Main Cast: Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif, Dinah Manoff
Release Year: 1988
Country: US
Run Time: 95 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Child's Play seems to have been concocted by a parent who went berserk after standing in line for hours on end to purchase a Cabbage Patch doll in the early 1980s. The film opens with serial killer Brad Dourif taking refuge in a doll factory. Dourif is killed by the cops, but not before he has invoked a voodoo curse which transfers his soul into one of the dolls. That particular doll, nicknamed Chuckie, is unwittingly purchased by Catherine Hicks for her son Alex Vincent. Several murders occur shortly thereafter; all evidence points to Alex, who insists that his cherub-faced doll is responsible. Detective Chris Sarandon, the man responsible for Dourif's death, doesn't swallow Alex's story, but he agrees to investigate because he's sweet on Alex's mom. The slasher-flick ending of Child's Play would seem to have settled Chuckie's hash for good and all, but guess again--the film spawned numerous sequels. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
The concept of a killer doll is a risky endeavor for any filmmaker. The image of Raggedy Ann wielding a butcher knife is easy to laugh at. What works best about Child's Play is that director Tom Holland accepts that the audience is going to laugh, provides over-the-top scenes that encourage the audience to giggle, and then offers some genuine chills. Like he did with vampire films in his first movie, the underrated Fright Night, Holland smartly utilizes his knowledge of the audience's understanding of the genre in order to tweak the material without sacrificing the basic structure of a slasher movie in Child's Play. Couple this smarter-than-necessary approach with a deliciously hammy performance from Brad Dourif as the voice of Chucky, toss in a wide-eyed terrified youngster, and you have a surprise hit that spawned sequels, none of which come close to the quality of the original (although Bride of Chucky has its fair share of twisted laughs). ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Tommy Swerdlow - Jack Santos; Jack Colvin - Dr. Ardmore; Roslyn Alexander - Lucy; John Franklin - Walkabout Chucky; Ed Gale - Chucky; Neil Giuntoli - Eddie Caputo; Edan Gross - Friendly Chucky; Ted Liss - George; Juan Ramirez - Peddler; Alan Wilder - Mr. Criswell; Michael Chavez - Bellevue Patient; Aaron Osborne - Orderly; Michael Patrick Carter - Kid in Animated Commercial; Raymond Oliver - Dr. Death
Credit
Laura Moskowitz - Associate Producer, Jane Alderman - Casting, Shelley Andreas - Casting, Richard Pagano - Casting, Sharon Bialy - Casting, April Ferry - Costume Designer, Michael Green - First Assistant Director, Tom Holland - Director, Roy E. Peterson - Editor, Edward Warschilka - Editor, Scott James Wallace - Editor, Barrie M. Osborne - Executive Producer, Joe Renzetti - Composer (Music Score), John Loggia - Production Designer, Daniel Lomino - Production Designer, Astral Bellevue Pathe Color - Cinematographer, Bill Butler - Cinematographer, Robert Latham Brown - Production Manager, Elliott Geisinger - Producer, David Kirschner - Producer, Hank Moonjean - Producer, Cloudia - Set Designer, Apogee, Inc. - Special Effects, James E. Webb, Jr. - Sound/Sound Designer, Peter Donen - Special Effects Supervisor, Richard Helmer - Special Effects Supervisor, Don Mancini - Screen Story, Tom Holland - Screenwriter, John J. Lafia - Screenwriter, Don Mancini - Screenwriter
