Cyclonus
10-11-2002, 04:56 PM
Child's Play (1988)
Director: Tom Holland
Cast: Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif, Dinah Manoff, Tommy Swerdlow, Jack Colvin
Screenwriters: Don Mancini, John Lafia, Tom Holland
Producer: David Kirschner
A United Artists release
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/079284131X.01.MZZZZZZZ.gif
Child's Play sports an admittedly silly premise: a serial killer's soul takes control of a lovable doll, baffling the police with several mysterious deaths. Only the doll's young owner knows what's going on, but no one believes him. You have to give director Tom Holland credit for taking on such a wacky storyline; there are so many ways it could have failed. Has he succeeded, despite the odds? The answer is yes, for the most part Child's Play works. It's a slick, fast-paced horror/dark fantasy that builds up excitement until the relentless finale. It's a tour-de-force sequence that just doesn't let up. The horror convention of the killer who won't die has been used so often it's become a cliché, but it's effectively utilized here. I am remind of James Cameron's Terminator, which featured similar scenes, although that film did so in a much more serious manner.
Note the extensive use of point-of-view shots in the early scenes. There is no doubt that part of their existence is due to the inherent technical challenges of creating a convincing "killer doll" effect in the pre-CGI era. However, they also serve to create a degree of ambiguity regarding the true identity of the killer. Is that little boy responsible, and making up stories about "Chucky?" At this point everyone knows the doll is solely to blame for any deaths that occur in this film, but it's still fun to watch everything unfold, to observe the little bits where characters slowly come to suspect the truth. When we finally do get to see the doll in action, the special effects work is nearly flawless, thanks to the tireless efforts of makeup guru Kevin Yagher. Sometimes his work in this film is so convincing it's downright eerie.
Alex Vincent is one of the few child actors who is not whiny or overwrought; he takes on the role believably and helps to make everything more credible. Likewise, Catherine Hicks is effective as his frightened mother, and Chris Sarandon takes a no-nonsense approach to his role as a disbelieving cop. Of course, the real star is Brad Dourif, that reliable player of weird characters in genre films. His odd voice is perfectly suited for what must be his strangest role yet. In fact, this movie might not have worked without the benefit of the right performers to give the material some grounding in reality.
In the end, the only element of the film that doesn't quite work is the subplot about Chucky's use of voodoo rituals. Granted, this aspect of Child's Play is not treated as stereotypically as many other films have done; there is a degree of ambiguity surrounding the nature of that particular religion. Nonetheless, whenever it's dealt with, it seems somewhat strained. However, it's not dwelled upon for too long. This is a much better film than you'd normally have the right to expect.
7/10.
Director: Tom Holland
Cast: Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif, Dinah Manoff, Tommy Swerdlow, Jack Colvin
Screenwriters: Don Mancini, John Lafia, Tom Holland
Producer: David Kirschner
A United Artists release
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/079284131X.01.MZZZZZZZ.gif
Child's Play sports an admittedly silly premise: a serial killer's soul takes control of a lovable doll, baffling the police with several mysterious deaths. Only the doll's young owner knows what's going on, but no one believes him. You have to give director Tom Holland credit for taking on such a wacky storyline; there are so many ways it could have failed. Has he succeeded, despite the odds? The answer is yes, for the most part Child's Play works. It's a slick, fast-paced horror/dark fantasy that builds up excitement until the relentless finale. It's a tour-de-force sequence that just doesn't let up. The horror convention of the killer who won't die has been used so often it's become a cliché, but it's effectively utilized here. I am remind of James Cameron's Terminator, which featured similar scenes, although that film did so in a much more serious manner.
Note the extensive use of point-of-view shots in the early scenes. There is no doubt that part of their existence is due to the inherent technical challenges of creating a convincing "killer doll" effect in the pre-CGI era. However, they also serve to create a degree of ambiguity regarding the true identity of the killer. Is that little boy responsible, and making up stories about "Chucky?" At this point everyone knows the doll is solely to blame for any deaths that occur in this film, but it's still fun to watch everything unfold, to observe the little bits where characters slowly come to suspect the truth. When we finally do get to see the doll in action, the special effects work is nearly flawless, thanks to the tireless efforts of makeup guru Kevin Yagher. Sometimes his work in this film is so convincing it's downright eerie.
Alex Vincent is one of the few child actors who is not whiny or overwrought; he takes on the role believably and helps to make everything more credible. Likewise, Catherine Hicks is effective as his frightened mother, and Chris Sarandon takes a no-nonsense approach to his role as a disbelieving cop. Of course, the real star is Brad Dourif, that reliable player of weird characters in genre films. His odd voice is perfectly suited for what must be his strangest role yet. In fact, this movie might not have worked without the benefit of the right performers to give the material some grounding in reality.
In the end, the only element of the film that doesn't quite work is the subplot about Chucky's use of voodoo rituals. Granted, this aspect of Child's Play is not treated as stereotypically as many other films have done; there is a degree of ambiguity surrounding the nature of that particular religion. Nonetheless, whenever it's dealt with, it seems somewhat strained. However, it's not dwelled upon for too long. This is a much better film than you'd normally have the right to expect.
7/10.