Child's Play - 1988

Child’s Play - 1988

We all had that film when we were kids that scared the hell out of us. I was no exception. I think that movie for me would be the 1988 killer doll film “Child’s Play” starring Chris Sarandon and Brad Dourif. I was about 10 when this film came out and begged to be allowed to see it. Yeah… not one of my brighter ideas. This film terrified me. Even now, this film gives me the creeps. This is the first in a series of movies starring the killer doll “Chucky” and his quest for a human host for his soul. Most people even if they are not horror fans are familiar with Chucky. If you are not, quick plot overview. Chucky didn’t start out as a doll. He was actually a serial killer named Charles Lee Ray, that transfers his soul via voodoo magic to the soul of a popular children’s doll. He ends up in the home of a single mother and her son, where chaos and death come in spades as he hunts for a suitable host for his soul to jump back into.

Some interesting facts about this movie, the killer’s name is actually a combination of the names of Charles Manson, Lee Harvey Oswald, and James Earl Ray, all notorious killers in history. Chucky does not actually speak for the first 45 minutes of the film. The longest run of silence for him in any of the movies in the franchise. The film itself was the target of much scrutiny, as people insisted that the film inspired violence in children. The film has always been defended by director Tom Holland stating that viewers of horror movies can only be influenced by their content if they were unbalanced, to begin with.

There is blood and violence that was pretty good for 1988, however, pretty tame by today’s standards. It plays the jump scare well on several occasions. It does use atmosphere and music to help set the stage of the scenes. Which I am always a fan of. There is also a pretty good use of lighting and the environment which can be rare in horror movies. The cast is very well rounded and very talented.

Special props to Alex Vincent for being able to share the stage with that horrible doll and come out unscathed. Pretty impressive for a 5-year-old if you ask me. Of all of the movies in the series, I think this one is by far the best. It really seems to me that Chucky suffered from the same problem that Freddy Kruger had. As the series progresses, (in my humble opinion), Chucky starts to almost degrade from the scary killer doll to a parody of his former self. This is disappointing since it had been a great idea if it had been run correctly. I think some of this has to do with, just like Freddy, there were changes in who had their hands in the project which changes how the characters are represented on film. The film was actually disowned by MGM/UA because of issues with the subject matter, so Universal bought the rights to all the sequels. But for our purposes, we are discussing the original in all its glory.

I have already praised the cast as being a wonderful collection of actors. Time to get to know them a bit better. Our first actor is Chris Sarandon. Ex-husband to Susan Sarandon and well known to many fans for his role in the 1985 classic “Fright Night, as well as Prince Humperdink in 1987's "The Princess Bride. In Child’s Play, he plays the detective that has been pursuing Ray and does not want to give up the case after he is told Ray is dead. He plays the “dogged” detective that was popular not only in 80’s movies but in the television programs of the era as well.

After he played our Detective Norris. He went on to have such roles as the iconic Jack Skellington in the hit 1993 animated film “The Nightmare Before Christmas”, as well as being able to see him in the 1996 “Bordello of Blood. Chris has had a successful career that has spanned over 40 years and is still going strong. Most recently you can see him in the hit Netflix series “Orange is the New Black” 2016 and the 2015 film “I Smile Back” I look forward to the continuation of his career and what he will show us in the future.

Our next actor is the adorable Alex Vincent, who played our little hero, Andy. This was actually Alex’s first role and he would play Andy in 3 more “Child’s Play” films. He took a break from acting after the 1993 “My Family Treasure” and we would not see him again until 2008 in “Dead Country. In the original “Child’s Play” with his little sister, who played a scene that required a back shot of Chucky running and she was just the right size. I have always had to praise most child actors that start in horror movies under the age of 7, for being able to be a part of the creation of a horror movie and be exposed to such material and be able to have it not affect them.

Part of the credit should go to the other cast and crew members that work very hard to help the children through the trying scenes. Alex’s Andy was adorable and a child you want to cuddle and protect. You feel sad because though his mother is widowed, she is trying to make his life happy. When he sees a commercial for the “Good Guy” doll and he talks to his mom about it breaks your heart. I really love this guy’s acting ability. Most recently you can see him in the 2013 “Curse of Chucky”, reprising the role that won our hearts, just a little older.

Our last actor is the voice that makes Chucky so memorable. And that of course would be the super talented, Brad Dourif, a man who needs no introduction to the horror community. His career started in 1975 with a role in the classic film “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. and has really been going strong ever since. He, then, endeared himself to fans of the fantasy genre when he landed a role in the 1984 classic “Dune”.

He has a talent for playing bad guys. Though not all of his roles are that way. He is one of the few franchise “monsters” that has been played by the same actor consistently throughout the entire franchise. After he played our favorite creepy killer doll, he went on to have roles in “The Exorcist III” (1990), and a couple of my favorite moves the 1994 psychological thriller “The Color of Night” with Bruce Willis and 1995’s Alcatraz film “Murder in the First” with Kevin Bacon. His career has never faltered or slowed. In 2002, he wow fantasy fans again when he played the vile, manipulative, yet spineless Wormtongue in the second and third films of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy “The Two Towers” and “The Return of the King”. In 2007, he took on an iconic role and give it a bit more depth and humanity. He landed the role of Sheriff Brackett in the Rob Zombie remake of the iconic horror classic “Halloween”. True fans of the series were nervous about the reboot and then to give the role to “Chucky”, they were even more nervous. But he took the role and ran with it and in my personal opinion, he nailed it. Most recently he has been in the 2015 film “Rosemont”, the 2016 “Cut off” and the 2017 “Antihuman”. With a career that also spans over four decades and is still going strong. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for him.

This movie is a horror night staple. It is a bit tame by today’s standards but some of the one-liners make up for it. As well as it is just a good movie. A different kind of plot, where the doll is not the dear confidant, but a homicidal maniac.If you are looking for a creepy doll movie to add to your collection next to “Puppetmaster”. “Dolly Dearest” and “Dead Silence”, this is the film.