Child's Play (1988)

Director:

Tom Holland

Writers (WGA):

Don Mancini (story)
Don Mancini (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

9 November 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

You'll wish it was only make-believe.

Plot:

Young Andy Barclay gets the doll he wanted. However, he did not know it was alive!

Plot Keywords:

Doll | Chucky | Birthday | Voodoo | Murder

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Catherine Hicks	...	Karen Barclay
Chris Sarandon	...	Mike Norris
Alex Vincent	...	Andy Barclay
Brad Dourif	...	Charles Lee Ray / Chucky
Dinah Manoff	...	Maggie Peterson
Tommy Swerdlow	...	Jack Santos
Jack Colvin	...	Dr. Ardmore
Neil Giuntoli	...	Eddie Caputo
Juan Ramírez	...	Peddler
Alan Wilder	...	Mr. Criswell
Richard Baird	...	News Reporter at Toy Store
Raymond Oliver	...	Dr. Death
Aaron Osborne	...	Orderly
Tyler Hard	...	Mona
Ted Liss	...	George

Also Known As:

Batteries Not Included (USA) (working title)
Blood Brother (USA) (working title)
Blood Buddy (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 | Finland:K-15 (re-rated) | Finland:(Banned) (1988) | Ireland:18 | UK:15 (uncut) (2005) | UK:15 (cut) (1989) | Spain:13 | Spain:18 (DVD version) | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A | France:-12 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Ireland:18 (original rating) | Norway:18 (video premiere) | Norway:(Banned) (1989-2003) (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

Brewster Building Apartments - 2800 N. Pine Grove Avenue, Lake View, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

United Artists

Trivia:

All of Brad Dourif's voice over work for Chucky was recorded in advance so they could match up Chucky's mouth with the words. Because of this, Brad Dourif rarely ever appeared on set during the "doll" scenes. Instead, recordings of his voice would be played back for Alex Vincent to go by.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Towards the end of the movie while Andy's mother is looking for the man who sold the doll to her, she finds him and asks him if he remembered her. She says she had bought the doll the day before when in actuality she bought it days ago.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mike Norris: I got the strangler! Wabash and Van Buren.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Freak Out (2004)

Soundtrack:

GRASS

No Baby Doll Eyes Here

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. The doll is incredibly eerie with its red hair and deep eyes, and goes by the name of Chucky saying things like, "My name's Chucky...wanna play?" Although much of the plot is very predictable(especially the ending), the execution of the plot is first-rate. Add to this some earnest acting from CatherineHicks, Chris Sarandon, and especially Alex Vincent playing a six-year old, and you have a pretty entertaining feature. The special effects are also first-rate, and the doll seems to actually be alive. Brad Douriff adds his voice to the demented Chucky, and his voice is evil personified. Dinah Manoff has a small role, but it is an important role which she plays very well. The atmosphere is definitely set on suspense and it is a rollercoaster of a ride as we see the doll slowly become human and seek out his only murderous hope for salvation. Good scares!