Child's Play (1988)

Directed by:
Tom Holland

Written by:
Don Mancini

Main Cast:
Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, Dinah Manoff, Tommy Swerdlow, Jack Colvin, Neil Giuntoli, and Brad Dourif

The Plot:
When Chicago's "Lakeshore Strangler", Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif), is fatally wounded by policeman Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon) while hiding out in a toy store, a voodoo spell allows him to transfer his soul into a Good Guy doll. Single mother Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks) ends up buying that very doll for a suspiciously good price from a street peddler, and brings it home for son Andy's (Alex Vincent) sixth birthday. When babysitter and close friend Maggie (Dinah Manoff) is found dead on the very same night, having somehow fallen out the window of the Barclay's apartment, all evidence points to Andy. He is positive, though, that Chucky is the one who committed the crime.

The Review:
A full decade before 1998's hilarious Bride of Chucky and 2004's satirical Seed of Chucky, Child's Play was a thriller that actually aimed to frighten its audience. Against all odds, it succeeds. Tautly directed by Tom Holland (1985's classic Fright Night) and cleverly written by Don Mancini, who would go on to write every installment of the series, the deliciously creepy original still holds up splendidly.

Putting a wicked, potentially traumatic spin on the childhood notion that our toys come alive when we're not looking, Child's Play is a solid freak-fest, and a rarity of the genre in that it features such a young protagonist. The film's ingenious mixture of animatronics, puppetry, and human actors in bringing Chucky to life is completely believable, which helps immensely in making him a legitimate, threatening villain.

Catherine Hicks (who would go on to be one of television's favorite mothers in "7th Heaven") and newcomer Alex Vincent star as a believeable mother and son faced with an unexpected, pint-sized terror. Hicks is astonishingly good and brings exceptional pathos to her role, especially in a revelatory interrogation scene that she shares with Chucky, and Chucky alone. Vincent's performance ranges from good to iffy, but his fear registers when it counts. And, needless to say, the series as a whole would not be the same without the efforts of Brad Dourif, a consistently beguiling character actor. His rageful, humor-laced line readings as Chucky are far more chilling than they have any right to be.

Because the plot seems so ludicrous on the page, the fact that the film works as well as it does is a testament to the skill and commitment of director Tom Holland, who dared to have this particular work be taken seriously. Capped off by a relentless climax, Child's Play is an impressively effective staple of 80's horror.

*** out of ****