Child's Play (1988)

Genres

Horror, Thriller

Director

Tom Holland

Country

USA

Cast

Alex Vincent, Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Brad Dourif, Brock Winkles, Dinah Manoff, Tommy Swerdlow, Jack Colvin, Raymond Oliver, Neil Giuntoli, Alan Wilder, Aaron Osborne, Juan Ramizer

Storyline

To escape from a cop (Chris Sarandon), a serial killer (Brad Dourif) transfer his soul into good guy doll Chucky, a doll that a single mother (Catherine Hicks) eventually gives to her son (Alex Vincent), clueless of it being possessed. And soon the doll starts killing people.

Opinion

Since I've already tortured myself with some of the most famous horror franchises, I thought it'd be fair to watch Chucky's franchise too, because who wants to be the target of a murderous doll? I sure don't. That, however, didn't prevent me from expecting Child's Play to be a terrible movie. Thank God it wasn't the case because I'd be pretty scared to write that review for the reason I mentioned earlier. I'm kidding of course. I'm not scared of a doll. The movie though, it was better than expected.

The story is pretty lame, clichéed and predictable but I have to admit that the whole doll possessed by serial killer thing is quite an original idea and it moves very well and it's overall enjoyable.

But the reason why Child's Play exceeded my expectations is the direction. The way Tom Holland set up the story and the creepy atmosphere he was able to build are the things that will engage you and keep you on the edge of your seat. The story itself (and the murders) isn't that scary, but the atmosphere is so good and the music fits so well, they easily make up for it.

Also quite impressive is the doll. There are some pretty good puppet effects, and the special effects are overall pretty good, especially for this time period. And Chucky's voice, although I was expecting it to be way creepier, fits the looks of the doll.