JEU D'ENFANT

I'm a big fan of the Chucky franchise. Throughout all of its ups and downs, Don Mancini and the gang have never failed to bring forward a watchable movie. Even the most recent entry, Cult of Chucky (which was kind of a fuck-up) provided me great enjoyment as a series-long fan. But no subsequent movie has ever matched the original for me. That first Child's Play didn't just birth a classic character, it is, in and of itself, a classic. The first time you see Chucky open his mouth and hear the words of the real Brad Douriff... I've seen it twenty times over, and I'm still floored every single one of them. Absolutely floored, and floored with a massive grin on my face to boot.

Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time.

Young "Andy" (Alex Vincent) is obsessed with the "Good Guys" cartoons on the telly. Of course there is loads of accompanying merchandise, but his widowed mother "Karen" (Catherine Hicks) has to make ends meet so the newly released doll is just too expensive for the young lad's birthday. Luckily for her, her pal "Maggie" (Dinah Manoff) finds a street pedlar who has one for a mere $30 and so she takes it home to the delight of the youngster. Unbeknown to everyone though, this rather ugly looking lump of plastic has been possessed by the demonic soul of "Charles Lee Ray" - a pretty brutal strangler who ended up being blown to bits in an explosion at a toy shop whilst being pursued by detective "Norris" (Chris Sarandon). When an unfortunate accident befalls poor old "Maggie", the boy discovers the truth and tries to explain the malevolence of his new toy to the grown ups, but they are sceptical. Until, that is, the mum discovers that "Chucky" manages to function remarkably well - without his Duracells - and soon she and the police officer are on their own toy- hunt! Despite only being about a foot tall, this doll is remarkably effective with a knife as he seeks vengeance on all who have betrayed him, and to involve "Andy" in his plan to stop himself becoming mortal and vulnerable. It's quite entertaining this, but not in the least scary. I found the young Vincent really got on my nerves after a few scenes and the story really doesn't have much substance to it. The camerawork tries hard to introduce a sense of menace, but the late 1980s synthesised soundtrack put me constantly on the lookout for "Crockett" or "Tubbs". It is short and the action, once we get going, comes thick and fast - but I found this all rather comedic and the ending, frankly, rather daft. Still, I can't say I hated it. It is quite a fun watch.

Loved Chucky I watched this movie a lot as a kid. It was only creepy to me after he was burned up. That was the only part I remember getting scared from.

May 4, 2025

It's a good movie and a great franchise starter. It's creative, funny, scary and really well acted. This is one of my most rewatched films because it's such an easy watch. It's iconic for every deserving reason and it never gets old, the only reason it doesn't have a full score is due to me wanting more Chucky than this one has. 9.5/10