Directed by Tom Holland [Other horror films: Fright Night (1985), Two-Fisted Tales (1992, segment ‘King of the Road’), The Langoliers (1994), Thinner (1996), Tom Holland’s Twisted Tales (2014), Rock, Paper, Scissors (2017)]
This classic flick gets many things right, and very little wrong. Despite the nature of the movie, believe me, it’s not at all as silly as you might think (or what later sequels would lead you to believe). I won’t have a lot to say on this, so bear with me.
The story is pretty fun and captivating throughout, not to mention original. Certainly didn’t really feel like other movies around the time, and still stands out to today (despite some not so great sequels, such as Bride and Seed). Both tense and well-paced, everything seems to work out fine in this department.
The acting is pretty top-notch all-around, also. Catherine Hicks does a fantastic job as a mother worried sick for, at first, the mental health of her child, and then about a doll trying to take over her son’s body. Hicks has never been a big name, but she does beautifully here. Chris Sarandon, as a police detective, does a fine job also. It actually took me until this re-watch to realize he’s also in the 1985 classic Fight Night. Big duh moment then. He was a fun character though, and certainly got his licks in.
Despite being a young kid, Alex Vincent does extremely well as Andy. The scene in which Chucky’s coming for him while in the institution is perhaps one of my favorites in the film, and Vincent shows very strong acting both there and pretty much throughout the film, all without turning into an annoyance, which I appreciated. And need I mention Brad Dourif? His voice makes Chucky the memorable mofo that he is, and really helps the movie stand out from it’s peers.
As aforementioned, there’s more than a few kills that aren’t great (keywords: window, house), but others make up for it, such as that voodoo scene. The car scene too, with Sarandon, was a fun ride (for us, not Sarandon), with Chucky trying to stab him through the seat (another scene that’s stuck with me since I was a kid).
There’s very little that Child’s Play doesn’t get right. I suppose at times Chucky could be a bit much, but really, that’s part of his nature, it seems. The movie doesn’t waste any time, and just throws us into the action, which I always appreciated. It never really lets up, either. A solid movie all-around, Child’s Play is one that, if you’ve not yet seen, you no longer have an excuse to avoid.
8.5/10
We covered this classic on Fight Evil’s third podcast. Listen below as Chucky (@ChuckyFE) and I discuss the movie, and you shouldn’t be surprised by how much both of us enjoy it.
Jiggy's Horror Corner 
10 thoughts on “Child’s Play (1988)”