LogFAQs > #979862423

24. Childs Play (1988 / 253 points)
Directed by: Tom Holland / Screenplay by: Don Mancini, John Lafia, & Tom Holland
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Why Its Significant - It spites Johnbobb.

*ahem*
I mean, through a combination of fear, dark humor, and social commentary, Childs Play introduced what is perhaps the most unique slasher in the mainstream canon - Chucky. Chucky's one-liners and sardonic wit lighten the mood while never diminishing the threat he poses, his small stature and innocent appearance making him unpredictable and nigh-indetectable in the right circumstances. Meanwhile, the film subtly critiques consumer culture, the relentless marketing of Good Guy dolls reflecting a society obsessed with possessions and branding. Child's Play spawned a successful franchise, with six sequels, a remake, TV series, two short films, amusement park attractions, video game appearances, and has been endlessly referenced when theres even a slight hint that a doll might be alive in a piece of media.

The Rankers
Inviso - 6
Fortybelowsummer - 12
Jcgamer107 - 13
Snake - 13
Plasmabeam - 16
Evilordexdeath - 20
Bitto - 21
Mythiot - 21
Lightning - 23
Karo - 26
Johnbobb - 27
Rockus - 27
Seginustemple - 28

Inviso - I went into this movie fully expecting it to be exceptionally dumband in a way, it was. But in a way, it was one of the better slasher films Ive seen on this list, if only because the writers had a concept fully formed in their head, and they made it a reality. They justified almost every single choice in the film, and maybe some of those justifications are really insanebut at least they MADE them. I mean, the general concept of this film is that a serial killer received voodoo training so that when he gets cornered by the cops, he can stow his soul in the body of a child-sized doll. Even BEFORE the slasher element, thats insane, yet Im FULLY willing to accept that as a plot because the movie bothered to give a shit about explaining it to me.

I was initially going to give Childs Play shit about how the first section of the movie has Chucky solely from a first-person perspective, almost like theyre trying to tease the fact that maybe Chucky ISNT the killer and its REALLY Andy. But that gets dropped surprisingly early in the film. Like, the scene where the mom realizes Chucky never had batteries put in him to justifying talkingyoud expect that scene to come in the climax of the film. Im picturing it now: the whole movie has been hinting that Chucky is evil, and even though its pretty obvious, they keep everything to those first-person shots. And the endgame arrives and Andy is being accused of being a psychotic murderer, so the mom is at their apartment and begging him to tell the truth. This all leads to her trying to throw Chucky out, and she finds the batteries. Then the ending plays out how it did.

That would have been fine, and its what I would have expected from this kind of movie after those first couple kills. But instead, the film actually gives the audience what it came to see, and you have Chucky calling the mom a bitch and biting her before fleeing into the city. He tries to kill the lead detective, and eventually DOES kill his voodoo teacher (which againis insane, yet amazing as a plot point) before learning that he has to possess Andy as soon as possible to maintain his immortality or something. This leads to a climactic battle where Chucky gets fucked up ALL kinds of ways, yet he keeps coming. Hes like the goddamn Terminator in the form of a childs plaything. Hell, even after it seems like hes dead, he gets one last jump scare where he bursts out of a vent to strangle the detectives partner, who still doesnt believe Chucky is really alive. Its campy and goofy and amazing.

Kill-wise, Ive gotta give credit as well, because I feel like it could have been so easy to just have a slasher that stabs everything. Hell, Chucky gets a knife from the voodoo house later in the film. But in terms of kills, we get: hammer to the face to knock Maggy out of a window; turning on the gas so Eddy blows himself up when he shoots his gun and sparks the gas; attempted strangulation and just general vehicular manslaughter on Detective Norris; stabbing a VOODOO DOLL of Dr. Death; and then forcibly administering electroshock therapy to Dr. Ardmore. That is an eclectic collection of kills from a movie that could have done a lot less.

Finally, I have to give this movie props for its uniqueness. There arent a lot of children on this list; its largely adults, or more often teenagers in slasher films. And I myself dont tend to care for children in movies, because theyre either obnoxious brats, or precocious bratsboth of which are given far more leeway than they deserve. Yet hereas much as Andy exhibits some annoying traits early on (during that first sequence when it felt like the movie was going to go all in on the Is it really Chucky, or is Andy evil? plot twist), he really steps up in the back half of the film.

This is a child who, despite being six years old, manages to escape Chucky, get home, barricade the apartment, and arm himself with a bat before Chucky unfortunately manages to get the best of him. And then when it becomes a tag team effort from Andy, his mom, and the detective, Andy delivers an amazing one-liner as he sets Chucky ablaze. This IS the end, FRIEND. Even though Chucky still isnt dead after that, its still fucking awesome to see a little kid after to riff one-liners in a horror movie, and the fact that hes actually in danger is an added bonus, since most movies wouldnt dare risk a child like that (or write one into the story to begin with). Im just generally stunned at how much better this movie was, across the board, than I ever anticipated.

Fortybelowsummer - Mount Rushmores are all the rage on board 8 right now so Ill submit that Chucky has a case for being on the movie slashers Rushmore. I would probably give the nod to Ghostface over Leatherface for that fourth spot, but the Chuckster is right up there. I honestly think Ive heard of more people being scared of Chucky than any other character. Mention Childs Play and inevitably someone will say Oh, so-and-so is terrified of that doll! Anyway, this is where it all begins when a Good Guy doll comes to life after becoming the vessel for the soul of a serial killer through a spur of the moment voodoo ritual. This is a case where the original remains the best even after numerous sequels. They all have something going for them (except the 2019 remake, we dont talk about that one), whether its on the more sinister side or the sillier side, but Childs Play is Chucky at his foul-mouthed violent best.

Jcgamer107 - 6/10