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Child's Play is usually categorized with other definitive horror films of the 70's and 80's, such as Friday the 13th, Halloween, and A Nightmare on Elm Street, while it's a lot different, in ways I'll get into later.

Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) is a serial killer who is finally killed by Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon). However, he performs a chant right before he dies. Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks) is a single mother who works in a jewelry department in a department store. She lives in an apartment with her six-year-old son Andy (Alex Vincent), who is like any normal six-year-old. He loves the television show `Good Guys', and they have lots of toys and dolls that you can buy. When his birthday comes around, he doesn't get a $100 Good Guy, but Karen buys one from a peddler off the street for $30. However, that doll, whose name is Chucky, is actually filled with the spirit of Ray, who tries to kill everyone.

At times this can be pretty effective, even scary, even when they add to it with predictable, cheap scares. When Maggie (Dinah Manoff, who overacts throughout the entire movie) is slowly walking through the kitchen with no music, with the phone in plain sight, do you think it's going to ring? Thankfully, there aren't too many of them. The entire plot is pretty clever, not just a `Craven' or `De Palma' theme. Also, the puppetry of Chucky was pretty good, for it being 15 years ago. The cinematography was good, with many first person shots, which were effective.

Dourif, who played a gentle man in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, was very good, especially in the beginning, when we actually saw him. Why he isn't a big name now is beyond me. Hicks was good for what she was required to be: panicky and caring to Andy. Sarandon didn't do anything for me, as the obligatory police officer. Vincent talked like stereotypical movie children did, enunciating every syllable.

The music really helped, with it booming to prove its point of being a horror movie. It could have had some humor, like other horror movies do, to help it out some. Since it's less than 90 minutes and a horror films, they didn't worry about anything like plot holes or continuity errors. A few I noticed: how DID he go into Chucky, besides the chant, why would the Chucky doll be burned up, the dates continuously change. That scene with voodoo was very cool. That's about all I can say, so I won't say any more.

My rating: 7/10

Rated R for language and violent situations.

Child's Play (1988)

*** (out of 4)

A single mother (Catherine Hicks) buys her son Andy (Alex Vincent) a Good Guy doll. Chucky becomes the young kid's best friend but after a few bizarre things happening the kid is convinced that the doll is alive. The mother doesn't believe him at first but soon she realizes the truth but she can't convince the police detective (Chris Sarandon) that the doll is alive and killing.

CHILD'S PLAY certainly wasn't the first movie to deal with killer dolls but there's no question that it has become the best known and most loved. It's really amazing how well the film has held up after nearly thirty-years and it's clear that there's no slowing down as the series continues to get sequels. With that said, as good as some of the sequels are, they can't compare to the original film, which had Chucky being one evil maniac.

The film works on many levels but the best thing about it is that it goes against the majority of the slasher films that were out around this time. Instead of just trying to come up with creative kills, this film instead plays out like a thriller and on this level it works. The story of the single mother and her son is a great set-up and this really adds to the drama. Even better is the relationship between the cop and the mother as this added even more drama that plays itself out well against the horror elements. Then you've got a great killer in the Chucky doll but there's also the entire story dealing with the serial killer played by Brad Dourif.

The special effects are also another major plus and especially how perfectly blended the mechanical Chucky was as well as the moments where he's being played by an actor. THe film manages to have some nice suspense and is certainly very well directed by Tom Holland. The film is certainly one of the better horror films from the later day slasher era.

Serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) gets shot by detective Norris (Chris Sarandon). As he struggles with his last breath, he transfers his soul into a Good Guys doll. Meanwhile Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks) is a cash strapped single mom. Her kid is desperate for the doll, and she could only afford one from a shady homeless guy. It turns out that the doll has Charles Lee Ray's soul in it, and he wants to transfer to the kid.

This is a well made horror. The general idea of a killer doll may be an old one. But this is done with some fun freshness. Director Tom Holland is definitely a good study of horror. He's able to inject a lot of good old fashion scares into this film. He hides Chucky in the act of killing until late in the movie. This allows the tension to build. And the reveal is great. The whole thing works. The only thing holding it back is a little bit of unintentionally camp. The F/X needs improvements. These are all forgivable. Catherine Hicks and Chris Sarandon are both good character actors. At its core, this is a good film.

When people nowadays think of Chucky, the living doll, they think of the foul mouthed psycho doll complete with body modifications and a punky bride in a movie filled with funny one liners and black humor. However, when Chucky came to life almost 20 years ago, he was a real thrill that redefined the horror genre of the late 80s and spawned a series of imitators (some better than others).

Director Tom Holland crafts this very original tale written by Don Mancini, where a dying sociopath (Brad Douriff) uses voodoo to transplant his soul to an inanimate toy. Catherine Hicks plays Karen Barclay, a single mother who gets the possessed toy for her little son Andy (Alex Vincent), not knowing what is hidden deep inside the doll.

Despite its apparent cheesiness, Holland truly creates a haunting atmosphere filled with suspense by following the trick Steven Spielberg used in "Jaws". While we know from the very beginning that the toy is haunted, we never get a glimpse of what he can do and neither does the characters; only the young Andy knows the truth, but nobody believes him.

Unlike its current MTV-inspired incarnations, "Child's Play" starts a bit slow, but suddenly it turns into a suspense-filled roller-coaster with enough thrills to keep you at the edge of the seat. Holland directions truly makes the difference between a cheap B-movie and the classy film this one has become.

Brad Dourif makes a superb job and this movie started his now-legendary career in the genre. Catherine Hicks is a very good lead character, surprisingly realistic, thanks in part to the very well-written dialog. Chris Sarandon completes the cast as the detective investigating the mysterious murders surrounding Chucky and Andy.

The movie moves at a very good pace, despite its slow start; it has that 80s feeling and it is surprisingly violent for its time (it was released when rules were turning a bit stricter). It has great special effects and a very creepy atmosphere inside it's urban landscape.

While many reviewers consider a flaw the fact that Chucky's possession is not a mystery, I believe that a lot of the suspense is in the fact that we know that, but the characters don't. It is a very well constructed film in the end, and definitely better than its current sequels. 8/10

I've seen this brilliant horror movie over twenty times so far and it is still great."Child's Play" is wonderfully original-a great concept(the soul of a serial killer in the puppet)and villain(Chucky!)are perhaps the keys to it all.Plenty of shocks and scares,pretty good acting and lots of violence.The direction and editing are so tight and carefully done.Now I can see why this movie was such a huge success in 1988.Managing to be both frightening and classy,this is a nerve-wracking experience.I actually found "Child's Play" to be a very scary film.I did not find it too gory,but what gore there is it was done to heighten intensity levels to the extreme.All in all,I wholeheartedly recommend it to any open-minded viewer,who likes to watch horror movies.The hammer in the head scene still gives me goosebumps.