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Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif, Dinah Manoff ... see more see more... , Tommy Swerdlow , Jack Colvin , Roslyn Alexander , John Franklin , Ed Gale , Neil Giuntoli , Edan Gross , Ted Liss , Juan Ramírez , Alan Wilder , Michael Chavez , Aaron Osborne , Michael Patrick Carter , Raymond Oliver

Child's Play seems to have been concocted by a parent who went berserk after standing in line for hours on end to purchase a Cabbage Patch doll in the early 1980s. The film opens with serial killer Br... read more read more...ad Dourif taking refuge in a doll factory. Dourif is killed by the cops, but not before he has invoked a voodoo curse which transfers his soul into one of the dolls. That particular doll, nicknamed Chuckie, is unwittingly purchased by Catherine Hicks for her son Alex Vincent. Several murders occur shortly thereafter; all evidence points to Alex, who insists that his cherub-faced doll is responsible. Detective Chris Sarandon, the man responsible for Dourif's death, doesn't swallow Alex's story, but he agrees to investigate because he's sweet on Alex's mom. The slasher-flick ending of Child's Play would seem to have settled Chuckie's hash for good and all, but guess again--the film spawned numerous sequels. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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61% liked it

245,445 ratings

Critics

68% liked it

28 critics

R, 1 hr. 35 min.

Directed by: Tom Holland

Release Date: November 9, 1988

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DVD Release Date: August 14, 2001

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Stats: 9,668 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (9,668)

  • aquateen2
    February 18, 2012
    aquateen2
    Child's Play is a cult movie that doesn't deserve it's following. It has so many flaws I wouldn't know where to begin. Like how can 2 grown adults be forced to the ground by a toy? I found a lot of it laughable rather than scary. The voice acting of the doll, and of course the pu... read morepeteering, is good but everything around this is loud, obnoxious and annoying and I stared at the film very wearily. Apart from the few laughs though I couldn't recommend Childs Play in any way whatsoever.
  • kenstachnik
    January 2, 2012
    kenstachnik
    For what it is, it's damn good. It doesn't do anything new, but what it does do, it does well.
  • blkbomb
    November 10, 2011
    blkbomb
    Chucky: Hi, I'm Chucky. Wanna play? 

    "You'll wish it was only make-believe."

    Child's Play is a silly "horror" film. There is nothing scary about it, as the premise pretty much indicates. Every standard slasher scene the movie has is different in the fact that it isn't trying to... read more shock or scare, but is trying to make you laugh; I hope. If that wasn't the writers and directors mission, then they are pretty stupid, if they think this was going to scare. So I am assuming every piece of this film was just mocking the slasher genre in a funny way. 

    This is a movie I first watched when I was five or six. This was at a time when such things as slinkees and moths scared me, but this killer doll Chucky never did. The plot starts with a serial killer transferring his soul into a doll, in order to escape death. A mother then buys this doll for her son, and the rest is a standard slasher, but with a doll. Chucky is pretty much Jason, in that he never stops fighting. He'll get shot, lit on fire and God knows what else and he'll just keep on coming.

    Child's Play is not a good movie, but let's be honest here; a killer doll movie can't get much better then this. The film is entertaining because of it's goofy premise and character development of the serial killer, aka Chucky. I still have fun watching it because it isn't trying to be more then a comedy disguised as a slasher. Plus how can you hate a movie with a doll that spouts obscenities at a mother as she tortures him into talking. 

    It is still a worthwhile film for those who haven't seen it; that is if the premise doesn't make you roll your eyes. If your like me, movies like this have to be seen; just to see how they turn out.
  • spielberg00
    October 24, 2011
    spielberg00
    Five-star children's classic TOY STORY, meets five-star horror classic HALLOWEEN, to spawn a ridiculous, one-star horror film that is overly dumb. Released back in '88, CHILD'S PLAY opens when serial killer Charles Lee Ray is being chased by the police. He hides in a toy store,... read more but he is eventually killed by the cops. And then the absurd happens: he ritually places his hand on a doll named Chucky and transfers his soul to it. Karen Barclay, a mother, does her best to buy the doll her son, Andy, wants for his birthday, barely later in the film, and she ends up buying Chucky. Little does she know that this doll has a mind of its own, and it is homicidal.

    Every Halloween, I see Chucky (the killer doll from this movie) everywhere. Twisted kids dress up as him for Halloween, there's dolls in drug stores, and everybody is imitating his laugh. I finally got tired of not knowing what the big deal was, so I found the movie on YouTube. Must I mention what a disaster it was? Needless to say, I don't see what the big deal is about Chucky, and how he ever became a more infamous film character than Michael Myers.

    CHILD'S PLAY has been wildly considered a "cult classic". Really? Anything that is clearly a huge slap in the face to every other good horror movie cannot be a classic at all. It's hard to even laugh at this film, because it's far beyond dumb. In fact, it's atrocious.
  • 76Majikat
    October 15, 2011
    76Majikat
    Not exactly the creepy film I remember as a kid watching this, but sort of unique at it's time and a fun easy watching re-watch.
  • fb733768972
    March 14, 2011
    fb733768972
    Child's Play is one of the cheesiest horror flicks of the 80's, but damn does it know how to entertain. With laughably original dialogue, some decent acting, a twisted doll, and a possessed plot line, Child's Play is just a fun movie. I was a bit disappointed and I did expect to ... read moreactually be scared, but the film is far too cheesy to be a classic. Yes, it is known as a horror classic, and I can see how, but the fact that I can laugh during it, definitely makes it not worthy of calling great. It has it's thrills and chills, and when it does it's pretty freaky, but overall, Child's Play is just well made above average film.
  • ajv2688
    March 12, 2011
    ajv2688
    The best horror movie of 1988! The best killer doll movie ever made, too. The story, not only the background of Chucky, but the story of the little boy and his mother, are very moving and realistic. Plus, it's fun and exciting. All horror fans should see this movie.
  • FrizzDrop
    February 13, 2011
    FrizzDrop
    The Golden Age of horror was definitely the 80's. Another geniusly thought out idea with very strange follow through. Made in the later part of the decade, the animatronics on the actual doll are pretty advanced, bordering on the CGI of today. The voice of the main villain, Chuck... read morey aka Charles Lee Ray, was so well cast for the part of Brad Dourif. The kid was pretty amazingly pathetic, and the mom so harried, making for a believable plot. Chris Sarandon was imposing without being offputting, and those final scenes with Chucky's takedown were some of the coolest in recent memory.
  • sanjurosamurai
    January 15, 2011
    sanjurosamurai
    my favorite horror film in my youth, after the first watch a person becomes suspicious of all toys. chucky is an iconic horror villain and the story is effective for genuine fright.
  • fb500439213
    October 17, 2010
    fb500439213
    Rarely going for campiness or goofiness (until the disembodied strangulation scene at the end), the original is chilling and Chucky has become an iconic figure in horror cinema. It also maintains a taut balancing act with whether or not Andy could be imagining these atrocities pe... read morerpetrated by Chucky.

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Critic Reviews

Variety Staff
October 21, 2008
Variety Staff, Variety

Fun withers in stretching the thin material to feature length. Full Review

Caryn James
August 30, 2004
Caryn James, New York Times

[A] clever, playful thriller. Full Review

Richard Harrington
January 1, 2000
Richard Harrington, Washington Post

Director Tom Holland keeps things moving without rushing them. Unfortunately, Child's Play gets a little ugly at the end. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Child's Play is a cheerfully energetic horror film of the slam-bang school, but slicker and more clever than most. Full Review

Tim Brayton
July 5, 2011
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

The things that redeem the film, at least slightly, are Dourif's nasty, insinuating vocal performance and Kevin Yagher's design of the Chucky doll itself. Full Review

Kim Newman
October 21, 2008
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine

It's nothing wildly original, but it is pacey and entertaining when it gets going. Full Review

Richard Luck
October 21, 2008
Richard Luck, Film4

It does, however, have some decent scares, a lot of good lines and a memorable villain. Full Review

October 21, 2008
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Is anyone ever going to make a really good movie about toys coming to life to kill people? Full Review

Dustin Putman
October 15, 2008
Dustin Putman, DustinPutman.com

With humor taking a backseat to good, old-fashioned suspense, Child's Play is an impressive horror highlight of the late-'80s film scene. Full Review

Lucius Gore
September 27, 2008
Lucius Gore, ESplatter

'Child's Play' is one of the scariest movies ever. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Facts

Submit a Fact | View All
    • Chucky: It hurt. It hurt like a son of a bitch, it even bled!
    • Chucky: Fuck you.
    • Chucky: Hi Mikey!
    • Chucky: We're friends 'til the end, remember?
    • Andy Barclay: This is the end, friend.
    • Chucky: Andy remember, friends stick together till the end. [acting innocently]
    • Andy Barclay: This is the end, friend! [with a match in hand]
    • Chucky: The only person that I let in on the fact that I was still alive was a six-year-old kid. I'm gonna be six years old again. Well, John, it's been fun, but I gotta go. I have a date with six-year-old boy... and you have a date with death.
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Child's Play Trivia

  • In what movie does a serial killer escape the police and death by using a voodoo spell to transfer his soul to a body of a doll?   Answer »
  • In which Film did Brad dourif play an evil toy?  Answer »
  • What is the name of the evil doll from the childs play series??  Answer »
  • Who provided the voice of Chucky, the possessed doll from Child's Play?  Answer »
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