Child's Play
Cast
Catherine Hicks as Karen Barclay
Chris Sarandon as Mike Norris
Alex Vincent as Andy Barclay
Brad Dourif as Charles Lee Ray/Chucky's Voice
Dinah Manoff as Maggie Peterson
Directed by
Tom Holland
Rater #2 has description and review.
Rater #1
Has Not Seen Movie.
Rater #2
7/10. 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.
Rater #3
Has Not Seen Movie.
Rater #4
Has Not Seen Movie.
Rater #5
Has Not Seen Movie.
Rated R for language and violent situations.
Running time: 87 minutes
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