Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Spells &amp; Karma" data-source="post: 412123" data-attributes="member: 23">Child's Play (1988) <img src="https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/zMAAAOSwJY5k36~u/s-l1600.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 881px" /> Last night, I wanted something unchallenging and brief and horror-ish, and this suggestion from Primm was a spontaneous choice that seemed to fit the bill perfectly. Child's Play is one of those films that I've somehow managed to never watch, but feel as though I have because it was one of those phenomena at the time and it seemed to be spoken about in great depth by kids in school. At the time I didn't feel I wanted to watch because it seemed too scary (I was a complete wuss with scary films as a kid) and by the time I belatedly had any kind of interest in the genre it seemed a bit too silly (I had a similar relationship with the equally popular-among-classmates A Nightmare On Elm Street films which I've also never watched. I would like to correct that with at least the original in that series). One nice surprise in the very first moments of the film was seeing Tom Holland's name at the beginning and realising this film shared genes with last weekend's "Eighties classic first time watch" film, Fright Night. And then Chris Sarandon's name appeared, giving it even more common ground. It wasn't as daft as I was expecting. I suspect this is by virtue of it being the original film, where the premise is being established and - in the first half of the film at least - there's a degree of mystery around Chucky himself. Of course it becomes a little more quirky once Chucky reveals himself more, but the juxtaposition of the foul-mouth and murderous intentions in this object associated with innocence is always going to be fun. And there is just something innately creepy about inanimate objects that might not be as inanimate as they appear. This motif with dolls can be traced back from this film to Poltergeist in the early Eighties, Trilogy Of Terror in the Seventies, The Twilight Zone in the Sixties... and the one that started them all: the classic Ventriloquist's Dummy section in Dead Of Night back in 1945. They probably don't even have to be done as well as most of these are. Just the idea of it is enough to send a shudder down the spine (the opposite is true as well. Something that is supposed to be living but isn't can be very disturbing, which is one of many reasons why I wouldn't fancy working in a mortuary). Tonally it's an enjoyable watch. It has a little of the irreverence of other Eighties horror films but some of their atmosphere, too. There's the lightning over the building from Ghostbusters. The cute present that turns into a nightmare from Gremlins. And the "don't give a crap" anti-hero in common with A  Nightmare On Elm Street. Crucially, it also takes itself seriously enough for me to feel a degree of investment. I mean, the idea of a six year old kid being framed for murder and locked up in an institution is nothing if not dark. Casting is decent enough. It's good to see Chris Sarandon in a more sympathetic and human role so soon after Fright Night. Something about Catherine Hicks reminded me of Mary Richards (influenced, no doubt, by me being deep into a rewatch of The Mary Tyler Moore Show). There's McGee from The Incredible Hulk. Brad Dourif gives it his all. Alex Vincent is also a standout as Andy. It's a rarity for me to watch a child actor that doesn't grate, but here's one. Of course, the crying scene at the institution is probably his 'big moment', but most kids can put on that performance at the drop of a hat if they want something badly enough, so I was more impressed with the consistency throughout, which I suspect is also helped by Holland's direction and the editing. 1988 must have been the year from it with junior horror leads, but Alex is quite a few years younger than even Danielle Harris. Anyway, I found it a watchable and fun film, and I'd be up for watching the sequels at some point - especially since there aren't quite as many as I'd thought.</blockquote>

Verification: What month follows July?

Poison your name this Hallowe'en

There's plenty of time to choose your spooky October username

Click here for more details

Reply to thread