CinemaClown
Notorious for bringing on screen a creepy doll who has since become a staple of pop culture, Child's Play is no doubt cheesy & over-the-top but there's a fun vibe to it that makes it somewhat entertaining while its originality & practical effects are still noteworthy.The story concerns a single mother who gifts her son a much sought-after doll for his birthday. Unbeknownst to her, the doll happens to be possessed by the soul of a serial killer. And so when her son is framed for murders committed by the doll, she decides to get to the truth of it all.Directed by Tom Holland, the premise is absolutely ludicrous yet it works to quite an extent. Holland keeps the plot moving at all times, managing to create a few genuinely thrilling & exciting moments, even if many of the scenes are laughable or appear severely dated today.What benefits the movie, despite its bonkers storyline, is its emphasis on creating an atmosphere that reeks of suspense and more often than not, Holland gets it right with proper build up & execution. Camerawork is energetic, pacing is good, and the animatronics is truly impressive.The plot is very thin though, barely serviceable, and characters don't carry enough meat on their arcs either. Chucky still makes up for an interesting villain no doubt although that kid is downright terrible and his performance is cringeworthy. But he isn't the only one, for pretty much the entire cast is awful in their given roles.On an overall scale, Child's Play is marred with numerous shortcomings but there is something about it that makes you wanna sit back and enjoy the ridiculousness of it all. Several effects may look cartoonish today but there's an identity to it that has helped the film maintain its footing in the genre over the years. It's campy but it's also clever in brief doses.
Dalbert Pringle
Favourite Movie Quote: "Hidey-Ho!" Could Child's Play really be a dire message, warning parents about caving into their child's demands, while (at the same time) trying to save themselves a few lousy bucks on the price of a toy?.... I don't know. 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.
lucastysonbevan-85470
The film begins with a shootout involving serial killer Charles Lee Ray nicknamed the Lakeshore Strangler and his accomplice Eddie Caputo fleeing Chicago authorities including homicide detective Mike Norris. Eddie Caputo flees the scene leaving his partner in crime Charles Lee Ray alone to face Detective Norris. After suffering multiple gunshot wounds, Ray breaks into a nearby toy store in an attempt to avoid Norris. While hiding out inside he comes to the realization that his wounds are fatal, and he hasn't long to live. He stumbles upon an array of "Good Guy" dolls, which we later learn are characters from a popular children's cartoon, and are the hot toy on the market at the time. Using voodoo rituals that we discover Ray has an obsession with, he transfers his soul into one of the dolls, in an attempt to avoid death. Fast forwarding to the next day, were introduced to a young boy by the name of Andy Barclay, whom is celebrating his sixth birthday, and doing so in fashion, watching his favourite "Good Guys" cartoon, and sporting his Good Guys pajamas. Hoping to receive a Good Guy doll for his birthday, Andy is let down when his mother presents him with clothes, and other Good Guys merchandise for his gift, but no doll. Later that night, while at work Andy's mother Karen is approached by her co- worker and close friend Maggie, who informs her a peddler behind the store has a Good Guy doll for sale, at a discounted rate. She purchases the doll from the man, with no knowledge that this would be the worst mistake of her life. That night, Karen is forced to work late, leaving her friend Maggie to watch young Andy. At this time, the doll, whom has presented himself as "Chucky", begins to talk to Andy, and he is saying thing outside of the dolls pre programmed three sentences. That night, the first of Chucky's murders takes place, and Maggie is the victim. When Karen returns home, shes greeted with an array of police cars, ambulances and fire trucks, due to her friend's death. Upon entering her apartment, she is met with Detective Mike Norris, the same homicide detective responsible for Charles Lee Ray's "death" Due to obvious clues that a murder had taken place and some rather small footprints left behind, Andy becomes Detective Norris's main suspect in Maggie's murder. The night of his "death", Ray promised to kill his accomplice Eddie Caputo for leaving him behind, and Detective Norris, for causing his death. True to his word, Chucky's next victim is Caputo. Chucky instructs Andy to leave school, and directs him to Caputo's home, in order to commit the murder. When police arrive on the scene and discover young Andy near another death, he is detained by police and taken into custody, where he spews his story of his doll being alive, and being responsible for the two murders. Obviously concerned with his stories, Andy is transferred to a psychiatric hospital where doctors plan to get to the bottom of his "delusions". Meanwhile, Karen finally makes her way home, with the doll in hand. When she's arrived, upon inspecting the box in which the doll came, she makes a horrifying discovery; the doll has been moving and talking for days without any batteries in it. She brings her discovery to Detective Norris, who of course writes her story off as irrational, that is until Chucky moves in to attack his next victim; Detective Norris himself. Only Chucky does not succeed in murdering Detective Norris. After firing a gunshot into Chucky's chest, the doll flees the scene, spewing blood and in a great deal of pain, an occurrence that is not supposed to happen. Due to this, Chucky pays a visit to the man that paved his path in the voodoo world; Raymond Oliver. Oliver reveals to Chucky that he is becoming human, due to the fact that he has been in the body of the doll to long, and must transfer his soul into the first person he revealed his true self to, whom is of course six year old Andy. Chucky takes this advice, and claims his next victim. Detective Norris and Karen feel that Chucky may be headed for Raymond, so decide to pay him a visit, but by the time they get to him, it is too late. Chucky has already come and gone. Half conscious, Raymond pleads that they get to Andy and protect him, before Chucky gets to him. In a race against time, Norris and Karen speed back to the Barclay's home in order to find Andy and save him, after he escaped from the hospital earlier that day. Detective Norris and Karen enter the home to find Chucky and Andy, and commit themselves to attack Chucky's heart, and kill him. The night ends with Norris, Karen and Andy all suffering minor injuries, and a live Good Guy doll, chopped into pieces and burnt to a crisp, finally putting an end to the living nightmare, by firing a single bullet, directly into his heart.Review- At the end of the day, it's a movie about a killer doll. Certainly far ahead of its time as far as the dolls effects go, and it is rather entertaining. However it also features a display of mediocre acting and a dry plot. 6/10
