‎Child's Play (1988) directed by Tom Holland • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

Child's Play

1988 Directed by Tom Holland

Chucky is one mean S.O.B.

A single mother gives her son a beloved doll for his birthday, only to discover that it is possessed by the soul of a serial killer.

Catherine Hicks Chris Sarandon Alex Vincent Brad Dourif Dinah Manoff Ed Gale Tommy Swerdlow Jack Colvin Ray Oliver Neil Giuntoli Juan Ramírez

87 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by Marie J. ✨ ★★★★ 3

Not a day in my childhood life was I not terrified of this orange haired little bitch.
Review by jose ★★★

chucky inspired millennials to dress like him
Review by Hollie Horror ★★★½ 18

A couple years ago I gave my cousin's daughter a Field Guide to Monsters book and she hasn't put it down since. Just the other day I received a text message from my cousins asking for kid-friendly horror recommendations because her [9-year-old] daughter has been expressing a lot of interest in horror. So far she's watched The Monster Squad, The Witches, and Poltergeist (which she LOVED). I wanted to watch Child's Play again because it had been many, many years since I've seen it and I wanted to be sure it was okay for her to watch. It is, and I actually remembered a lot more from this movie than I thought I would have, I guess watching it over…
Review by Mr. DuLac ★★★★

Chucky says Aunt Maggie was a bitch and got what she deserved.
-Andy Barclay

25 years later and this movie still holds up strong thanks to it's original concept, great pacing, outstanding effects and good acting, especially compared to other films of the genre at the time. Children are naturally creepy on their own, but when you catch them whispering to their toys it just makes it worst. This film just brings that fear full circle in probably the worst case scenario.

The original script was written by Don Mancini, the man who would become the caretaker of the Chucky franchise having a hand in writing each film, a rarity in a horror series. The story does a great job…
Review by Naughty aka Juli Norwood ★★★½ 1

#22 of 31 - CineMonster's HOOPTOBER 4.0

The film jumped the shark before the characters even made it upon the big screen by virtue of the over-the-top premise! But then again those whom plopped their fannies in theater seats weren't there for anything other than escapism, getting a good laugh over a cantankerous, politically incorrect doll with a potty mouth! And with a storyline that's this bonkers the pump was primed promising to deliver further fantastical escapades that would blow the audiences minds!

3 years after starring in Fright Night, Chris Sarandon is featured in yet another horror film that had its tongue firmly planted in cheek! Sarandon takes a backseat to the only star of the film worth mentioning…
Review by Tears_in_Rain ★★★★ 7

Daily Horror Scavenger Hunt 4 - October 2018

Day 9: A killer inanimate object.

Charred, melted face Chucky was pure nightmare fuel when I was a wee lad. And that bit where the head talks one last time after the body is shot through the heart, with the voice winding down, was creepy af. This still holds up pretty well, thanks to some stellar practical effects and great voice work from Brad Dourif.

Recent reviews

Review by Eric Harris ★★★½

Listen to my full review here on the Gargyle Podcast.
Review by OGW_Nostalgia ★★★★

The best movie about the worst thirty bucks a mother ever spent on her kid.

Read my and my co-recapper Dove's full recap at ogwnostalgia.wordpress.com/childs-play
Review by Christoffer ★★★½

Great Classic horror!!
Review by Roman K ★★★★½

The amazing animatronic and puppet effects still hold up to this day and will never get old. This first film started this franchise off right. It's sometimes genuinely spooky, sometimes obnoxiously funny and fun all throughout. I bet anyone who gives this one an honest chance will not be able to resist watching the sequels.
Review by Mariana Tavares ★★

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Review by Deusdedit Diez de Sollano ★★★½

Veías esto, aunado a la caja que rentabas junto a tus primos, y esa voz infernal te acompañaba hasta las noches cuando dormías. Chucky es un clásico moderno del horror, y no siempre estamos dispuestos a analizar las películas que veíamos de niños por temor a perder ese aire de magia o de irrealidad que pensábamos, pero lo cierto es que a treinta años de existir, es un gran proyecto, uno creativo, repleto de momentos tensos y que marcaría tendencia en el cine de horror de la siguiente década que trataría de emular la fórmula del monstruo de los chicos buenos, pero sin la clase latente de todos los artesanos detrás de una película más inteligente de lo que aparenta.

zonafranca.mx/chucky-el-muneco-diabolico-1988/
Review by Evelyn ★★★

- i went through a re-watchathon of the childs play films earlier this year, but only just got around to the original. tbh, i expected this to hold up a lot worse than it did. it's the film that tries the hardest to be Seriously Scary, and it actually manages it about as well as one would hope. the pacing and just general timing of the suspenseful scenes is pretty on point in terms of cultivating tension.

- where the film really shines tho is in the 2nd half when chucky really lays it all out and we get brad dourif's iconic, hilariously memorable line deliveries. he seriously *makes* the character of chucky. the whole ending scene with the primary protagonists fending against him is honestly kind of great. not quite my favorite of the franchise, but far from the worst.
Review by SeriesConvos ★★★★★

I’d seen this a couple of times before, but this rewatch solidified this film as being one of the all-time great horror films. It’s a ridiculous concept but Man is this one terrifying horror film. The animatronics all looked fantastic as well.
Review by John Winters ★★★

Really fun movie with a super unoriginal concept, but a great execution helps elevate to an extent. I can't say the same for the endless sequels that came next but this first one is fun.