Last week, we looked at The Thing and its remarkable practical effects to demonstrate the horrors of an alien monster. This week, we take a step away from the dramatically supernatural and instead follow a basic Chicago family’s life in the 1988 film Child’s Play, directed by Tom Holland (no, not that Tom Holland) and starring Brad Dourif. The film revolves around the young Andy Barclay, a child who receives a gift of a doll named Chucky from his mother; however, she is unaware that the doll is possessed by the spirit of one Charles Lee Ray, a serial killer who plans to continue his work in his new plastic body.
This film was a major success, kicking off a huge franchise that involved 6 sequel films, one reboot (al
so called Child’s Play) in 2019, and a TV show in 2021. It was partially inspired by the popularity of the Cabbage Patch Kids at the time, as well as the 1975 film Trilogy of Terror (in which a woman is attacked by a living doll), The Twilight Zone, Gremlins, the novel The Dollhouse Murders, and more. The character of Chucky, and his particular method of speech– crude, filthy, but humorous in its own right– was also partially influenced by the dark humor in films like Nightmare on Elm Street, which had come out a few years prior. It was also possibly inspired by Robert the Doll, originally owned by painter Robert Eugene Otto in 1903; according to legend, the doll was capable of movement, and Otto referred to himself solely as “Eugene,” allowing the name “Robert” to be solely possessed by the doll. As the toy has moved from owner to owner, the stories of its ability to move have grown in popularity, and it is currently placed in a museum for curious onlookers– and believers in the supernatural– to observe.
In the original script for the movie, the doll isn’t possessed by anything; instead, it is meant to simply represent Andy’s suppressed anger and emotions, and comes to life when the boy mixes his own blood with the doll’s fake blood. In this version of the film, Chucky was part of a group of dolls that had fragile skin and were filled with blood, forcing owners to be gentle and avoid “hurting” them– the title of the film was, appropriately, Blood Buddy. However, they decided that the character of Andy should become more involved in the movie in order to be more sympathetic to audiences, and after a few tweaks, the current Child’s Play was born, with the doll housing the spirit of Charles Lee Ray (an amalgamation of Charles Manson, Lee Harvey Oswald and James Earl Ray).
One potential issue that arose during filming was how to make a doll a believable antagonist. Kevin Yagher and a group of other practical effects specialists worked to create different versions of Chucky, using animatronics as well as puppets for more detailed movements. There were a few issues with the animatronic, regarding speed, eye movement, and wear on the body parts, and therefore actor Ed Gale was hired as a “stunt double” of sorts. Gale was a little over 3 feet tall, and forced perspective shots as well as mechanical movements enabled him to take on the role of Chucky for fire stunts and certain movements that weren’t possible with puppetry. They also used young children as stunt doubles in some scenes, as well as building the entire set several feet above the actual floor to allow puppeteers to work below the floor during filming.
Child’s Play was the focus of its fair share of controversy when it came out; many parents feared that it would inspire violence among children who watched it, and some groups even came out to protest the film’s first screening. However, this didn’t become as prevalent an issue until its later sequel Child’s Play 3; the public explicitly linked the movie to two murders in 1992-3, specifically those of Suzanne Capper and James Bulger. Capper’s murderer had reportedly repeated Chucky’s catchphrase “I’m Chucky, wanna play?” before killing her, and Bulger’s death was supposedly meant to resemble the “death” of the antagonist in the film. Despite this, police ruled out any actual connection between the films and the crimes, and these concerns have been relatively overlooked as the franchise continued.
I would give this movie a solid 7/10! Though the crude humor from Chucky doesn’t always work, it provides the character with more personality, which makes it a more effective antagonist than a silent or emotionless doll. The concept of a doll coming to life certainly plays off of ideas I had as a kid, where I was convinced that my toys came to life when I wasn’t looking at them; twisting that idea into horror makes for a truly spooky movie, that often had me on the edge of my seat. I would highly recommend a watch– though maybe avoid this one if your family owns any dolls!
Note: the graphite drawing included was the original design for Chucky– all of the puppets were created based on this sketch by producer David Kirschner!