Child's Play (1988)

 

You don't fuck with the Chuck.

If someone was to tell you there actually is a very well put together horror film about a killer doll, chances are you would be subjected to raucous laughter. But there is. Even more so: this one turned Chucky into a pop culture icon in exactly the same vein as Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees or Pinhead. 

Not bad for a plaything with an attitude. 

We start off with a serial killer called Charles Lee Ray being chased by police officer Mike Norris. Norris manages to shoot Ray and he takes refuge in a toy store, where he realizes he is going to die. So he uses a chant to transfer his soul into a doll, after which the store explodes. 

A few days later, 6-year-old Andy is having his birthday and really wants a Good Guy doll, as they're all the rage. Alas, his mom cannot afford one, as they go for a whopping $100. Sure, they can talk and move their eyes, but still: that's pretty steep for a single mom. But luck seems to be on her side, as a street peddlar has one she can get for only 30 bucks. Andy is obviously over the moon with his new friend, but soon things become a little weird. Nothing strange about Andy saying Chucky is talking to him (kid's fantasy and all), but when his babysitter dies in bizarre circumstances, the plot thickens. It gets even worse as an old accomplice of Charles Lee Ray dies mysteriously and Andy is also present. This of course leads everyone to assume the poor kid has some sort of psychopathic spree and equally of course no one believes him when he says that it was Chucky all along. 

That is, until his mom has an encounter she won't forget... 

On paper, this seems destined to fail. Sure, we can all take a lot of silly things in our horror, but a toy that kills? And yet, it all clicks. Originally, the makers wanted things to be more dubious, so you would never know if it was the doll or actually Andy doing the killing. They chose not to and the film doesn't suffer for it. In fact, it might even become more memorable. It doesn't take long before it is revealed that Chucky is in fact alive and pretty malignant. But it is still very effective. It works so well because the actors are all good and play it as straight as they can. Catherine Hicks is wonderful as Andy's mom and Chris Sarandon does a nice turn as the police officer who is at first rather sceptical... until he nearly dies at the hands of the psychotic rubber menace. 

And who could possibly forget Brad Dourif's voice as Chucky? Talk about an iconic performance, even if he hardly was on the set himself, save for the opening scene. It's Dourif at his most maniacal and thus best. Also, it is pretty disconcerting to suddenly see a doll swear and curse. That shock moment still works. 

You know what else this film does really well? Build tension. Sure, the score is a nice addition to this, but camerawork and editing to a great job of making you feel uneasy, which is what so many modern horrorfilms lack. It's not just about jumpscares or gross out-gore: if there is no tension, there is no fun and 'Child's Play' expertly ramps up the atmosphere to the point where you can actually believe there is a plaything with a very real knife after you. 

It's great stuff.

Are there any downsides? Well, maybe the finale is a bit overblown, as it is a little too much of the fake-out endings in a row, but by that point, you will have been thoroughly entertained. And the film never overstays its welcome. The series would devolve into dark comedy, with a lot of entries that unfortunately suffered, but the first is by all accounts a thrilling classic.