Daniel Isn't Real (2019)

As a child, Luke witnesses the aftermath of a mass shooting at a neighborhood coffee shop. He meets another boy among the onlookers at the scene: Daniel, who invites him to play and quickly becomes his friend. Although others cannot see Daniel, he appears physically real to Luke. The boys become close playmates.

Their friendship comes to an end when Daniel tricks Luke into blending an entire bottle of his mother Claire's psychiatric medication into a smoothie, poisoning her. Claire makes Luke send Daniel away by symbolically locking him in her mother's old dollhouse.

Years later, college-aged Luke struggles with his social life and his responsibility to his mother, who copes with mental illness. He confides to his therapist, Dr. Cornelius Braun, that he is afraid he will eventually become just like her. One night, while sleeping at his childhood home, Luke unlocks the dollhouse.

Daniel reappears as an adult. He helps Luke thwart a suicide attempt by Claire, succeed in school, and begin a romance with an artist named Cassie. However, he begins exhibiting aggressive behavior and anger when Luke does not obey him. When Luke will not have sex with a psychology student named Sophie on a date, Daniel takes over his body and has sex with Sophie; afterward, he becomes angry and attacks Luke's roommate. Luke begins to question his sanity, believing he may have schizophrenia. He attempts to banish Daniel back to the dollhouse but is unsuccessful.

Luke becomes increasingly unstable, convinced that Daniel is taking over his body while he sleeps. He visits the father of John Thigpen, the shooter whose crime began the film, and learns John also had an invisible friend named Daniel. Luke realizes Daniel is a supernatural entity.

Luke calls Dr. Braun for help, who makes a late-night house call. Daniel appears to Dr. Braun and reveals his true nature. He takes over Luke's body and banishes Luke's consciousness to the dollhouse. Daniel kills Braun and decides his next target will be Cassie.

Daniel is let in by Cassie when he goes to her apartment. Cassie realizes something is wrong, confronts Daniel, and is chased to the rooftop. Cassie begs Luke to come back to reality; hearing her from inside the dollhouse, he summons the will to escape.

In a final confrontation with Luke, Daniel claims he has helped people for centuries, but none of them have deserved his help. Luke realizes Daniel's survival is dependent on Luke being alive; he kills himself by jumping from the roof.

Daniel, surrounded by darkness, reverts to his true monstrous form.