Child's Play
Tags: dark, mystery, gothic, murder, stupid, cult, horror, revenge

Plot synopsis:
Eight years after the Chucky's second demise in the Play Pals factory, The Play Pals company has recovered from bad publicity brought along by Chucky's (voiced by Brad Dourif) murder spree and resumes manufacturing of the Good Guy dolls. The company releases a new line of Good Guy dolls and recycles Chucky's remains. However, the soul of serial killer Charles Lee Ray still inhabits the remains, and Chucky is soon revived. Chucky is unwittingly given to Play Pals' CEO Mr. Sullivan, whom he kills with a variety of toys. He then uses computer records to relocate Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent).
Still troubled by his past encounters with Chucky, 16-year-old Andy Barclay (Justin Whalin) has been sent to Kent Military Academy after having failed to cope in several foster homes. Colonel Cochran (Dakin Matthews), the school's commandant, begrudgingly enrolls Andy, but advises him to forget his "fantasies" about the doll. Andy befriends cadets Harold Aubrey Whitehurst (Dean Jacobson), Ronald Tyler (Jeremy Sylvers), and Kristin DeSilva (Perrey Reeves), for whom he develops romantic feelings. He also meets Brett C. Shelton (Travis Fine), a lieutenant colonel who routinely bullies the cadets.
Shortly after Andy arrives, Tyler is asked to deliver a package to his room. Tyler realizes that the package contains a Good Guy doll and, excited, takes it to the cellar to open it, only to have Chucky burst free from the package. Remembering the rule that he can possess the first person who learns his true nature (and that with a new body) he tells Tyler his secret, but just as Chucky is about to possess him, they are interrupted by Cochran who takes the doll away. Cochran throws Chucky into a garbage truck, but Chucky escapes by luring the driver into the truck's compactor and crushing him. That night, Chucky attacks Andy and tells him his plans for taking over Tyler's soul. Before Andy can attack Chucky, Shelton comes in and takes the doll from him. Andy tries to get the doll back by sneaking into Shelton's room, but Shelton catches him in the act. Upon realizing the doll has vanished, Shelton suspects it stolen and forces all the cadets to do exercises in the courtyard as punishment.
Andy unsuccessfully tries to warn Tyler about Chucky. At one point, Chucky lures Tyler into playing hide-and-seek in Cochran's office, where he attempts to possess Tyler again. However, they are interrupted by De Silva and, moments later, Cochran himself. When the cadets leave, Cochran is suddenly confronted by a knife-wielding Chucky. The resulting shock causes Cochran to suffer a fatal heart attack. Chucky later kills the cruel camp barber Sergeant Botnick (Andrew Robinson) by slashing his throat with a razor.
Despite Cochran's death, Sgt. Clark declares that the school's annual war games will proceed as planned, with Andy and Shelton on the same team. However, Chucky secretly replaces the blank paint bullets of the Red team with live ammunition. When the simulation begins, Chucky accosts Tyler. Tyler stabs Chucky with a pocket knife and flees, trying to find Andy. Chucky then attacks Kristin and holds her hostage, attempting to lure the teams into fighting each other to save her. Chucky forces Andy to exchange Kristin for Tyler.
Suddenly, the Red team descends upon the area and obliviously opens fire with their live rounds, with Shelton being killed in the crossfire. Amidst the chaos, Tyler makes a quick getaway, but before giving chase, Chucky tosses a live grenade at the quarreling cadets. Recognizing the danger, Whitehurst bravely leaps on top of the grenade and sacrifices himself to save the others. With no time to mourn his friend, Andy heads off in pursuit of Chucky, with Kristin close behind.
Eventually the chase leads the group into a fake haunted house at a nearby carnival. Tyler tries to get a security guard to help him, but Chucky kills the guard offscreen and kidnaps Tyler. In the ensuing melee, Chucky shoots Kristin in the leg, leaving Andy to fight Chucky alone. When Tyler is inadvertently knocked out, Chucky seizes the opportunity to possess him, but Andy intervenes, shooting him several times. Enraged, Chucky attempts to strangle Andy, but Andy uses Tyler's knife to cut off Chucky's hand, dropping him into a giant fan which mutilates him. Afterwards, Andy is taken away by the police for questioning, while Kristin is rushed to the nearby hospital. Tyler's fate is left unknown.

Review: 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.
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).
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..
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, 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.
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.
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.
Director Tom Holland does quite a good job scaring us with this cliche-ridden, unoriginal story of a serial killer transferring his soul to a toy store doll.
Out of all the horror movies I've seen, the scariest movies would have to be the following: Child's Play, Pet Semetary, The Exorcist 3, Evil Dead is pretty creepy at times, The Others, Saw ( not a quite scary just a damn good movie, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (original), April Fool's Day is kinda creepy, Sleepaway camp ( music and that ENDING ) there are a few more but i cant quite think, however, the tops are Child's Play and Pet Semetary.
This is a truly interesting horror flick that was so popular that sequels have been coming out ever since, none of course matching this one: the original.The film builds up suspense in the beginning and then takes off once "Chucky" comes to life.
The only change I would have made was to the end the movie five minutes earlier, but they tacked on something that wasn't needed.The doll's owner "Andy," (Alex Vincent) is a cute little kid and Alex does a decent job of acting while Catherine Hicks is fine as his mom.
It's just a silly voodoo-type story (you should hear the explanation of who "Chuckie" is) and just played for a scary horror film.
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.
Serial killer Charles Lee Ray is being chased, after being mortally wounded he uses voodoo to transfer his spirit into the most populare child's toy on the market, the Good Guy's doll.
Chucky soon discovers that he is becoming human and has to transfer his soul to the body of the person he first told his true identity to, Andy!Violence: 8/10I liked the violence in the movie, but it didn't have enough in my taste, but don't get me wrong I love the movie enough to not care.Language: 10/10Horror movies should keep then language at about this level, and save the excessive swearing for comedies.Main Villain: 11/10Seriously, Chucky is the man.
Then again, you don't need batteries to interject yet more life into 'Child's Play,' aka 'the first Chucky film.' Like most horror films, the first one will always be considered the best.
However - like the Three Bears' porridge - was just right.It's mainly horror - about a serial killer who, on his death bed, puts his soul into a child's doll, only for it to be bought by an innocent family.
Childs play is definitely better than some killer doll/toy movies i have seen.
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.
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.
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.
Now to be fair I can see where some people were scared by this movie, it's just that it is (either intentionally or not) goofy.The premise is that Charles Lee Ray is a serial killer that one night gets shot by the cops and as he's dying and they're searching he recites a voodoo incantation that transfers his soul into that of a children's toy.
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.
Maybe it's so.When it comes to the movies (and, yes, the genre of horror, in particular), it sure seems to me that there's definitely nothing new under the sun.A doll (or dummy) taking on a life of its own and then committing unspeakable acts of mayhem and murder goes all the way back to 1945 with Dead Of Night.
In this first-rate, supernatural Thriller, Hugo, a ventriloquist's dummy, starts giving its owner/operator some pretty tall orders, which inevitably leads to some mighty deadly business before the show is over.Anyway - As horror movies, in general, go, Child's Play's two assets (the things that kept it from sinking down into the "fright flick" dregs) were its devilishly clever manipulations of the "Chucky" doll, and its overall snarky and, often times, wicked sense of humour.All-in-all (in spite of its obvious flaws) - Child's Play was a fairly fun horror flick that actually managed to pack a considerable-sized wallop and even score itself some genuine points (in my books) for, at least, trying to be original..
I am not a favorite fan of all Chucky films I haven't seen this movie in over 20 years since I was a kid so these days I re watched Child's Play trilogy and I loved it.
What the movie surprised me was actor Chris Sarandon I could not believe it guys it was the guy from Fright Night Jerry Dandrige he was in this film and he played the good guy this time, he surprised me.
It is the first film in the Child's Play franchise and the first installment to feature the character Chucky.8/10 Grade: A Studio: MGM/UA Communications Co. Starring: Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif, Dinah Manoff Director: Tom Holland Producer: David Kirschner Screenplay: Don Mancini, John Lafia, Tom Holland Story by Don Mancini Rated: R Running Time: 1 Hrs. 27 Mins.
The parents at the time secretly love this flick so their child would calm their greed for toys.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.
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 - unmissable, this cool movie deserves praise.
And how truly creepy it actually was at times.The film opens with the death of serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif), who is gunned down in a toy-store by officer Mike Norris.
Brad Dourif is also a revelation as not only serial killer Charles Lee Ray, but also the voice of the possessed doll Chucky.
I also liked the voice of Brad Dourif as Charles Lee Ray and Chucky.Finally I believe that this movie starts a new series of thriller which will keep us in tense since now days..
Incredible 1980's Horror Classic About Serial Killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) who was mortally wounded in a police shoot-out, he uses a voodoo spell to transfer his soul into Chucky, a "Good Guys" doll.
Pale face, blank eyes, fixed grin: let's face it, even the most basic of dolls is inherently creepy; whoever thought of making the things talk and move, thereby making them even more sinister, is one seriously warped individual.Little Andy's mother in Child's Play should have taken one look at the fugly interactive Good Guy doll offered to her by a manky-toothed peddler and realised it could only mean trouble; instead, she happily hands over her dosh and takes the flipping thing home, as if positively encouraging her son to grow up psychologically disturbed.
Sure enough, Andy (Alex Vincent) soon starts to show signs of mental issues, but in this case, it's not just the fact that the thing is seriously freaky to look at that is messing with his mind: this particular doll is inhabited by the spirit of mass murderer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) and it's been telling him all sorts of weird stuff.
Of course, no-one believes the lad, not even when people start to die...The idea of a scary 'living doll' was nothing new to the horror genre, even back in 1988, but although Child's Play's basic premise was already fairly well-worn, director Tom Holland proved there was still much more mileage to be had (five film's worth in total so far!).
Don Mancini's script injects just the right amount of fun into proceedings, Holland's direction is slick and classy, successfully wringing tension and scares from material that might easily have ended up as laughable, Dourif gives a brilliant vocal performance as the doll, Chucky, and the special effects are all top notch; it all adds up to one hell of an entertaining movie..
The doll ends up being purchased by a woman played by Catherine Hicks, who gives it to her young son as a birthday present not knowing the doll is possessed by a murderer.Catherine Hicks and Chris Sarandon did a remarkable job in this, Alex Vincent who played young Andy Barclay was convincing and Brad Dourif originates the legendary "Chucky" voice.
The only problem is that Andy is not familiar with the fact that the doll is alive and something much worse - it's evil.Before viewing Child's Play, I had seen bits of pieces from Bride of Chucky.
Since the movie is full of clichés, average horror fan should be prepared for usual stuff like bad ending or as I mentioned above - characters with low I.Q.Child's Play doesn't include gore.
If you read a description like the following: "Child's Play is a hilarious horror movie", stay away from the person who has written it.Tom Holland's directing is beyond average, but it can't be compared to his achievement in Fright Night.Overall - memorable flick that started a successful series.
Of course it's not perfect, but very few horror movies date as good as Child's Play does..
After serial killer Charles Lee Ray(Brad Dourif)is shot down by police officer Mick Norris(Chris Sarandon),before he dies he transfered his soul into a famous Good Guy Doll using his knowledge of the occult.
A year or so later,Andy Barclay(Alex Vincent)is about to get the ultimate toy,a Good Guy Doll from his loving mother,Kara Barclay(Catherine Hicks).But when strange things start to happen like Andy talking to his doll and people dying.Kara learns that her son and his doll,CHUCKY is linked to the murders.
It was not as cheesy as I thought it would be, although the first action scene in the movie, involving Charles Lee Ray being chased into a toy store and then creating a storm as he transferred his dying body into a Good Guys doll, was terrible.
After a serial killer (Brad Dourif) transfers his soul into Chucky, a "Good Guy Doll," a single mother (Catherine Hicks) purchases it for his son (Alex Vincent) as a gift.
The doll, Chuckie, was very scary, but the standout performer in this movie was that adorable, little child called Andy.
And, the only thing better than the doll itself, is the voice of Brad Dourif who flits from evil to darkly entertaining in the blink of an eye - and has naturally been kept on as the continued voice of Chucky throughout every genre change, reboot and sequel.I know that no eighties B-movie horror film can ever truly be a classic in terms of film-making.
A day later, it's the birthday of a 6- year-old boy, Andy Barclay (Alec Vincent), and gets the same Good Guy doll named Chucky from his mother, Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks).
Until the sequel "Curse of Chucky" came along a few years ago, and took the series back to its roots, this was the only entry that could legitimately claim to be creepy - if not outright scary.An ultra-psychotic serial killer / thief named Charles Lee Ray (character actor extraordinaire Brad Dourif) is gunned down by a detective named Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon, one of the stars of Hollands' previous horror favorite, "Fright Night") inside a toy store.
In this form, he continues to terrorize people, including Karen Barclay (lovely Catherine Hicks), the single mother who happens to buy that same doll for her son Andy's (adorable Alex Vincent) birthday.Although Hicks and Sarandon are very good, the true stars of "Child's Play" have to be Dourif and Chucky effects creator Kevin Yagher.
Child's Play (1988) *** (out of 4)A single mother (Catherine Hicks) buys her son Andy (Alex Vincent) a Good Guy doll.
This was good.First,the pros,I liked the characters,they felt real and were decently acted.I also like the fact that this movie was a mystery type thing,and I also like the setting,it's very refreshing to see a slasher movie take place in a big city.I also thought that the kills were great,I appreciate that they're not just for the body count,their part of the story and they're very suspenseful.Last pro,Brad Dourif,he is great as Chucky,very creepy and funny.Now,the cons,I think that the mystery could've been handled a bit better,the characters should've been more developed,and the acting at times was way too over the top.Child's Play is a good horror movie that suffers from some bad writing..
Childs play (1988) starring Catherine Hicks from 7th Heaven is actually a pretty entertaining classic horror film.
In a not-so-innocent movie about a child's doll, Catherine Hicks stars as single mother Karen Barclay gives her son Andy (Alex Vincent) a talking doll named Chucky for his birthday.
That said, the original Child's Play is a terrific film from which the sequels take their basis - a doll possessed by the spirit of a serial killer trying to get back to life by transferring his soul into a new body, and in this case, the body of a young boy, Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent).
Child's Play is of course the first film to feature the infamous and legendary Chucky, the doll possessed by a killer's spirit.
Child's Play is a classic movie and the beginning to the five (so far) movies starring Chucky...voiced by Brad Dourif.