Child's Play (1988)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Directors C

  
  Child's Play is a cult movie that doesn't deserve it's following. It has so many flaws I wouldn't know where to begin. Like how can 2 grown adults be forced to the ground by a toy? I found a lot of it laughable rather than scary. The voice acting of the doll, and… More
  Child's Play is a cult movie that doesn't deserve it's following. It has so many flaws I wouldn't know where to begin. Like how can 2 grown adults be forced to the ground by a toy? I found a lot of it laughable rather than scary. The voice acting of the doll, and of course the pupeteering, is good but everything around this is loud, obnoxious and annoying and I stared at the film very wearily. Apart from the few laughs though I couldn't recommend Childs Play in any way whatsoever.

• Ken S

  
  For what it is, it's damn good. It doesn't do anything new, but what it does do, it does well.

• Melvin W

  
  Chucky: Hi, I'm Chucky. Wanna play?  "You'll wish it was only make-believe." Child's Play is a silly "horror" film. There is nothing scary about it, as the premise pretty much indicates. Every standard slasher scene the movie has is different in… More
  Chucky: Hi, I'm Chucky. Wanna play?  "You'll wish it was only make-believe." Child's Play is a silly "horror" film. There is nothing scary about it, as the premise pretty much indicates. Every standard slasher scene the movie has is different in the fact that it isn't trying to shock or scare, but is trying to make you laugh; I hope. If that wasn't the writers and directors mission, then they are pretty stupid, if they think this was going to scare. So I am assuming every piece of this film was just mocking the slasher genre in a funny way.  This is a movie I first watched when I was five or six. This was at a time when such things as slinkees and moths scared me, but this killer doll Chucky never did. The plot starts with a serial killer transferring his soul into a doll, in order to escape death. A mother then buys this doll for her son, and the rest is a standard slasher, but with a doll. Chucky is pretty much Jason, in that he never stops fighting. He'll get shot, lit on fire and God knows what else and he'll just keep on coming. Child's Play is not a good movie, but let's be honest here; a killer doll movie can't get much better then this. The film is entertaining because of it's goofy premise and character development of the serial killer, aka Chucky. I still have fun watching it because it isn't trying to be more then a comedy disguised as a slasher. Plus how can you hate a movie with a doll that spouts obscenities at a mother as she tortures him into talking.  It is still a worthwhile film for those who haven't seen it; that is if the premise doesn't make you roll your eyes. If your like me, movies like this have to be seen; just to see how they turn out.

• Alexander D

  
  Five-star children's classic TOY STORY, meets five-star horror classic HALLOWEEN, to spawn a ridiculous, one-star horror film that is overly dumb. Released back in '88, CHILD'S PLAY opens when serial killer Charles Lee Ray is being chased by the police. He hides in a… More
  Five-star children's classic TOY STORY, meets five-star horror classic HALLOWEEN, to spawn a ridiculous, one-star horror film that is overly dumb. Released back in '88, CHILD'S PLAY opens when serial killer Charles Lee Ray is being chased by the police. He hides in a toy store, but he is eventually killed by the cops. And then the absurd happens: he ritually places his hand on a doll named Chucky and transfers his soul to it. Karen Barclay, a mother, does her best to buy the doll her son, Andy, wants for his birthday, barely later in the film, and she ends up buying Chucky. Little does she know that this doll has a mind of its own, and it is homicidal. Every Halloween, I see Chucky (the killer doll from this movie) everywhere. Twisted kids dress up as him for Halloween, there's dolls in drug stores, and everybody is imitating his laugh. I finally got tired of not knowing what the big deal was, so I found the movie on YouTube. Must I mention what a disaster it was? Needless to say, I don't see what the big deal is about Chucky, and how he ever became a more infamous film character than Michael Myers. CHILD'S PLAY has been wildly considered a "cult classic". Really? Anything that is clearly a huge slap in the face to every other <i>good</i> horror movie cannot be a classic at all. It's hard to even laugh at this film, because it's far <i>beyond</i> dumb. In fact, it's atrocious.

• Lady D

  
  Not exactly the creepy film I remember as a kid watching this, but sort of unique at it's time and a fun easy watching re-watch.

• KJ P

  
  Child's Play is one of the cheesiest horror flicks of the 80's, but damn does it know how to entertain. With laughably original dialogue, some decent acting, a twisted doll, and a possessed plot line, Child's Play is just a fun movie. I was a bit disappointed and I did… More
  Child's Play is one of the cheesiest horror flicks of the 80's, but damn does it know how to entertain. With laughably original dialogue, some decent acting, a twisted doll, and a possessed plot line, Child's Play is just a fun movie. I was a bit disappointed and I did expect to actually be scared, but the film is far too cheesy to be a classic. Yes, it is known as a horror classic, and I can see how, but the fact that I can laugh during it, definitely makes it not worthy of calling great. It has it's thrills and chills, and when it does it's pretty freaky, but overall, Child's Play is just well made above average film.

• AJ V

  
  The best horror movie of 1988! The best killer doll movie ever made, too. The story, not only the background of Chucky, but the story of the little boy and his mother, are very moving and realistic. Plus, it's fun and exciting. All horror fans should see this movie.

• Spencer S

  
  The Golden Age of horror was definitely the 80's. Another geniusly thought out idea with very strange follow through. Made in the later part of the decade, the animatronics on the actual doll are pretty advanced, bordering on the CGI of today. The voice of the main villain,… More
  The Golden Age of horror was definitely the 80's. Another geniusly thought out idea with very strange follow through. Made in the later part of the decade, the animatronics on the actual doll are pretty advanced, bordering on the CGI of today. The voice of the main villain, Chucky aka Charles Lee Ray, was so well cast for the part of Brad Dourif. The kid was pretty amazingly pathetic, and the mom so harried, making for a believable plot. Chris Sarandon was imposing without being offputting, and those final scenes with Chucky's takedown were some of the coolest in recent memory.

• danny d

  
  my favorite horror film in my youth, after the first watch a person becomes suspicious of all toys. chucky is an iconic horror villain and the story is effective for genuine fright.

• Cory T

  
  Rarely going for campiness or goofiness (until the disembodied strangulation scene at the end), the original is chilling and Chucky has become an iconic figure in horror cinema. It also maintains a taut balancing act with whether or not Andy could be imagining these atrocities… More
  Rarely going for campiness or goofiness (until the disembodied strangulation scene at the end), the original is chilling and Chucky has become an iconic figure in horror cinema. It also maintains a taut balancing act with whether or not Andy could be imagining these atrocities perpetrated by Chucky.

• Chris W

  
  Not without it's flaws and plot holes and lack of realism (the major premise being the obvious exception), but this is still a slick and creative little thriller. The biggest issue is that I seriosuly doubt that in real life the mom and kid would be allowed to continue living in… More
  Not without it's flaws and plot holes and lack of realism (the major premise being the obvious exception), but this is still a slick and creative little thriller. The biggest issue is that I seriosuly doubt that in real life the mom and kid would be allowed to continue living in their home, as it is a crime scene, but if you can get over that, and of course accept the actual plot itself, then you should be okay, unless you are scared of dolls, or don't like horror movies. That the movie is a bout a killer doll attacking a kid is basically why it works. It's not an original concept (not even in 1988), but it's the kind of thing that is basically timeless. The only reason to update the concept is out of the need to keep up with changing sensibilities and the technology needed to pull this type of thing off. I liked that they used puppets and animatronics. I would ahte to see a CGI Chucky. I know it would make some stuff easier to do, but it's not as rewarding, and doesn't take as much creativity. The performancs are pretty good, as are the effects. Dourif is awesome, and this is basically his most well known role. It's not his best ("One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" is), but he's great and being both funny and menacing just with his voice. It's a shame that the sequels began to favor humor over scares. Yeah, it's full of cliches and that kind of thing, but it does a good job at building suspense, and comes to a nicely satisfying conclusion.

• Richard C

  
  a classic horror movie B

• Jeff "

  
  Tom Holland Director of the superior vampire flick, Fright Night directs this killer doll movie. Chucky is the best of the Child's Play because, it does have moments of genuine jolts and terrifying sequences, even though it's a killer doll. Tom Holland as he did with Fright… More
  Tom Holland Director of the superior vampire flick, Fright Night directs this killer doll movie. Chucky is the best of the Child's Play because, it does have moments of genuine jolts and terrifying sequences, even though it's a killer doll. Tom Holland as he did with Fright Night delivers a strong film and a very well directed one too. The acting is convincing and Child's Play is a fine little Tongue in cheek Horror film, not to be taken seriously. This is the only one I truly liked, but the sequels are a mixed bag of good and bad, they rely more on comedy than this first film, which makes the sequels weaker than this film. If you love these types of movies, give a look.

• Dead A

  
  Another freaky doll story.

• Conner R

  
  A terrible movie, I still don't know if they wanted this to be serious or funny. Either way it fails because it's not good at being either. It's got some good build up in the beginning when there is apparently a mysterious force ruining Andy's life, but once Chucky… More
  A terrible movie, I still don't know if they wanted this to be serious or funny. Either way it fails because it's not good at being either. It's got some good build up in the beginning when there is apparently a mysterious force ruining Andy's life, but once Chucky comes to life it becomes a joke and a bad one at that.

• Martin S

  
  It's a fun movie. Not exacly how I expected it to be...but still exacly the same.

• Wahida K

  
  This began as a Horror Movie, the sequels revealed it was a spoof of its own. Do you see the paradoxic in this? inthebasket

• Anthony L

  
  Ridiculous but fantastic, a horror favourite!

• Jason O

  
  A maniacal man's spirit somehow gets into a new and popular kind of doll called a Good Guy. Little does anybody know that one of these "Good Guys" may actually turn out to be an evil serial killer with its main victim being a 6 year old boy. I remember back when I was… More
  A maniacal man's spirit somehow gets into a new and popular kind of doll called a Good Guy. Little does anybody know that one of these "Good Guys" may actually turn out to be an evil serial killer with its main victim being a 6 year old boy. I remember back when I was a kid, me and my mom used to go to the video store and rent tons of horror movies. While we were in that period of our lives, one of our favorite horror series was always the "Child's Play" movies. In this original movie, you'll learn the story of Chucky, the doll that turns out to be unlike any other. I've always been a fan of slasher horror movies such as the "Friday the 13th" and "Nightmare on Elm Street" series. While "Child's Play" might not be half as bloody and maybe not as popular, it takes the formula of the two series that I just mentioned, and it does a great job of it. "Child's Play" involves a lot of conflict between people for about the first hour, with hardly any suspense or upbeat horror, but once you see Chucky show his true side, "Child's Play" becomes very suspenseful, even more entertaining, and even scary. My favorite film of the series would have to be a toss-up between "Child's Play" and "Child's Play 2." If you haven't ever seen any of the movies in this series, I recommend watching "Child's Play" first so you can learn the overall plot. If you like great horror movies, I whole-heartedly recommend purchasing "Child's Play." You will NOT be disappointed! NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2001.

• Cassandra M

  
  What I love about this movie is the way it slyly pokes fun at, and subverts, the 80s Toy Industry. Witness the scene where the single mother couldn't buy her son the "Good Guy" doll he so dearly wanted for his birthday, and has to face his disappointment and reassure… More
  What I love about this movie is the way it slyly pokes fun at, and subverts, the 80s Toy Industry. Witness the scene where the single mother couldn't buy her son the "Good Guy" doll he so dearly wanted for his birthday, and has to face his disappointment and reassure him that she'll get one soon. How many parents had to face this scene in real life throughout the 80s? The film also manages to incorporate a sense of the multi pronged, multi-media merchandising attack of many toy lines of the decades. The "Good Guy" dolls are generally considered to be inspired by the "My Buddy" range, but note how they have their own cartoon show, which brings to mind thoughts of He-Man, Transformers, The Care Bears and so on. This kind of detail brings a level of wit to "Child's Play" that is ironically lacking in its increasingly comedic sequels. "Child's Play" is one of the cleverest and most entertaining horror movies of the 80s. OK, so Chucky isn't scary, but how many of us are really scared by Freddy, Jason, Jigsaw etc.? It is simply great fun, brilliantly executed.

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