Tom Holland directed one of my favorite horror films of the 1980s in the modern day vampire tale, Fright Night.  Strange, then, that I should have missed a film like Child’s Play for so many years.  Stranger still, I’ve seen all the sequels.  This, then, is the equivalent of that person who tells you there’s this movie that you just gotta see called The Godfather.  Regardless, my first viewing of Child’s Play occurred this week with the Blu-ray release of the movie.

Holland took a script from Don Mancini, who is in line to write and direct the remake of this film, and launched a franchise.  Beginning with a police chase, as serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) flees for his freedom, we quickly learn that our antagonist has some knowledge of arcane magic.  When he is shot by his pursuer, Detective Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon), Ray uses a spell to transfer his consciousness into the nearest body – a Good Guy doll.  

Enter mother and son Karen and Andy Barclay (Catherine Hicks and Alex Vincent), celebrating Andy’s birthday.  Desperate for a Good Guy doll of his own, Andy is disappointed to find his gift consists of a Good Guy workbench, without the doll to accompany it.  Things change when Karen is presented with the opportunity to pick up one of them on the cheap from a homeless man who has happened upon the toy.  Of course, this very doll contains the spirit of Ray, now trapped in the miniature body of Chucky.

Of course, this very doll contains the spirit of Ray, now trapped in the miniature body of Chucky.

Back home, Andy freaks for the toy, insisting that the doll speaks to him in private and wants to do very un-kid-like things like watch the evening news, which just happens to be detailing the release of Ray’s wheelman from custody.  When the babysitter takes a swan dive out of the apartment window, Detective Norris reappears, pondering over the miniature footprints left on the kitchen counter where the accident occurred.  When Andy is sent to the kids’ version of the local Giggle Factory for his assertions that Chucky is alive, it’s up to Karen to convince Detective Norris that her son is not only sane, but in danger from the living doll.

There is something innately creepy about a doll that insists that it’s your friend, and the high-pitched voice of Chucky is already unsettling.  When Dourif’s voice comes out of the doll’s mouth, full of barely-hidden animosity and a sadistic glee, the creep factor lifts to be genuinely disturbing.  Much like the inspiration for most sequels, this is a far superior film to the ensuing sequels, with the possible exception of Bride of Chucky which is a great deal of campy fun.  This movie, though, gleefully terrorized its underage protagonist, something that is rare to see in films today, but makes this a nasty bit of business at times.  In particular, a chase through the Looney Bin where Andy is held is taut and mean-spirited, leaving the viewer with the impression that Holland and Mancini may just kill this kid after all.

disturbing.  Much like the inspiration for most sequels, this is a far superior film to the ensuing sequels, with the possible exception of Bride of Chucky which is a great deal of campy fun.  This movie, though, gleefully terrorized its underage protagonist, something that is rare to see in films today, but makes this a nasty bit of business at times.  In particular, a chase through the Looney Bin where Andy is held is taut and mean-spirited, leaving the viewer with the impression that Holland and Mancini may just kill this kid after all.

Sarandon is good as Norris, and a scene involving Chucky, a big knife and a game of stab-the-cop-while-he’s-driving is a good time.  As with any film making heavy use of child actors, the young Alex Vincent alternates between adequate and a little annoying, but Holland wisely focuses on Hardwick’s character rather than the child.  The real star, though, is Dourif.  His malevolent glee is infectious, and it’s no wonder that his tiny killer became iconic.  Now a mainstay of the genre, Dourif does fine work here.  His voice acting is complimented by some clever camera tricks and effects by Kevin Yagher, which make Chucky one of the most convincing miniature killers in film.  

Not all is rosy, however.  Aside from the built-in silliness of the premise, there is a lightness to the characters that makes the whole thing feel like a movie, which, of course, it is.  That does give it an air of the easily-dismissible, though.  With characters who have little life beyond the frame and a tone that insists upon the thrill-ride atmosphere that many genre films possess, it falls short of being a classic, but it is a fun and satisfyingly tense ride.  If you’re among the uninitiated, as I was, it’s certainly worth a look for Dourif’s gleeful evil and the best damn killer doll in ‘80s cinema.

Not all is rosy, however.  Aside from the built-in silliness of the premise, there is a lightness to the characters that makes the whole thing feel like a movie, which, of course, it is.  That does give it an air of the easily-dismissible, though.  With characters who have little life beyond the frame and a tone that insists upon the thrill-ride atmosphere that many genre films possess, it falls short of being a classic, but it is a fun and satisfyingly tense ride.  If you’re among the uninitiated, as I was, it’s certainly worth a look for Dourif’s gleeful evil and the best damn killer doll in ‘80s cinema.