I believe this one is a favorite among my age group, also a film I hadn't watched since I was a little kid. I had forgotten how absolutely weird this film is! Voodoo, talking dolls, serial killers, and movie detectives that don't buy into anything (what a surprise). "Child's Play" features a cast that gives the film a weird pseudo-soap opera and melodramatic feel that makes it one of the more memorable picks for the 31 Days.
Karen Barclay (played by Lorraine Gary impersonator Catherine Hicks) buys a Good Guy doll for her son Andy (Alex Vincent). The dolls are the holiday season's hot new toy and Andy has been itching to get one. Karen buys it from a "peddler" in the alley behind her work (because that's always a good idea) but then starts experiencing strange phenomenon such as Andy talking a little too much to the doll, an accident involving her friend Maggie, and later in the film, a connection to Charles Lee Ray (played by Brad Dourif), a serial killer known as the "Lake Shore Strangler."Detective Mike Norris smells something funny and begins to investigate and keep an eye on the Barclays. Soon, Andy begins to tell Karen that the doll can speak and is alive. There's no way a doll could be alive, right?
What child wouldn't want this toy?
WRONG! Corny right? Very. The big reveal in which Chucky, the name of the Good Guy doll, reveals himself is hilarious. But it's sort of supposed to be. A big issue with the film that I had is that it teeters between winking at the audience and trying to play itself seriously. A movie like this should never try to be serious, the concept is just too ridiculous. Making it even more over-the-top is the voice work of Brad Dourif. Screaming, shouting, obscenities are all part of his tactics to shock, scare, and terrify the audience.
However a large part of what makes the film work is the performance of the young Alex Vincent as Andy. It is his performance that makes the film interesting to watch. Also, the killer doll effects. What I've been trying to say thus far, is that this is what a terrible movie is like when it's very well made. The concept is extremely corny, yes, but things like Dourif and Vincent's performance keep us interested. The above mentioned scene in which the doll reveals himself to be alive is so good. Catherine Hicks is excellent when she has to scream and shout at the doll. And how did Charles Lee Ray attach his soul to the Good Guy doll? Voodoo! That's right. Yet another element that makes this movie weirder than anything else on the countdown (maybe except "Halloween III: Season of the Witch"). It's also voodoo type witchcraft that will get CLR's soul back out of the doll, but there's a catch to it. That catch makes the third act of the film extremely thrilling and suspenseful.
Keep an ear peeled for Chris Sarandon's voice, the actor who plays Mike Norris in the film. Does he sound like anyone familiar to you (Sarandon voiced Jack Skellington, speaking, in "The Nightmare Before Christmas"). And although the film isn't strictly speaking, funny, it is the best in the series because it plays the material very straight. It channels the feel of old B-Movies from the 50's and 60's. It's a fun time. If I had to program a horror movie marathon, I would definitely pick "Child's Play" for it's interesting story, great performances, memorable villain (I know many people who were traumatized as children by this film), and no holds barred attitude.
6.5/10
Rated R
Directed by Tom Holland
Written by Don Mancini
Runtime - 87 minutes
Suggested edition - Official MGM release on Blu Ray
6.4 of 10 stars on IMDb
66% on Rotten Tomatoes
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