When being chased by the police, serial killer Charles Lee Ray uses a voodoo spell to transfer his soul into a "Good Guy" doll. A kid named Andy later gets the same doll as a birthday present from his mom. The doll, named Chucky, goes on a killing spree and no one believes Andy when he says that Chucky actually lives and can talk. Now, Charles Lee Ray does not want to be trapped in a doll's body forever and his only way out is to transfer into the first human being that he met as a doll, and that's Andy.
I remember the first time I saw Child's Play, I was pretty young back then and easily impressed. Haven't seen the actual movie for a number of years I was still pretty impressed when I watched it again now, as it's a pretty cool movie with a pretty good story. Tom Holland (Fright Night 1-2, Psycho II) made a fine job directing Child's Play, and just like with Fright Night, it has this nice 80's feeling going, and even if it's a horror flick, it still features a lot of twisted black humour and some decent action scenes.
Fun thing also is that Chris Sarandon who played the vampire neighbour in Fright Night, here has the role as the police detective who has to fight Chucky. Written by Don Mancini, who also wrote all the sequels and directed the lastest one, that is Seed of Chucky.
The actual story might be bit laughable, a serial killer transforms into a doll, a murderous doll, and the whole concept of the movie might seem a bit goofy. BUT, it actually makes for a great horror action flick, that is truly entertaining and still works perfectly well even today. Why it's good is because it moves forward at a pretty fast pace, and even if there are a lot of things that are hard to take very seriously, it never has a dull moment and is a fun ride from start to finish.
One of the best things in this movie is when Chucky actually comes alive. We get to see the doll for a while, being lifeless and all, so when he finally reveals his true self, it makes for a really good scene. The ending also delivers, and even though it's kinda predictable, it's still enough to satisfy. There are also some cool scenes at the very end, and it seems like Chucky can't be killed, (well, can he?).
The acting is ok for what it is. Best actor is definitely Chris Sarandon as the police detective who pulls off a bit more convincing performance than the others. Catherine Hicks who stars as Andy's mom does well too I guess, it's just that she seems so darn nervous all the time so it's hard to relax when watching her. The worst and most annoying actor is Alex Vincent who stars as Andy, but I don't wanna complain really since he's only seven and I guess it's ok for what it is. It's just a bit too cute and sweet, and that makes one feel a bit nauseous at times.
Chucky's kinda of a cult figure these days and Child's Play is definitely one of those horror flicks from the 80's that a fan of horror should've seen. It might not be very memorable, but it sure is fast-paced and entertaining.
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ALTERNATIVE TITLE:
MOVIE YEAR: 1988
DIRECTOR: Tom Holland
WRITING CREDITS: Don Mancini
GENRE: Horror
CAST: Catherine Hicks, Brad Dourif, Chris Sarandon
COUNTRY: USA
RUNTIME: 87 min
RATING: 7/10
Child's Play Website/IMDB Click here
Child's Play Trailer Click here
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