Review of Child's Play (1988) by Jus B — 16 Sep 2009

Child's Play directed by Tom Holland is so much more then the story of a killer doll who would later need body modifications and a glammer rock bride. It is a chilling look inside the mind of what we hold to be innocent and the dangers that something that we view to be innocent turning out to be another persons cause of loss of innocence. Andy Barclay played by Alex Vincent wants nothing more then to have the hottest toy on the market. His mother only asks for his happiness, and will do anything for her son including buying something off of a grizzled peddler, who looks as if he would like nothing more then to either assault Mrs. Barkley or get her to smoke pot with him. In life as in horror movies, stay away from people like this. The only thing that matters to them is their own innate ability to survive. It is a reality that they have constructed for themselves, one based on drugs, lying, deceit, and violence. Unfortunately for the Barclay family they take a toy from a potential drug dealer.

This plays into the movie when Mrs. Barclay is looking for this strange individual to explain where and why he got the doll. The answer takes us back to the beginning of the film. Shot at a bird?s eye view lightning has struck a toy store due to the corruption and gri gri voodoo of one Charles Lee Ray. Being chased down by Detective Norris for past occurrences, Charles Lee Ray needs to find something to pass on his human essence to, that thing turns out to be an innocent styled good guy doll. This scene incorporates a twist of magic and action at a fast paced that is thrilling to watch.

As Detective Mike Norris Chris Sarandon, gives us a budding relationship and connection between the police force of the Chicago Area, and Karen Barkley played by 7th Heaven?s Catherine Hick. If Brad Dourif as the voice of Chucky is the star, and Alex Vincent is the child hero, then these two are the heart and soul of the movie. I doubt this movie would have been as effective had it not been for the relationship and the turmoil that Mrs. Barclay, and Mike Norris given us. Their role is somewhat a play on two people who?s interests are vastly different, yet when their lives are threatened, they need each other to survive.

This is shown when Chucky hacks Detective Norris?s knee with a knife, and when Karen Barkley is being threatened by the ominous peddler in a rundown section of the Chicago Area.

It would be easy to label this as an Evil Doll movie. Yet it?s very essence is rooted in not only the will of survival but also the loss of innocence. Andy Barclay goes through a rushed childhood due to the chaotic situation that Chucky leaves his family in. Andy must make a choice, will he give up give himself to Chucky, or will he stand strong, sane, and somehow find a way to come on top. This movie creates a new look on a child character. While so many are viewed as too hyper, too irrational, too out of the loop. It is Andy that first learns the dark secret about Chucky ironically from Chucky. He tells his mother and Mike Norris, but at first they refuse to believe him. While most children would be frightened of this situation, Andy never loses his spirit. The spirit of his childhood is dark yet in a way it brightens the movie. His creative essence gave this movie the nature, that Andy has to beat this threat in order to get on with his life. If Chucky is not defeated not only will he not survive, but Andy will never enjoy the very things that have made his childhood so peaceful.

In this sense Child's Play may be more about loss of childhood then loss of innocence, yet at the end of the film Andy has been through so much yet he never gave in to the machinations of the voodoo loving doll. Andy is even more so the hero then Detective Norris. It is Andy that we really want to see defeat this monster that has created so much havoc only to steal the soul of a six year old boy. Andy passed three levels of development, and at the end he is almost near a post conventional level at six years of age. It makes you wonder are we the ones who view the world as dark and dangerous, yet can children have a justice perspective that somehow outranks that of adults. Is this movie making the adult world viewed as never being able to see the true definition of what the real threats of society really are? In many ways this movie is a play on the shattering of childhood innocence, and the truths that are too hard for even the most intelligent adults to handle.

Child's Play took eighties horror to a new perspective. It may star the voice of a killer doll yet the imagination and realism mixed in rolled into twisted settings and a near beckoning of a past generations monster films, yet staged in a modernized way, made this the beginning of what is one of the most creative horror series in history. Ironically if the second was a play on the first, and the third a look into Andy beginning to put his past into perspective by facing it once more, this was in essential not just the beginning but the movie that makes you think on a more conventional and post conventional level. It is dark in parts and even the end of the movie is shrouded by darkness, yet the child becoming the hero by force is a part of the movie that is the hardest to forget. It is an emblazoned trail that begins a journey ending with the third movie, that looks into what would are lives be like if we were threatened since we were a mere child. Would we give up on ourselves? Would our confidence decrease? Could we ever live our lives the same way again? In most cases the answer is no, yet by the third movie you have to wonder, has Andy defeated the threat that began so many years ago, or has he learned to be one with the threats of societies natural dysfunctions.