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Child's Play | 
 enlarge | Director: Tom Holland
Actors: Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif, Dinah Manoff
Studio: MGM Home Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
Buy Used: $3.00
You Save: $11.98 (80%)
New (8) Used (44) Collectible (3) from $3.00
Rating:  184 reviews
Sales Rank: 24791
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 87
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
DVD Layers: 1
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Pan & Scan
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 4.9 x 0.6
MPN: MGMD907504D
ISBN: 079284131X
UPC: 027616750426
EAN: 9780792841319
ASIN: 079284131X
Theatrical Release Date: November 9, 1988
Release Date: September 28, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
Horror maestro Tom Holland (Fright Night) brought wit and devilish energy to this 1988 scarefest about a murderer (Brad Dourif) who wills his soul into an innocuous doll named Chucky, and reveals himself only to the toy's owner, a frightened little boy. Catherine Hicks plays the child's mother, and Chris Sarandon a detective; neither of them knows what to make of the kid's story. Monster-doll stories are always wonderfully surreal, and Child's Play is no exception. Holland oversees some finely tuned special effects that allow Chucky to express himself and do some damage--it is truly unnerving but somehow good, subversive fun. --Tom Keogh
Product Description
An innocent-looking doll becomes the vessel for a killers soul and pure terror in this jolt-a-minute heart-stopping fright fest which pits the possessed toy against a terrorized women in a race to save her six-year-olds life. Special features: behind-the-scenes booklet and theatrical trailer. Studio: Tcfhe/mgm Release Date: 04/01/2008 Starring: Catherine Hicks Alex Vincent Run time: 87 minutes Rating: R Director: Tom Holland
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| Customer Reviews: Read 179 more reviews...
 VERY GOOD November 2, 2008
SO NOW THIS IS THE DVD WE WAIT FOR A LONG TIME GOOD SOUND 16 : 9
SO THIS IS THE BEST CHUCKY NO COMMENT
Not very scary, but entertaining nonetheless. October 21, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Child's Play was originally conceived as a detective thriller believe it or not, but then it turned out that the idea of a killer doll was much better and would probably be more interesting if they focused on this evil doll. It's been twenty years now (really?) and Chucky's both a household name and a horror icon, Brad Dourif did a terrific job as the voice of Chucky and he also briefly plays the role of serial killer Charles Lee Ray during the opening sequence and shootout with the cops in the toy store. Child's Play was released back in 1988 and it became a huge hit not in cinemas but on video and the film was done very well, considering it's about a serial killer who uses voodoo magic to transfer his soul into a doll. The acting is way above average for a horror movie and the momentum builds nicely, the storyline was quite interesting to. The viewer is forced to wait quite awhile before they actually see Chucky kill anyone and when he does it becomes very suspenseful and creepy, he uses stealth and cunning to make up for the failings of his diminutive body. He reveals his true self only to young Andy (Alex Vincent) the boy who gets him as a birthday present, then he kills all his hapless victims without much trouble. After all who would suspect an innocent little doll could kill you when you're not looking? O.K. so the film wasn't exactly scary unless you're the type of person who has a phobia against dolls or something but what makes this stand out from the rest of the horror flicks that were released during that time was the killer itself, instead of being this masked and anonymous huge killer that hides in the shadows it's this small doll but the killer has more personality than any 80's horror villain that I can think of yes even more than Freddy Krueger. It was directed by Tom Holland who also did the brilliant Fright Night and he did a great job with this film even though the finale could have been better, I would say that it was more anti-climactic and slightly predictable with the way it was supposed to be setup, but other than that Child's Play was a great horror film. Overall, Child's Play is a movie that probably succeeded because it was in the right place at the right time. I haven't seen it in a while so for me it's almost like watching it for the very first time, it seemed like it hasn't aged that much and was quite good and entertaining and was obviously way better than those awful sequels. I would say that it was a good film to watch on Halloween so check it out and enjoy.
Another Childhood Favorite!!! September 27, 2008
As a child, it was Chucky that got me interested in the horror genre, and I'd like to thank him on his 20th birthday bash! THANK YOU CHUCKY! It was awesome to see Charles Lee Ray transfer his evil soul into a harmless children's toy. If you don't know the story, I'll spin it for you; Charles Lee Ray is close to death because of Detective Mike Norris, but he finds a Good Guy doll, and says a chant and his soul goes into the doll. The nexy day, it's Andy Barclay's birthday and he desperately wants a Good Guy doll. His smokin' hot mom, Karen gets him one, and it happens to be possessed by Chucky. Detectives show up when Andy's aunt falls out of the window. Andy tries to tell his mom and Norris that Chucky did it, but no one believes him. After Chucky kills his old partner and Andy is placed in an asylum, Karen tries to get Chucky to talk, he finally comes to life, and Karen nearly survives. She needs Norris to believe, but he doesn't until Chucky tries to kill him in the car. Karen and Norris later find out that Chucky needs to transfer his soul into Andy if he wants to be human again. Karen and Norris must stop Chucky and kill him before he tries to become human again. If you love horror, and dolls, you'll love CHILD'S PLAY!!!
CHUCKY TURNS 20! September 23, 2008
Can it really be? Can one of the smallest icons of horror actually be turning 20 this year? Apparently so and MGM is ready to celebrate by releasing CHUCKY'S 20TH BIRTHDAY EDITION-CHILD'S PLAY.
For those who haven't seen the original film (or the four sequels), the story revolves around the Lakeshore Strangler in Chicago, Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif). As the film opens, Charles is on the run followed by dedicated cop Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon). Abandoned by his cohort Eddie, Charles runs into a toy store only to be shot by Norris. Grabbing the nearest thing to a human as possible, Charles uses a voodoo incantation to transfer his soul into a Good Guy doll.
The scene changes to young Andy Barclay's (Alex Vincent) house. It's Andy's birthday and he's made mom Karen (Catherine Hicks) with the hope of opening his presents early. While he gets Good Guy toys, he doesn't get the all wonderful Good Guy doll, something his mother can't afford. But, as luck would have it, at work that day her friend Maggie (Dinah Manoff) finds a peddler selling one for just $30. Andy's day is made! Or so he thinks.
Things begin to happen, starting with the mysterious death of Maggie. Andy tells his mother that Chucky, the name of his particular talking Good Guy doll, is alive and talking to him. But no one believes Andy. And when they finally do, it's too late.
Seems like a fairly simple story, right? Well, in fact, it is. But sometimes the most simple of stories lend themselves to the most frightening of images. What person hasn't been freaked out as a child by some doll that they or a friend owned? And what scarier image can there be than that of what has always been considered an image of childhood, a toy, coming to life to go on a murderous rampage, knife in hand?
The movie offers these back and forth images, the innocent child and doll, with the possessed object wielding a knife or baseball bat in an attempt to kill. Not only that, but Chucky discovers that he will be imprisoned in this form forever if he doesn't transfer his soul into the first person who saw him, young Andy.
When the film was released it was a hit. Abandoned were the horror heroes of the past, the vampire, the werewolf, the Frankenstein monster, replaced with new images like Jason, Freddy, Leatherface and, of course, Chucky. This film has the distinction of being different from the sequels in that Chucky has a more innocent look about him, a deceptive air that later changed to a snarling little puppet look. The image of Chucky is indeed one that can induce scares and nightmares for young and old alike.
This new 20th BITHDAY EDITION comes packed with extras. The original making of featurette, a commentary tracks with Hicks, Vincent and effects master Kevin Yagher (who eventually married Hicks after meeting on this film), another commentary track by producer David Kirschner and screenwriter Don Mancini, as well as scene specific commentary by Chucky. You also get a slew of new featurettes made for this edition including The Birth of Chucky, Creating the Horror, and Unleashed.
As I watched this film again for the first time in years, I was amazed at how effective it actually was. The suspense was well put together, the fears of the doll made real and the legend of Chucky was brought to life before my eyes. I'd forgotten how truly creepy some of the scenes were and even though I knew it was a combination of well engineered puppets in some scenes and little people in costume on oversized sets in others, you still felt that this doll was alive.
I know of people today who still cringe when they see a Chucky doll. It's nice to know that after 20 years, an image like this can still induce a little well placed Hollywood fear. If you've never seen the film, it's worth watching. And if you have, it's worth going back to see where it all began.
Child's Play Movie Review from The Massie Twins September 18, 2008
Child's Play exploits a nightmare that many of us have had: toys coming to life. The basic fear of supernatural evils commanding something as docile as a doll to commit murder may sound hokey, but director Tom Holland has crafted something genuinely creepy with Chucky, a now iconic 80's horror villain. Dated, but with above-average acting, superb animatronics, beautifully eerie cinematography that catches the wicked doll lifelessly resting in the backgrounds, and splendidly timed suspense, Child's Play is one of the most memorable horror films of them all.
Six-year-old Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) just wants a Good Guys doll for his birthday. So when his mother Karen (Catherine Hicks) is able to obtain one last-minute from a street peddler, Andy is ecstatic. But his new stuffed companion, named Chucky, isn't just a toy. Serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) has mastered unspeakable voodoo, which enabled him to transfer his soul into the doll just before being dispatched by Officer Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon). When Andy's babysitter winds up dead, the clues point to the young child, but Karen knows her son is innocent. Chucky initially only reveals his true self to Andy, but as the bodies keep piling up, Mike and Karen begin to believe the boy's claims about the talking doll.
Although horror films have long since surpassed Child's Play's gore and shock value, the suspense and anticipation that build up as the film progresses is done surprisingly well. Everyone thinks Andy is crazy, and Chucky doesn't reveal his abilities to the audience until a particularly terrifying moment when Karen discovers that Chucky has been operating without batteries. As Chucky's face twists into an unnatural grimace, our fears are confirmed. Perhaps what makes the possessed doll even more frightening is the excellent blend of animatronics and live action. Although the majority of the doll movements are governed by tiny robots, occasionally a little person will be inside of a Chucky costume, surrounded by oversized sets. Imagine the shock of seeing ultra-realistic movement coming from what was previously defined as a stiff-jointed puppet.
Like all great movie villains, when you think they're finally dead, they're not. Comparable to The Terminator, Chucky is determined and nearly unstoppable. The "tough" cop Mike is constantly down for the count and it's up to a young boy and a frenzied woman to calculate the evil toy's demise. Some may be skeptical of a tiny doll's ability to wield death, but he uses strategy to compensate for his diminutive stature. Consider too, that no one suspects the inanimate object. A simply perfect character design for Chucky makes him fiendishly creepy, and as the film progresses, his features change drastically to accommodate scarier mouth movements, and murderous, sunken eyes. Chucky clearly captured the attention of millions, as four sequels were produced, all progressively and unfortunately more ridiculous.
- Mike Massie
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