MGM released Child’s Play on 9 November 1988.
I like this film well enough. Because it’s well-made and fun. But people — And critics! — love the film. And I don’t really get that.
Michael Weldon wrote in his second guide, “It’s way too much like the old Twilight Zone episode ‘Talking Tina’…” But he’s wrong about the title, which is “Living Doll.” And I think he’s overstating to say it is too much like the episode. But he is right that the idea for Child’s Play is not new.
But it is part of a horror subgenre that I love. Let’s call it “murder doll.” One of my all-time favorite films fits here, Dolls. And more recently, Benny Loves You is a classic.
This subgenre works well with low budgets. A great example of this is Killer Piñata (2015). It was made for just a few thousand dollars. And it doesn’t look great. But it’s a hoot! (Note: a sequel came out a couple of years back, Bride of the Killer Piñata. I haven’t seen it yet but it looks very much like the original.)
And there are others like the micro-budget films CarousHELL and Llamageddon.
The subgenre is good for that. Most people can forgive bad special effects when the monster is a space alien llama, a pissed off carousel unicorn, or just a creepy doll. Not that Child’s Play had a low budget. But it could have been made with a low budget. And it probably would have been better!
But it’s still a fine film. It’s helped a lot that Chucky is an incredibly creepy doll. And it pairs well with Brad Dourif’s creepy “death camp doctor” voice. So let’s celebrate the 37th anniversary of Child’s Play by watching the film. But this will be my last. There are just too many other killer doll films to see!
Child’s Play (1988) poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.
