Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Aww, little kids. Be it Cabbage Patch dolls, Trolls, or G.I. Joe action figures, each and every one of us remember what it's like to be hooked on a childhood toy. There was always that specific beloved thing we'd all beg, scream, and throw fits for in the middle of Wal-Mart. The parents would usually wind up giving in (even if it took numerous tries), and we'd treasure that object until the end of...well, childhood, when it would promptly be tossed away and replaced with makeup, CDs, a skateboard, and so on.

But in the case of 1988 horror film Child's Play, things don't always go as planned. When young Andy Barclay sees an advertisement for Good Guy dolls, he knows this is a toy absolutely essential to his existence. When his single mother Karen Barclay gets a Good Guy from a scummy peddler for a strangely cheap price, all is well -- but little Andy has no way of knowing the terror his new "friend 'til the end" will bring…

PLOT DETAILS

The “Good Guy” doll Chucky is a tiny red-head with freakishly bright blue eyes and a mouth fouler than your average rock star. Though at first glance he may appear quite innocent, this is a doll inhabited by the soul of notorious serial killer Charles Lee Ray, who is gunned down in the film's opening scene. Little Chucky wants nothing more than to continually use voodoo spells to prolong his life, although it is soon made obvious that the body of a doll isn't exactly the firecracker's first choice.

Chucky manipulates Andy into doing a number of things. One of the most memorable scenarios in which Chucky takes advantage of Andy's human stature is the doll's revenge on his former accomplice Eddie Caputo, who unwisely bailed out on the human version of Ray - thus leading to his capture and death. Time and time again, Andy tries to explain to his mother that Chucky is alive, only to highly concern her in regards to her child's psychological health.

Caught up in the scheme of things is Detective Mike Norris, who is called out to the Barclays' apartment after the first of many Chucky-related murders. Norris, too, remains cynical about Andy's "tales" for a long while -- see, the doll is wise enough to avoid revealing his true identity around everyone except Andy. To make a rather complicated string of events short and simple, Andy winds up being taken from his home and placed in psychological ward for children.

Back at the Barclays’ apartment, Karen realizes Chucky has been operating like a regular Good Guy Doll without any batteries in him. Not only was she proven right by her son, she also gets a chunk taken out of her arm by none other than the red-headed terror himself. She immediately tells Detective Norris, who remains skeptical until he has his own abnormal encounter with the doll, which convinces him that things must be fixed right away. Teaming up with Andy's mother, he investigates Charles Lee Ray's background and is led to a master of voodoo known simply as John.

Given that John taught Chucky every trick he knows, he is quite a reliable, helpful source -- but can the heroes find him before Chucky does? All I'm going to say is that you'll have to see the Chucky/John showdown scene to believe it. It's not only the most original and entertaining scene in Child's Play, but one of the most memorable in the last twenty years of horror movies, period.

When Chucky finds out that Andy is necessary for his return to “human form,” he makes a little trip to the psychological ward. One could only imagine the amount of blood and chaos that ensues, as Chucky stops at nothing -- not even frying one of the ward’s employees to death with an electric shock unit -- to get his hands on Andy. Knowing that they have little time left, Karen and Detective Norris rush to the Barclays’ apartment.

The last several scenes with Chucky are some of the very best, and although I am certainly fond of all the fighting/stabbing scenes, I especially love the bits of humor thrown in here and there. The infamous elevator scene instantly comes to mind, in which Chucky is playing dead (trying to get up to the Barclays’ apartment), and an elderly woman notes that someone left their doll in the elevator. Her husband tells her to leave it alone, that somebody will surely return to get it, but this woman can’t get over Chucky’s hideous physical appearance. She voices this notion aloud, then leaves, and every time I hear Chucky’s calm response of “F*ck you,” I’m thrown into fits of hysteria.

EFFECTS AND VISUALS

The special effects in Child’s Play are done really well. Seeing little Chucky run, jump, slice and dice can be downright traumatizing for young children, and that can be credited to the strikingly realistic visuals, scene after scene.

ACTING

Brad Dourif does a WONDERFUL job of providing an unbelievably horrifying voice for Chucky. The voice is one that haunted me at night up until I was 8 or 9 -- sort of a calm, shrill sneer. It’s definitely not a sound that can be imitated, and I’ll go ahead and say the Child’s Play movies would probably have been easily forgotten without the unmistakable voice talent of Mr. Dourif.

Catherine Hicks [a season-5-final-two-friendly American Idol name, huh? Har har] is great in her portrayal of Karen Barclay. She brings the perfect balance of emotions to the table: rationality in her initial assumption that her child is telling lies, confusion when strange incidents continually occur in Chucky’s presence, and out-and-out fear when necessary, too. Chris Sarandon also gives a good performance as Detective Norris, and I really like the way he blends an unshakable sternness with a sincere desire to help to bring his character to life. And of course little Alex Vincent is the perfect Andy -- he’s got the funny haircut, the puffy eyes, high-pitched voice and a healthy dose of good ol’ child innocence.

APPEAL

I'll say it again - Child’s Play scared the living daylights out of me as a kid. Hell, it terrified every single kid I knew. Imagine being 8 and trying to wrap your head around the premise of a psychotic killer doll. There’s no way you can sleep at night in that situation! In the case of kids who actually enjoy the thrill of not knowing whether little Jane is innocent behind that battery-operated laugh, that contributes greatly to the appeal of this movie.

Otherwise, young children should steer clear of any and all things Chucky. Children aside, though, anyone who enjoys a well-constructed horror movie -- with the occasional cheesiness and all -- will be sure to find a few things to love about Child’s Play. It’s the best movie of the Chucky series by a long shot, and it has maintained strong appeal for 18 years now. Surely that says something.

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Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12