Child's Play (1988)

A single mother gives her son a much sought after doll for his birthday, only to discover that it is possessed by the soul of a serial killer.

Director:

Tom Holland

Writers:

Don Mancini (story), Don Mancini (screenplay)

Stars:

Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Catherine Hicks	...	Karen Barclay
Chris Sarandon	...	Mike Norris
Alex Vincent	...	Andy Barclay
Brad Dourif	...	Charles Lee Ray / Chucky (voice)
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
Ray Oliver	...	Dr. Death (as Raymond Oliver)
Aaron Osborne	...	Orderly
Tyler Hard	...	Mona
Ted Liss	...	George

Storyline

When Charles Lee Ray needs to get quick escape from cop Mike Norris, he takes his soul and buries it into playful, seemingly good guy doll Chucky. Little does he know a little boy by the name of Andy Barclay will be the new owner of him soon-to-come. Charles confides in Andy while he commits numerous murders. Once the adults accept Andy's story as truth, it's too late.

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Plot Keywords:

doll | birthday | serial killer | murder | voodoo | 

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Taglines:

He wants YOU for a new best friend...

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 November 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blood Brother

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$33,244,684 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

United Artists

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min 79 min (IMAX Version)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo Dolby Surround 7.1 (IMAX version)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Child's play(1988) has two alternative beginnings.

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Goofs

In the police station when Andy is being interrogated by the detective, Andy smacks Chucky because he won't talk and his hair is in disarray. In the next shot his hair is slicked down.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in Serial Mom (1994)

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Soundtracks

Child's Play Theme
(uncredited)
Written by Matt FInk

User Reviews

The Original ''Chucky'' Still The Best

This is a truly interesting horror flick that was so popular that sequels have been coming out ever since, none of course matching this one: the original.

The film builds up suspense in the beginning and then takes off once "Chucky" comes to life. It almost takes half the movie for that to happen. It stays intense from that point and certainly keeps your attention. The only change I would have made was to the end the movie five minutes earlier, but they tacked on something that wasn't needed.

The doll's owner "Andy," (Alex Vincent) is a cute little kid and Alex does a decent job of acting while Catherine Hicks is fine as his mom. A familiar face in the '80s, Chris Sarandon, adds his talents as a detective.

Instead of all the stupid sequels, I would have preferred to see a remake done, now that special-effects have made such great advances. For instance, at least with the VHS I have, Chuckie's lips aren't even in sync with the dialog! He walks a little too wooden-like but the other special-effects were just fine.

Nothing is to be taken seriously, anyway. It's just a silly voodoo-type story (you should hear the explanation of who "Chuckie" is) and just played for a scary horror film. On that level, it works because it IS scary.