Synopsis

Following his wife's suicide, widowed psychologist David Callaway moves with his young daughter, Emily, to a secluded house in upstate New York. Emily struggles with grief and isolation, finding comfort in an imaginary companion named Charlie. As unsettling incidents escalate and Charlie's behavior grows increasingly hostile, David investigates whether the friend is merely a child's invention or something far more dangerous.

Factoids & Trivia

• Principal photography took place from January 19 through March 26, 2004, with filming in New York locations including Ossining, New York City, and Silvercup Studios in Long Island City. The house was located in Haworth, New Jersey.

• 20th Century Fox released different theatrical versions with different endings. The studio treated the conclusion as a major spoiler and shipped the final reel separately from the rest of the film.

• Fox reportedly used individually numbered reels and had security guards hand-deliver the final reel to theaters, an unusual precaution that attracted considerable attention before release.

• Dakota Fanning wore a brown wig to portray Emily rather than having her hair dyed.

• The film opened in the United States on January 28, 2005, and earned more than $123 million worldwide against a reported $25 million production budget.

• The score was composed by John Ottman, whose approach was designed to begin subtly and become more prominent as the film's psychological revelations developed.