Feature: Celebrating ‘Child’s Play’ At 30

We take a look at the birth of Chucky as the original Child’s Play marks its 30th Anniversary.

When you think of famous slasher villains and monsters, a few automatically pop to mind. There is the pale face and hollow eyes of Michael Myers. The hockey mask donning Jason. The scarred face and razor fingers of Freddy. The elongated visage of Ghost Face. And then there’s Chucky.

Since 1988, the possessed doll has been causing screams and howls of laughter across audiences both in the multiplex and at home, following his transition from theatrical releases to straight-to-DVD sequels. Chucky has established his place in the horror icon pantheon through a mixture of straight slasher techniques, supernatural story elements before diving full on into the black comedy elements that have come to characterise the sequels. It even served as a source of inspiration for some online slot games.

It is this more self-aware Chucky that I have predominantly been familiar with, which makes revisiting the original all the more interesting. While the most recent (and actually very good) installment Cult of Chucky has brought back the more straight horror elements, they had largely been absent since Child’s Play 3 in favour of the more tongue in cheeky self-referential humour. With this in mind, how does the original Chucky outing hold 30 years on, and just how was the slasher icon initially established?

Well, first things first, while it may be a straighter horror than its further installments, Child’s Play is hardly a pure thrills and chills flasher. Undoubtedly silly, not particularly scary but quite good fun all the same, this first outing certainly still has its tongue in its cheek, even if it hasn’t quite pierced through to the same level as its follow-ups.  

The film follows young 6 year-old Andy (Alex Vincent) who lives alone with his mother, Karen (Catherine Hicks). Andy is obsessed with the TV show ‘Good Boy’ and wants a doll of the lead character for his birthday more than anything else in the world. Desperate to please her son but strapped for cash, Karen buys the doll from a back-street peddler. Little does she know that she know that the doll she’s bought has been possessed by the spirit of deranged serial killer Charles ‘Chucky’ Lee Ray (Brad Dourif), who has sinister plans for young Andy.

There is something wonderfully deranged about the concept of Child’s Play that still holds a charm. It’s a million dollar high concept that the 80’s was rich for, and the film is delivered with a level of energy that makes the 80 or so minutes breeze along quite readily, with some nice shifts in perspective, a smart blend of puppetry, animatronics and live actors performances that help bring Chucky to life. And, of course, Brad Dourif’s sensational vocal performance.

Some elements have, perhaps inevitably, not aged particularly well. There is one moment in particular that doesn’t sit too well, in which Karen goes looking for the peddler in the rough parts of town. The scene that follows is a truly ugly scene which vilifies the homeless with a rape attempt signaled by a ridiculous, almost comedic, zipper sound effect, an attempt which is thankfully thwarted by Detective Norris (Chris Sarandon) arriving on the scene. It’s a seedy element that doesn’t sit too pretty with the otherwise good-natured, albeit it knife-wielding, fun.

This moment of sourness doesn’t spoil the broth as it were. There is a considerable charm from the performances, particularly from the adorable Alex Vincent and the dependable Catherine Hicks. While director Tom Holland’s Fright Night is a superior film (and has a superior Chris Sarandon performance), there is no denying Child’s Play cheeky charms that stem from his practical and creative talents.

It is very easy to see why Chucky ended up becoming more of a punchline in his later installments. There is a ridiculousness to the concept that certainly cannot be ignored. But Child’s Play manages to strike a pretty successful balance between humour and thrills, thanks to Holland’s sure hand as a technical filmmaker, and a character who can more than hold his own amongst his slasher peers, despite his stature. With an upcoming remake going ahead seeming against the original franchise itself, which is still on-going with series writer/creator Don Mancini, there’s no end in sight to the manic, voodoo conjured playtime.