Child's Play

Keeping up with our newfound hobby of watching horror movies in preparation for Halloween, me and Aimee decided to watch Child's Play.

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The Film

It's actually a fairly funny movie, and watching it now, it's hard to imagine this as anything more than a weird, tongue-in-cheek sort of film, rather than a horror movie.

The story is just mad, and it's the kind of thing that probably wouldn't slide nowadays, due to it being kind of whacky.

A murder/ criminal guy is killed in a showdown against a cop, and with his last breath, he casts some voodoo spell which sees his essence and spirit being transferred to a doll... The 80s were a weird and wonderful time for a lot of things, especially movies.

There are a few instances of gore, and killings by the doll, and with a little bit of trick photography, you don't actually see anything. But, the idea that this cute little red-headed toy can be committing these terrible acts is kind of a dux deposition.

Seeing the doll running around, and showering insults at people is sort of funny, and kind of works against the idea that this is a scary movie, even though the tone is set and it is very much filmed like any other typical horror film.

There's tension, suspense, and a few moments where you're on the edge of your seat saying, "No, don't go into that room!" But, then you see Chucky, and the tension is alleviated for a moment as you kind of say, "Ahh, he couldn't hurt a fly."

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This Ain't Toy Story

During the film, I mentioned to Aimee about Toy Story, as the idea of toys coming to life sprang to mind one of the most famous toys coming to life franchises ever produced.

I wondered if this film in some way shape or form inspired the creators of Toy Story to use that idea for the many Pixar movies of that famous series.

Would this movie go down well today? I don't think so, and I'll tell you why I think it wouldn't.

If Chucky came out in this era of cinema, it would have over-the-top special effects, which would kind of take away from the film. The practical effects present here make the character seem real, to a certain extent.

It would be an over-the-top gore fest, which would kind of gross people out, and I imagine filmmakers of today would lean on the gore elements to shock people, rather than leaning into the idea of a crazy killer toy.

The characters wouldn't be able to take the film seriously. In Chucky, the actors do take the movie seriously, and that adds to the tension and suspense. If it were today that this one was made, however, the actors would be telling jokes, saying quips, and in general wouldn't allow any tension or suspense to build. If a villain is a joke to your main characters, then it's going to be a joke to your audience. People will laugh at your baddy, along with the actors in the movie, and that would ruin the entire experience.

This film had to be made when it was, and at any other time, it would have fallen flat, rather than being a classic which spawned many follow-up films along the way.