Child's Play (1988) User Reviews

A modern classic

[jluis1984 · 8/10 · 29 March 2006]

When people nowadays think of Chucky, the living doll, they think of the foul mouthed psycho doll complete with body modifications and a punky bride in a movie filled with funny one liners and black humor. However, when Chucky came to life almost 20 years ago, he was a real thrill that redefined the horror genre of the late 80s and spawned a series of imitators (some better than others).

Director Tom Holland crafts this very original tale written by Don Mancini, where a dying sociopath (Brad Douriff) uses voodoo to transplant his soul to an inanimate toy. Catherine Hicks plays Karen Barclay, a single mother who gets the possessed toy for her little son Andy (Alex Vincent), not knowing what is hidden deep inside the doll.

Despite its apparent cheesiness, Holland truly creates a haunting atmosphere filled with suspense by following the trick Steven Spielberg used in "Jaws". While we know from the very beginning that the toy is haunted, we never get a glimpse of what he can do and neither does the characters; only the young Andy knows the truth, but nobody believes him.

Unlike its current MTV-inspired incarnations, "Child's Play" starts a bit slow, but suddenly it turns into a suspense-filled roller-coaster with enough thrills to keep you at the edge of the seat. Holland directions truly makes the difference between a cheap B-movie and the classy film this one has become.

Brad Dourif makes a superb job and this movie started his now-legendary career in the genre. Catherine Hicks is a very good lead character, surprisingly realistic, thanks in part to the very well-written dialog. Chris Sarandon completes the cast as the detective investigating the mysterious murders surrounding Chucky and Andy.

The movie moves at a very good pace, despite its slow start; it has that 80s feeling and it is surprisingly violent for its time (it was released when rules were turning a bit stricter). It has great special effects and a very creepy atmosphere inside it's urban landscape.

While many reviewers consider a flaw the fact that Chucky's possession is not a mystery, I believe that a lot of the suspense is in the fact that we know that, but the characters don't. It is a very well constructed film in the end, and definitely better than its current sequels. 8/10

This is what a bad movie looks like when it's well made.

[Anonymous_Maxine · 8/10 · 1 December 2004]

Child's Play is built upon a pretty laughable premise – some hardened criminal finds himself wounded and cornered by the police, so he chants some mystical words, lightning clouds form in the sky, and he transports his soul into the body of a kid's doll of the My Buddy variety. But the movie is so well made that it is able to remain effective despite its questionable premise, kind of like Darkman, another movie with something of a goofy plot but that still manages to come off as a great action horror film.

Some of the best moments in the film come early on, before anyone but Andy realizes that Chucky is alive. Kind of like what Steven Spielberg did in Jaws, director Tom Holland leaves Chucky as a lifeless doll for a good portion of the beginning of the film. As is to be expected, it's much more difficult to show a living, running, stabbing, screaming doll than it is to show a regular doll, which itself manages to stare blankly in such a way that you know there's something going on in its head.

There's nothing worse than hearing someone criticize the acting skills of a little kid, but I have to admit that I found Alex Vincent's performance as Andy a little trying at times. Granted, the kid deserves a lot of credit for performing reasonably well in a horror film at the age of 7, which is certainly more than I could have done at that age, but for every time that he effectively portrayed a scared little kid, which happened often, there were at least as many times when he spoke with the wooden monotone generally associated with reading a cue card.

That being said, the effects in the movie are very impressive. There are a few goofs in there, but you have to look pretty hard to find them, and the doll itself was very well done. Brad Dourif makes one of his earlier appearances, showing up in Child's Play just long enough to get shot and then transfer his body into the doll, and then spend the rest of what is now a total of five movies trying to get out of it, which may have something to do with the fact that his voice is more famous than his face. He was mostly known as the timid Billy Bibbit from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest before he did Child's Play, and the success of this movie clearly had a significant impact on the rest of his career, since so many of his later performances were in decidedly dark roles.

Note: watch for the only funny scene in the movie, which my itself is so funny that any other comic relief isn't even necessary. As Chucky ascends in an elevator, and elderly woman notices him, but her husband tells her to just leave it, whoever forgot it is bound to come back for it. When she exits the elevator, she looks back with a grimace and says, 'Ugly doll…' Chucky's response is one of the funniest things I've ever seen in a horror film.

The beginning of the most iconic killer doll ever

[KineticSeoul · 8/10 · 5 June 2014]

This movie starts out pretty slow with a killer named Charles Lee Ray doing voodoo magic to put his soul into a kid's doll. After that it starts to get slow and generic even with the killer doll with things not making much sense (and I am not talking about the Chucky doll thing either). But when Chucky starts his sinister cacklying and cursing that he is known for the movie does pick up. The build up to that point isn't that bad though and I can understand why they had to go in that direction at first. It does add a sense of mystery even if the audiences does know what is going on from the start. The trademark Chucky voice really does add flavor to this slasher. As a matter of fact I wouldn't be shocked if Heath Ledger was inspired by Chucky for his role in "The Dark Knight" now that I think about it. It's cool to see Chucky not going on that unstoppable killer slasher direction, he uses stealth and pulls tricks to kill someone. Plus whenever found, he could just act like a regular doll. Which actually does adds to making him quite a dangerous and sinister killer. This does not have a lot of blood and gore, nor does it have a lot of body count but it does have entertainment value for a horror slasher movie. Overall this is a slasher movie that had a lot of cool and new elements to work with when it came to the direction at the time. And it's understandable how Chucky became one of the most memorable killer villain from the 80's. Thanks to Brad Dourif signature voice as Chucky.

8/10

Two Notable Aspects

[dougdoepke · 15 March 2020]

No need to echo consensus points on this outstanding horror movie production. My only gripe is with the recurring anti-climaxes that cheapen the original infernal effect. As a result, movie buffs are again shown that knowing when to stop can be as important as knowing how to start; at the same time, the horror flick certainly knows how to slam-bang start.

To me, two themes in the script's subtext stand out. First, key to many ace horror flicks, such as The Thing (1951), and Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), is not just the horror of the menace but the frustration in getting dis-believers to finally come around to confront the para-normal menace. Here, understandably, no one believes stories about an infernal kid's doll that's somehow alive. This, fortunately, adds to audience sense of engagement with Mom and little Andy as they're forced to grapple with the horror of the para-normal that no one else believes can be real.

Second is the poignant portrayal of Mother Love as that natural bond confronting the infernal doll in its death dealings. Ironically, it's the distance between mother and son at the outset that drives young Andy into the arms of what seems a friendly doll that will then be his needed companion. Thus Mom in particular must learn a lesson about family ties that the doll ironically provides. Happily, the growing bond between them is developed in a non-sappy way that's unusual for most any kind of movie. And that is largely thanks to actors Hicks and Vincent, respectively. In fact, I'd be inclined to award them special Oscars for their moving performances, as though the snooty Oscars ever took note of little horror flicks.

Anyway, these are two notable aspects of the screenplay neither of which has directly to do with the scary effects, but do merit mention. All in all, except for the anti-climaxes, the movie's superior of its kind, so catch up with it if you can.

Child's Play: 7/10

[movieguy1021 · 7/10 · 22 April 2003]

Child's Play is usually categorized with other definitive horror films of the 70's and 80's, such as Friday the 13th, Halloween, and A Nightmare on Elm Street, while it's a lot different, in ways I'll get into later.

Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) is a serial killer who is finally killed by Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon). However, he performs a chant right before he dies. Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks) is a single mother who works in a jewelry department in a department store. She lives in an apartment with her six-year-old son Andy (Alex Vincent), who is like any normal six-year-old. He loves the television show `Good Guys', and they have lots of toys and dolls that you can buy. When his birthday comes around, he doesn't get a $100 Good Guy, but Karen buys one from a peddler off the street for $30. However, that doll, whose name is Chucky, is actually filled with the spirit of Ray, who tries to kill everyone.

At times this can be pretty effective, even scary, even when they add to it with predictable, cheap scares. When Maggie (Dinah Manoff, who overacts throughout the entire movie) is slowly walking through the kitchen with no music, with the phone in plain sight, do you think it's going to ring? Thankfully, there aren't too many of them. The entire plot is pretty clever, not just a `Craven' or `De Palma' theme. Also, the puppetry of Chucky was pretty good, for it being 15 years ago. The cinematography was good, with many first person shots, which were effective.

Dourif, who played a gentle man in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, was very good, especially in the beginning, when we actually saw him. Why he isn't a big name now is beyond me. Hicks was good for what she was required to be: panicky and caring to Andy. Sarandon didn't do anything for me, as the obligatory police officer. Vincent talked like stereotypical movie children did, enunciating every syllable.

The music really helped, with it booming to prove its point of being a horror movie. It could have had some humor, like other horror movies do, to help it out some. Since it's less than 90 minutes and a horror films, they didn't worry about anything like plot holes or continuity errors. A few I noticed: how DID he go into Chucky, besides the chant, why would the Chucky doll be burned up, the dates continuously change. That scene with voodoo was very cool. That's about all I can say, so I won't say any more.

My rating: 7/10

Rated R for language and violent situations.

Good original thrilling horror

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 4 October 2013]

Serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) gets shot by detective Norris (Chris Sarandon). As he struggles with his last breath, he transfers his soul into a Good Guys doll. Meanwhile Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks) is a cash strapped single mom. Her kid is desperate for the doll, and she could only afford one from a shady homeless guy. It turns out that the doll has Charles Lee Ray's soul in it, and he wants to transfer to the kid.

This is a well made horror. The general idea of a killer doll may be an old one. But this is done with some fun freshness. Director Tom Holland is definitely a good study of horror. He's able to inject a lot of good old fashion scares into this film. He hides Chucky in the act of killing until late in the movie. This allows the tension to build. And the reveal is great. The whole thing works. The only thing holding it back is a little bit of unintentionally camp. The F/X needs improvements. These are all forgivable. Catherine Hicks and Chris Sarandon are both good character actors. At its core, this is a good film.

Original Horror Classic

[BlueHeMan · 6/10 · 10 December 2002]

'Child's Play' is a fairly original horror story. A kid's doll gets possessed by a serial killer and the doll terrorizes his family and others while trying to get into the boy's body through voo-doo magic.

I remember an old Twilight Zone episode with the Talking Tina doll that was fairly similar. It was good because we never actually saw the doll DO anything except talk and threaten. 'Child's Play' does the same for a good chunk of the movie. The suspense is excellent, and Chucky is terrifying even when not active! We start to see Chucky move and talk, and curse and chase people but it does not ruin the movie. The effects are pretty good, and as a child, this movie is traumatizing. Of course now at 21, I laugh at this movie as do most critics, but I remember renting it when it first came out on video years ago and it changed my sleeping habits. Chucky gave me nightmares well into high school (i'll admit!). I could barely look at my sister's dolls alone in the dark. The sequels are silly and unnessecary, but the original Chuck is worth a friday night alone when you have nothing else to do. As a horror film fan, this ranks in my top 5, as a movie fan in general is won't even crack my top 50. But like I said, keep it away from off-beat dreamy children. "This is the end...friend."

Not perfect, but an acceptable example of '80s horror

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 29 December 2015]

So here we have it, the first film that spawned a long-running and controversial film franchise about a possessed killer doll. Back in the late '80s and early '90s, a whole shed load of 'killer toy' movies hit the video shelves – I'm thinking the likes of PUPPET MASTER, DOLLY DEAREST, et al – and this is the one that spawned that briefly popular surfeit of miniature killers. However, CHILD'S PLAY is nothing new and indeed what it most recalled to me was the Karen Black segment of the '70s TV horror movie TRILOGY OF TERROR, in which a woman is menaced in her apartment by a voodoo fetish doll. The last twenty minutes of this movie are particularly reminiscent of that one.

Anyway, CHILD'S PLAY isn't a bad film, pretty much par for the course for an '80s horror. It's not as cheesy as you might imagine and it showcases an excellent turn from Brad Dourif as both a killer and a killer doll. He's really having a ball here and his enthusiasm is infectious. The rest of the cast don't match him – heroine Catherine Hicks is adequate but sometimes bland, FRIGHT NIGHT's Chris Sarandon is wooden and child actor Alex Vincent is far too cute – but it could be worse.

My biggest complaint is that the first half of this flick is far too slow. It's a kind of guessing game, leaving us in suspense as to the identity of the killer, wondering whether the kid is responsible after all. The problem is that EVERYBODY – even people who haven't seen any of these films – knows that the Chucky doll is indeed the bad guy; it's on the advertising after all! The whole of this mystery guessing-game could have been done away with in favour of more scares. Still, once the film gets going it's not bad, and the string of murders are fairly inventive (the electrocution death is particularly gruesome). I did really enjoy the climax, which reduces things to the classic situation of 'characters trapped and hunted by killer' and manages to be pretty exciting. Props too for the great special effects work, Chucky is indeed a demonic looking toy and quite frightening if you're of a nervous disposition.

Original and scary.

[HumanoidOfFlesh · 9/10 · 8 November 2000]

I've seen this brilliant horror movie over twenty times so far and it is still great."Child's Play" is wonderfully original-a great concept(the soul of a serial killer in the puppet)and villain(Chucky!)are perhaps the keys to it all.Plenty of shocks and scares,pretty good acting and lots of violence.The direction and editing are so tight and carefully done.Now I can see why this movie was such a huge success in 1988.Managing to be both frightening and classy,this is a nerve-wracking experience.I actually found "Child's Play" to be a very scary film.I did not find it too gory,but what gore there is it was done to heighten intensity levels to the extreme.All in all,I wholeheartedly recommend it to any open-minded viewer,who likes to watch horror movies.The hammer in the head scene still gives me goosebumps.

Put Chucky in the Hall of Fame

[view_and_review · 7/10 · 2 July 2019]

When I was younger, my friend and I would obsess over Chucky. We would dream up all the ways we could torture that evil doll. That was the only real monster/psycho we could handle. We couldn't deal with Jason, Freddy, Michael Myers, and later Candyman so Chucky became the one abomination we would dream of harming to get even.

I just saw Child's Play 2019 and it prompted me to rewatch the original.

The original is so much better. Brad Dourif as the voice of Chucky/The Good Guy doll was perfect. He was so sinister sounding and crude he just sounded evil. He even made it into a rap song-Child's Play by Bushwick Bill (great song by the way).

This movie resonated with me as a kid so much because it was patterned after the My Buddy doll that was so huge. There was My Buddy and Kid Sister but dolls in general back then were big. Before iPhones and videogames took over there were dolls for boys and girls. Of course there was Barbie, then there were Cabbage Patch Kids, Glow Worms, My Buddy and some other lesser known dolls. So, the Good Guy Doll made so much sense.

Child's Play is a movie from a bygone era. It was the last of the popular 80's scary movies to spawn sequels. Chucky belongs in the scary movie bad guy hall of fame.

This Movie Just Makes me Sad

[prehensel · 4/10 · 24 June 2007]

This movie is, as one user previously commented, a bad movie done well. For example, when the batteries fall out of the box, we can see the wheels start turning in Karen's head and everything starting to fall into place. It's not a bad little scene, but it could have been better. Apparently, the original script called for a period of time in which the audience would be unsure whether Andy or Chuckie were committing the murders, and the battery scene would have been the first real evidence that Chuckie was actually alive and a killer. That would have been a wiser move and made for a better movie. Another example of *Child's Play* as bad-movie-done-well is the car scene in which Chuckie tries to kill Mike; this thing goes from patently ridiculous (he had a chance to stop the car in the time between getting out of Chuckie's choke-hold and when Chuckie pushes the accelerator) to genuinely scary when Chuckie is scrambling around outside the car while Mike is trapped inside. That's good stuff.

But it's just sad that all of the human actors--including Chris Sarandon--get upstaged by a foul-mouthed doll. The sardonic and sharp-tongued best friend Maggie is a tired stereotype (even in 1988). By the time the 9 o'clock news rolls around, I didn't really care if she survived or not, which is not a good thing. And Alex Vincent, the kid who plays Andy, is not good at all. His lines are often delivered with what I can only call bewilderment--as if he has no idea what's going on in the scene or in the story. That's not surprising since he was about six years old at the time, so he can't be faulted for it. The movie, however, can (and should be). In the end, there are a lot of horror movies I'd rather watch than this one, but I'd rather watch this than *Jaws 3-D* or *Hellraiser: Bloodlines*.

Chucky is made of EXTRA COOL Nightmares on Wax!!

[Killer_Romance2 · 8/10 · 6 February 2003]

I saw the commercials of the very first Child's play Movie and I remember them completely - the stunning special effects of the doll creeping with the mechanical head turning right around and the isolated kid, was later called Andy hollering for his Mother. I was nine years old at that time.

I saw that movie on tape at 13 (under aged- naughty me!!) but could not wait to see it. Chucky was now the first Boogyman I ever watched.

Brad Dourif whom I known from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest, Blue Velvet, Fatal Beauty, Dune and many countless films - he is one of the most finest performers I have ever seen, with his magnetic charisma and those huge wildly intense blue eyes to match. Dourif hits the big time as Charles 'chucky' Lee Ray, the Voodoo practising Serial killer of Chicago who was gunned down in a toy store by bewildered Detective Norris (Sarandon)and betrayed by his partner-in-crime Eddie Caputo.

Charles made a promise that he will get revenge on the ones that 'done him in' and found a Good Guy doll to exchange his soul whispered a Voodoo incantation in the name of 'Damballah Wedo' (a west African, and Haitian Snake God), lighting struck the toy shop and the police found Ray dead - bet they thought it was over and celebrated by munching on Bear claws and donuts collections- RIGHT? Nope Wrong.

In comes along little Andy Barclay - sweet Darling' angel, but he whines about wanting the latest craze - em yes! you guessed it - and you know that he is gonna get what he wants alright! unfortunately Karen Barclay (Hicks) buys the 'special' doll at cheapo bargain from a Homeless Guy. At least she does not have to worry about batteries because the doll is 'more alive' than expected, with a diminutive height and Brad Dourif's inimitable Booming voice. And ratty Auntie Maggie (Peterson) gets it, and takes a dive from the forty storey building. and then it is Eddie's turn to be shish kabab in a exploding House!

The body count's are rising, and the truth about Charles Lee Ray is mounting but more unbelievers are added to the equation. Until they see Chucky 'is alive' and eat their words (or die so to speak).

It is a Scary movie, with great scenes of Chicago, and Chucky has a vehement vengeance and will not stop at nothing with its perished body ashed from flames and blue eyes peering out creeping towards Andy makes you feel like a kid wanting to cry out to your Ma. what a Nightmarish Film, this cool movie deserves praise.

Hail Chucky!

Probably one of the most uniquely thought out horror films

[ForTheMostPart1999 · 7/10 · 7 November 2022]

A child receives a doll possessed by a murderous strangler who looses his regular body and tries to take possession of the new one to live. This was a pretty well done film overall with good amounts of humor. Charles Lee Ray, a.k.a. Chucky, is an intense but also a pretty laughable character throughout. Lots of neat surprises and a hilarious time to see Chucky first come alive in full when he was threatened to be thrown in the fireplace. The ending was a little bit creepy, but the rest was pretty well done for the most part. This is one of my horror movie classics. Almost all the sequels that go with it we're good too.

Never really worked for me

[preppy-3 · 4/10 · 27 February 2007]

Killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) is shot and killed by policeman Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon) in a toy store. Before he dies he transfers his soul into a Good Guy doll named Chucky. Mom Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks) buys the doll for her son Andy (Alex Vincent) and Chucky sets out to settle the score with a few people. Andy knows Chucky is alive and dangerous...but nobody believes him.

OK--this movie does have its fans. Its led to four sequels (so far) and does have two great sequences--when Hicks slowly realizes the doll is alive and when Sarandon is attacked in his car. But this movie never really worked for me. I personally never found the doll scary and had a hard time taking some of the attack sequences seriously. It DOES look pretty stupid when the doll "attacks" Hicks. The special effects making the doll talk and move are impressive (no CGI used here) but I found the movie slow--even at 88 minutes. Also Vincent was a TERRIBLE actor--but he was only 7 when he did this. Surprisingly even Sarandon (a VERY good actor) sleepwalks through this.

On the plus side it has the few neat killings, Hicks is actually very good, Dourifs lines are pretty cool coming out of the doll and (again) the lifelike movements of the doll are impressive. But I was basically pretty bored--and I'm a big horror movie fan. Director Tom Holland did much better a few years earlier with "Fright Night". Rent that instead.

I should mention I find one of the sequels "Bride of Chucky" a lot of fun but the rest are pretty terrible. Personally I can only give this a 4.

A horror film that has stuck with me since I first saw it as a child **** out of 5

[pumpkinhead_lance · 21 April 2005]

It was always the films where a child is in peril that stuck with me the most. Child's Play was probably the top of the crop.

The film taps into all those things you remember as a child like those colorful commercials that would promote the cereal you were eating. And those big dolls like 'My Buddy', that even as a kid I knew were creepy.

Script, acting, music, mood, atmosphere, direction, scares, everything works and that's why I give it the high rating it deserves.

Brad Dourif was the perfect choice for the voice of the Chucky doll. It's sinister and angry and darkly sarcastic. He is what I consider to be one of the all time great underrated actors.

The film is bleak. There's nothing happy about it although the good guy doll commercials insist it's playtime.

After this film, the only sequel I highly recommend is Child's Play 2, which I love just about as much as this one. Part 3 wasn't bad. Bride of Chucky was an interesting new direction to go in, but the feeling of the first couple of films is long gone by then, and Seed of Chucky was about the same.

Scary Fun

[fastfastfastradio · 6/10 · 1 July 2020]

To be fair to this film, when I was a child, seeing this movie at an age I definitely should not have seen it at, the idea of Chucky absolutely terrified me. So regardless of the critiques I have of this film, it's clear it did something right.

The main problem with this movie is that it tries to be two different kinds of films at once. With a movie like this, the best way to go is to have it unclear if the doll is really alive or if it's all in the kid's head. And, honestly the first half of the movie plays that incredibly well. You never actually see Chucky move or talk until about half way thru the film's. The suspense and tension behind it would be incredibly effective if it weren't for one little thing: the opening scene of the movie shows Charles Lee Ray transferring his soul into the Good Guy doll. This removes any sense of suspense the movie had going for it, so I really don't understand why it spends so long playing off that idea that maybe the kid is just making it up. It really just comes off as tedious because we all know the doll is actually alive.

Another huge flaw in this movie is that, once Chucky learns that to get out of the doll he has to transfer his soul into the first person he revealed himself to (which in and of itself is just a convenient way to get the little kid back into the movie), he has literally so many chances to go thru with the spell or voodoo ritual or whatever you want to call it; multiple times he is halfway thru the chant to transfer his soul into Andy's body, but someone else comes in the room so he stops and pretends like he's just a doll again. Why on earth would he do that? Why wouldn't he just finish the chant, get out of the doll, and get rid of the witness later? Like what?

Another huge flaw in this movie and most of its sequels is that, apparently, the longer he stays in the doll the more human he becomes. That's a fine plot thread, sure, but the thing is even though he's apparently becoming more human it seems like in actuality the longer he stays in the doll the less human he becomes, because as the movie goes on he begins to survive things no human would. He gets shot multiple times, survives a car crash, and gets set on fire and still manages to stay alive. This again falls into the biggest problem in this movie: it says or uses one thing as a plot device, but when it's executed it totally ignores said plot device.

Once again, I have to say, this movie and it's villain are absolutely iconic. There's a reason Chucky is up there with other horror villains like Jason Vorhees, Michael Meyers, And Freddie Kruger: Because the idea of a killer doll is inherently terrifying. It clearly has some timeless quality to it which scares children to this day. So for all the complaints I have about this movie, it needs to be said, it clearly struck a chord with people and has been an important staple of the horror genre for decades. Maybe it's not high art, maybe it's not objectively a good film, but if you watch it only expecting a fun little horror movie and don't take it too seriously, it's rather enjoyable.

Chucky deserves to be a horror icon

[cricketbat · 7/10 · 25 October 2022]

Even though Child's Play has never been my favorite horror film franchise, I have to admit that the original movie definitely makes an impact. Maybe it's because I grew up in the 80s and really wanted a My Buddy doll as a kid, but there's something inherently scary about an innocent toy coming to life and trying to harm others. That being said, I also have a hard time believing that most humans couldn't easily overpower Chucky. Plus, child actors don't always give the best performances. Nevertheless, I think Chucky deserves to be a horror icon, even if this movie didn't really deserve any sequels.

An Essential Slasher Flick

[Gresh854 · 7/10 · 27 January 2019]

Child's Play is a rambunctious horror flick that's saturated to the brim with bizzaro coatings of sadistical and dexterously flavorful gallows humor. Similar to how The Evil Dead nearly redefined the horror genre through its utilizations of subtle dark comedy, Child's Play annexes onto that train of sinisterness with its iconically blood-curdling yet, comical, plastic and porcelain antagonist, Chucky, voiced sensationally by the underrated Brad Dourif. Sure, a good loaf of the movie is outdated and the writing can be preposterous at times but, I don't know what more you could've hoped for in an 80s slasher semi-parody that's word for word about a killer, toy doll.

Child's Play spotlights astonishingly stellar performances from both the child actor, Alex Vincent, and the mother, Catherine Hicks, each careening in on a scenario of blame and delusion when people begin suspecting the insanity of them when something questionably unimaginable begins to emerge.

Quicknote but, the puppeteering and animatronics are suprememly impressive and for the most part, methodical. Also, the score-while elementary-dabbles with its duck-soup-like beats in a blisteringly fruitful manner, chiefly within the film's opening shootout.

Child's Play is a horror genre freak-out that could've been a lot lamer than its story-lines may had inclined you to anticipate. You can genuinely tell here that the filmmakers sympathetically wanted to forge something unusually intoxicating. (Verdict: B)

A Doll's House

[piratecannon · 7/10 · 26 December 2012]

In 1985, Hasbro introduced the world to the "My Buddy" doll. It had reddish-brown hair, blue overalls, and a cheery, striped shirt. It also looked exactly like Chucky, the serial killer plaything featured in Tom Holland's 1988 film Child's Play.

As one of the little tykes who was ever-so-proud of his "My Buddy," the release of this movie was devastating. I didn't watch it until I was much older, but simply seeing the trailer on TV was enough to make me petrified of the notion that an otherwise innocent amalgam of plastic and synthetic fiber lurked on the other side of my bedroom closet door while I slept.

Fast forward to 2010. I'm nearing age 30 (yikes), and I've just given the tale about a murdering psychopath who transfers his soul into the body of a toy via some sort of intangible voodoo another chance. Even though the exposition for this one is amazingly idiotic, it's clear that screenwriter Don Mancini was onto something. In the most superficial sense, there is something eerie about dolls. Their fixed expressions, when viewed in the right context, can make our blood run cold. As irrational as this notion is, it nevertheless has some merit, and this is what makes Child's Play the unlikely success that it is.

What's even more disturbing about the movie is that it has our six year- old protagonist—Andy—exploring the seedy underbelly of Chicago in an effort to aid his newly acquired companion. Despite his initial naivety, the kid eventually wises up and realizes the danger he's in. What follows is a comically grotesque battle that sees Chucky take on a police officer, a psychiatrist, a witchdoctor, and a babysitter (among others).

What's especially great about Child's Play is the final act, where our indestructible villain is shot, torched, and dismembered. He's basically the "terminator" of dolls; as soon as he seems to be vanquished, he reappears, oozing pus and stuffing, ready to slice and dice anyone who interrupts his perpetual mission of spiritual transferal.

As one would hope, no one involved with Child's Play takes things too seriously (it would have been an utter disaster had this not been the case). Because of the lighthearted nature of the movie and how downright silly it is, there's no reason not to call it a box-full of harebrained fun.

It's also the quintessential killer doll movie. That's got to be worth something.

Not very scary, but entertaining nonetheless

[axlroseisgod · 10/10 · 29 July 2003]

Child's Play was billed as a horror movie, but it's hard to categorize it as such. Especially by 1980s standards. There's no brainless teenage cattle, no gratuitous nudity, and no ridiculously high body count. If anything, Child's Play runs like an episode of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone. It's creepy, but ultimately not shocking. This is no coincidence. An episode of The Twilight Zone called Living Doll used a similar premise.

Child's Play is done very well, considering it's about a serial killer who uses voodoo magic to transfer his soul into a doll. The acting is way above average for a horror movie and the momentum builds nicely. The viewer is forced to wait quite awhile before they actually see Chucky kill anyone. If anyone has seen VH1's "I Love the 80s" then you've probably seen Dee Snider mock the movie: "It's a doll! Step on it! It's over!". If Chucky tried to go on a killing rampage, this would work. But he doesn't. He uses stealth and cunning to make up for the failings of his diminutive body. He reveals his true self only to young Andy, the boy who gets him as a birthday present. He kills all his hapless victims without much trouble. After all, who would suspect an innocent little doll could kill you when you're not looking?

Perhaps the biggest problem with Child's Play is that it was billed as an evil doll movie. Chucky was on all the posters and commercials, knife in hand. It would have worked much better as a suspense thriller, where you suspect that little Andy Barclay is the murderer.

Despite it's failings as a horror movie, Child's Play is still a great movie because it paints a dismal and accurate picture of the 80s: the frustration of single parenthood, the dark dangerous inner cities, and trying to get your kid that overpriced toy that they just *have* to have. Child's Play also came at a time when dolls were really popular: Teddy Ruxpin, Cabbage Patch Kids, My Buddy, and Kid Sister were all hot items. Little kids loved these things, but there's something inherently sinister about dolls. Those glassy eyes and perma-smiles seem insincere.

Overall, Child's Play is a movie that probably succeeded because it was in the right place at the right time. Nonetheless, it's worth at least a few viewings. Chucky is easily one of the top 3 horror movie villains of the 1980s along with Freddie Krueger and the Gremlins.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Good

[manitobaman81 · 7/10 · 30 August 2014]

It's pretty damn creepy. The film builds up suspense in the beginning and then takes off. Brad Dourif was the best choice for the voice of Chucky. Child's Play is done very well, all in all. Director Tom Holland does a good job scaring the audience. The atmosphere is definitely big on suspense. Without Dourif, I am terrified of contemplating what this film would look like. In the end, the audience gets a casserole of film elements. In other ways, this movie was a thrill ride. The cinematography is stark and bare, with only the soundtrack adding some effect. This might all sound corny, like a bad B-movie, but that is not the case!

Go Watch The Twilight Zone Instead For A Better Interpretation

[zkonedog · 3/10 · 21 October 2018]

When "Child's Play" was first released, 1988, I was three years old and thus obviously too young to see it. The first time I've now seen it all the way through is as a 32-year old. After the viewing, I can definitively state that it's one of those films where the enjoyment (or terror) you get from the experience will be in direct correlation to what age you were when you first saw it.

For a basic plot summary, "Child's Play" sees serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif), finally caught for his crimes, use some voodoo to transfer his spirit in a Good Guys brand doll named Chucky. The doll is then bought by Karen (Catherine Hicks) and given to her son Andy (Alex Vincent) as a birthday present that produces predictably disastrous results.

If you watched this film at an impressionable age, I can see where it would leave a mark. No doubt, there is something creepy about the "doll comes to life" concept, and no punches are pulled here. Chucky screams profanities and murders people in cold blood. If you were young and not expecting that sort of visceral imagery, you'll always be a bit creeped out by Chucky.

However, as someone who did not have that experience, watching this film now (without those "burned-in" moments) was a big let-down. Considering that this franchise is considered just outside the "Big Three" horror icons Michael, Freddy, & Jason, I thought it might have more to offer. It didn't...at all.

Personally, for those who want a much better "creepy doll alive" experience, I'd skip this and go watch the Twilight Zone episode "Living Doll", where the material is handled much better and just as creepy (without all the ridiculous voodoo/serial killer nonsense).

Bottom line: "Child's Play" is very much a product of its times, and perhaps more importantly the times (ages) at which it was/is watched.

One of the genre's undisputed classics

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 10/10 · 23 October 2015]

Managing to find a popular toy for her son, a woman gradually comes to believe he's inhabited by the soul of a serial killer and tries to get a policeman to believe her in order to stop the doll from putting his soul into her son.

Overall this one turned out to be quite impressive and truly enjoyable effort her. One of the film's best features here is the fact that there's just so much done here to make it questionable whether or not he's really possessed or whether the whole thing is in his imagination, a fine product here that carries itself for the whole first half. By focusing so nicely on the these elements, the scenes of the two blatantly disobeying parental instructions in order to follow his directions instead, the constant appearing around the scenes of many of the accidents all innocently and never believing anything he tells them sets this up rather nicely here into her investigation of the whole affair which is where this one really picks up here by letting this here carry the main part of the film. While the revelation sequence is truly legendary here as the earlier investigations give it some intriguing possibilities about what's going on, the battery discovery of all kinds of chilling, the initial reaction is priceless and then the ensuing attack after being threatened makes for a superb, stand-out sequence. Even along these other scenes, there's plenty of other fun to be had here in the film's fun action which are highly enjoyable and make for quite a thrilling time here, from the opening stalking scenes in the toy-store before finally getting to the transfer ceremony as the lightning bolt destroys the store in a giant fireball, a alter stalking scene at the friends' house where he sets the explosive trap that blows up the building and the absolutely fun car chase as another trap inside the car provides some thrills while making a fine set-up for the stalking within the flipped car at the end getting some fine suspense in. As well, there' an absolutely ton of positives to like here with the final stalking in the apartment being the true highlight that features a ton of high-energy action as he charges after them continuously despite being set on fire and having his limbs blown off, the different brawls and overpowering attempts make for quite a nice time and the whole thing comes off flawlessly. Lastly, the film gets an absolute ton of positives from the stellar special effects work for the doll, as this is an absolutely amazing part of the film. Given that this one spends as much time as it does here showcasing him on-screen, it needed to come off flawlessly and he manages to come across as a realistic doll, and the puppets achieving this throughout here are marvelous due to these perfectly conceived creations. These here manage to hold this up incredibly well here as there's not too many flaws here. About the only thing really wrong here is the fact that her investigations take up a lot of time here and somewhat stalls the killing done by keeping the doll off-screen here, though none of this is really boring even detrimental. This one is quite fun regardless.

Rated R: Graphic Violence, Language, an Attempted Rape and children-in- jeopardy.

Fun and creepy when it works....corny when it doesn't

[wewatchedamovie1 · 7/10 · 22 April 2012]

A classic cult horror film that is as well known as the heavyweights of horror like the Michael Myers films or the Freddy films. But is it as revered or loved as the other horror classics? Well, no. It is, however the quintessential toys coming to life to kill people movie. Also, For what it's worth it's a pretty good horror movie considering the subject matter. If any story about a doll killing people is going to have a chance to be believable or scary, it's the story of Child's Play, the first installment in the Chucky series. The reason for this is the surprisingly well written back story and origin of Chucky. I won't give spoilers but I was actually interested in how Chucky came to be an evil doll that murdered people. I mean, they at-least attempted to give a valid reason of how this could possibly exist which was fun. Chucky does a decent job being menacing and almost believable until he begins to really speak. There are some freaky scenes of short dialog that really get you going, but when he speaks too much, it becomes kind of hokey and laughable (as you would imagine, it's a doll). I enjoyed Brad Dourif in the beginning of the film but as Chucky's voice, I would rather have everything said in that creepy doll voice than the voice that actually comes from the doll. The less human the doll was the creepier it was. I felt they kind of lost that as the film moved along. Also, there are a few "death" scenes that were shot poorly and completely un-believable. That being said, to pull of ANY believable and creepy scenes at all using a doll as the murdering villain, is impressive, and they made a handful of scenes really well. Ultimately, it's a pretty creepy and fun movie when it works.

Mike Holtz, We Watched a Movie Check out some funny video reviews and movie news at our youtube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/wewatchedamovie

Child's Play

[jboothmillard · 5/10 · 31 January 2007]

I first saw the infamous antagonist of the series in the fourth film, Bride of Chucky, I was keen to see the three original films before it, and see how he became popular in horror culture, from director Tom Holland (Fright Night). Basically detective Mike Norris (Fright Night's Chris Sarandon) is chasing the notorious murderer, "The Lakeshore Strangler", Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif, also voicing) (named after Charles Manson, Lee Harvey Oswald, and James Earl Ray). Ray is mortally wounded by a gunshot, but before he dies he does a voodoo incantation to transport his soul into the body of a Play Pals Inc. Good Guy Doll. Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) is celebrating his sixth birthday, after seeing the commercial, he is desperate to get a Good Guy Doll. Andy's widowed mother Karen (Catherine Hicks) manages to buy one from a street peddler, her son is overjoyed to receive his doll, named Chucky. Later that night, Karen's best friend Maggie Peterson (Dinah Manoff) babysits Andy, she is hit on the head by someone, before crashing through the window, and falling to her death, landing on a car. Mike is investigating the death, small footprints are found, suggesting maybe Andy did it. The next day, the little boy takes his doll to the house of Ray's former accomplice Edward 'Eddie' Caputo (Neil Giuntoli), he is killed by a gas explosion. Andy is questioned about these recent events, he blames it all on his doll Chucky. With this apparent disassociation with reality, Andy is placed in a psychiatric ward, while his doll is left behind. Karen is throwing away the box that the Good Guy Doll came in, when the batteries that are meant to be inside the doll drop out. She confirms there are no batteries inside the doll, and he comes to life in her hands, attacks her, and runs away. Mike refuses to believe her story that the doll is alive, and possessed with the soul of Charles Lee Ray, until he is attacked himself. Meanwhile, Chucky goes to visit his former voodoo mentor, John "Dr. Death" Bishop (Raymond Oliver). Chucky got shot and is bleeding, meaning that the longer he stays in the doll body, the more human he is becoming, and he may be trapped. Chucky tortures John with a voodoo doll until he reveals the solution, he must transfer his soul into the first person he revealed his true identity to, that is Andy. Before dying from his hideous injuries, John is found by Karen and Mike, he tells them kill Chucky before he can get to Andy, they have to aim for his heart. Chucky has tracked Andy to the psychiatric unit, but he has already escaped to head home. Andy returns home, he is knocked unconscious by Chucky with a baseball bat, he starts his incantation to transport his soul, but Karen and Mike arrive to stop him. After a struggle Chucky is trapped in the fireplace, he is set on fire with the gas stove until apparently dead. But Chucky gets up and tries to attack again, Mike shoots his arms and legs shot off, he is finally killed with a bullet through the heart. Also starring Tommy Swerdlow as Jack Santos, Jack Colvin as Dr. Ardmore, and Home Alone's Alan Wilder as Mr. Criswell. Vincent is adorable as the child victim, and Sarandon and Hicks do their parts fine, but the star of the film is of course Chucky, brought to life with reasonable puppetry techniques, and the great fiendish and wisecracking voice of Dourif. At the time this cult scary movie did cause a big stir, it was a box-office hit, but also protestors wanted it banned, claiming it may incite violence in children, now it is just seen as a standard slasher scary movie, it does have some genuinely tense moments, it may be slightly cheesy and novelty at times, but for the origins of Chucky the killer doll, this is a fun horror. Worth watching!