What can I say that hasn't already been said? Chucky is my friend and has been for many, many years. I adore the character and this movie in particular. Let me give you a little background before we begin with the review. The script was originally written by Don Mancini, who will become crucial to this franchise. The script was called Batteries Not Included as well as Blood Buddies by one point. Instead of voodoo, it was the boyhood blood buddies passing that caused the doll to come to life. David Kirschner, another person crucial to the franchise, loved the script and brought it to United Artists. Tom Holland and John Lafia were brought on board to flesh out the concept and make it more easily accessible. Don was not the one who came up with Charles Lee Ray or Chucky for short. He did come up with the killer doll though. History is not clear as to who exactly came up with Chucky but whoever did had a stroke of genius because they created a horror icon. Now onto the finished product itself...
As always we begin with the trailer. The trailer feels extremely 80s, but it's still intriguing enough and has that haunting end credits music. It sells the movie well enough and garners enough interest in seeing the finished product. The tagline: Something's moved into the Barclay home, and so has terror. You'll wish it was only make believe. is actually a pretty fine tagline. It's a little long, but hey this was the late 80s. Friday had terrible advertising by this point, so this on gets a pass. The poster of Chucky's eyes in the sky as the babysitter falls out the window is a wonderful poster. It's completely chilling and visually stunning. It grabs your eyes immediately.
Everything about this movie, at least to me, works. Out of all the horror series that I will review on this blog, this original film is the classiest. The sequels, well that's a different story, but the original is so wonderfully made. I want you all to watch the movie again and pay specific attention to Chucky's head and watch how it transforms and becomes more and more human throughout the movie. It's extraordinary. Kevin Yagher is the unsung actor of this franchise. Kevin through animatronics has to act out Chucky. Brad Dourif is extraordinary and deserves all the credit for voicing Chucky. I adore Brad and you'll find that out more as we go along, but without the amazing acting of the animatronic, Chucky can only go so far. Brad gave SO much and Kevin was able to draw from it.
One of the best things I love about the movie is that it doesn't need a sequel. Many of the films I'll review here leave the door wide open for a sequel but that is not the case for Child's Play. Yes, the door is left open when Andy is walking out the room, but that was more to symbolize how the memory of Chucky would forever haunt Andy not implying that they were planning a sequel.
All that said, I think that this movie has one of the greatest horrific moments of any horror movie. When the mother discovers that the batteries are not in the doll and when she looks at the battery compartment and sees that it's empty it's so chilling. Having the head spin around and talk, it's just all so horrific. When Chucky first talks in his Chucky voice and not his doll voice, it's just like BOOM, the birth of our beloved Chucky, our friend to the end.
I cannot express in words how amazing this cast is especially from Alex Vincent. He is so unHollywood for a child actor that I actually genuinely care for him in this movie. He gave an intense performance that is so captivating, it's impossible to overlook.
I have to give Brad a specific paragraph all his own because he's truly that important. Brad was always playing the life version of the strangler, but the voice of the doll was originally supposed to be the woman from Play Misty for Me. For a lot of reasons this didn't work. Chucky sounded too effeminate. They brought Brad back in to voice the doll portions as well and boom, a horror icon was born.
Keep an eye on Chucky's partner Eddie Caputo because in later flashbacks, he will be an erased character.
Child's Play was originally released on November 9, 1988. On a budget of $9 million, the film grossed $44,196,684 worldwide. A very nice profit. Everything about this movie worked. I have nothing but the highest praise I can give a horror movie to this film. The sequels will get a lot of criticism don't worry, but the original is a class all its' own. But how would Chucky return after his heart had been shot, who from the cast would return as well...well, we'll discuss that next time...
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