admits. The film keeps twists under wraps while building a suffocating sense of dread. The tension grows with tight framing that traps the family indoors for viewers.

Directed by Brandon Christensen from a concept by Colin Minihan, Z arrived in 2019 as a lean Canadian horror feature with an original screenplay that places a family under siege by an unseen menace. It maintains a lean practical tone.

Box office figures for Z have not been widely disclosed, with the film remaining a modest, festival and streaming driven release rather than a wide commercial run. The production values favor practical effects over heavy CGI, enhancing realism and tension.

Since its release, Z has cultivated a small but devoted horror audience, praised for its claustrophobic atmosphere and grounded performances, particularly Jett Klyne's unsettling portrayal of Joshua; the film's take on an imagined friend as a malevolent force has sparked discussions about memory and parental fear. It speaks to fear.

Critics generally acknowledge the film for keeping a tense, intimate mood despite its modest budget. Z explores parenting anxiety, the fear of losing control, and the shadow side of imagination, delivering a lean but effective blend of psychological unease and understated scares. Fear is the film's true antagonist.