Child’s Play (2019) Orion/Horror RT: 90 minutes Rated R (bloody horror violence, language throughout) Director: Lars Klevberg Screenplay: Tyler Burton Smith Music: Bear McCreary Cinematography: Brendan Uegama Release date: June 21, 2019 (US) Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Gabriel Bateman, Mark Hamill, Brian Tyree Henry, Tim Matheson, David Lewis, Carlease Burke, Ty Consiglio, Beatrice Kitsos, Marlon Kazadi, Anantjot S. Aneja, Nicole Anthony, Amro Majzoub. Box Office: $29.2M (US)/$44.9M (World)
Rating: ***
The Chucky doll introduced in the remake of Child’s Play is NOT the Chucky we’ve known for the past three decades. As you know, the original Chucky came into being when a voodoo-worshipping serial killer transferred his soul into a Good Guys doll, a toy that bore an alarming resemblance to the then-popular My Buddy dolls. That doesn’t happen here. No, this is Child’s Play for the digital age. This Chucky doll also serves as an Alexa-like device meaning it can control anything electronic (e.g. TVs, cars, drones, etc.). It’s evil because a disgruntled factory worker in Vietnam disables all the safety protocols rendering it susceptible to violent impulses. While relevant to today’s tech-obsessed society, I like the dead serial killer angle better. It’s cooler than a mere product malfunction.
Obviously I had the same doubts about Child’s Play that I have with ANY remake, especially horror. Way more often than not, they suck. I could give you a long list of titles, but why bother. I know, you know, we all know them, even the ones we forgot existed (Prom Night anyone?). Child’s Play isn’t one of them. It’s surprisingly good and I’ll tell you why. Even though I’m not particularly fond of the new Chucky’s backstory, I give the makers credit for updating rather than rehashing the original source. It opens up new possibilities for the killer doll that has haunted our dreams since 1988. He was always evil; now he’s omnipresent too. He still kills up close and personal but now the killings are easier to facilitate. Look no further than the unfortunate potential victim in the self-driving car. Yeah, I won’t be getting into one of those any time soon.
The plot outline is more or less the same. A kid receives Chucky as a birthday gift from his single mother only for the doll to turn killer. This time, Andy Barclay (Bateman, Lights Out) is a hearing-impaired teenager who lives with his single mom Karen (Plaza, Ingrid Goes West) in Chicago. They’ve recently moved to a new apartment where Andy has no friends. By way of cheering up her son, Karen pilfers a defective “Buddi” doll from her job at Zed-Mart (guess they couldn’t get the rights to you-know-what retail chain) and gives it to him as an early birthday gift. Initially unenthused, Andy and his new “friend to the end” Chucky (voiced by Mark Hamill) become inseparable. Then it gets weird.
Chucky starts displaying strange behavior that isn’t limited to repeating dirty words and scaring the hell out of his mother’s abusive boyfriend (Lewis, Lake Placid). He tries to strangle the family cat after it scratches Andy. He wields a kitchen knife at Andy and his new human friends after witnessing their joyous reaction to the bloody violence in the movie they’re watching (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2). He becomes super protective of Andy and starts killing anybody he sees as a threat. As the bodies pile up, Detective Mike Norris (Henry, Atlanta), whose mother lives in the building, investigates while Karen begins to question her son’s sanity with all these wild stories about Chucky’s misdeeds. After all, he’s only a toy, right? Right?
I suppose the next big question on everybody’s mind is how much blood is in Child’s Play? It’s a valid question. It’s usually- okay, always- the first thing I ask about horror movies. I’m pleased to report Child’s Play more than earns its R rating. The killings in this one are bloody and brutal. One guy gets it with a lawn mower to the head, another with a table saw. A few victims are dispatched by drones outfitted with sharp blades. People get stabbed. Blood squirts from wounds. There’s also a great running gag involving a literal facial mask (a la Texas Chainsaw Massacre) that falls into Andy’s possession. For a change, the makers don’t hold back on the red stuff which makes me a very happy camper.
Most people know Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker from the Star Wars movies or as the voice of The Joker in the animated Batman movies from DC. I figured he was a good choice to voice the new Chucky. I was right, he does a fine job. I still like Brad Dourif, voice of the original Chucky, better. Hamill doesn’t project the same level of psychotic malevolence as his predecessor. He’s more like a seemingly innocent child unaware that he’s doing evil. That is, until somebody tinkers with his wiring. Then he comes off as a dejected friend with murderous impulses a la Single White Female. It’s a different interpretation of Chucky, one that I think contemporary young audiences will appreciate more than veteran fans of the old franchise.
The rest of the cast of the new Child’s Play is good. Plaza leaves her comedy comfort zone to play a young mother who makes mistakes that affect her child. Her boyfriend Shane picks on Andy so badly, the boy can’t stand to even be in the same room with the jerk. It was a bold move to change Andy from an innocent six-year-old to an alienated, sullen teen. In the role, Bateman does a fine job. He has a certain naïve way about him especially in his initial relationship with Chucky. Look at the way he shows the walking, talking doll around his room. It’s like Elliott and E.T., don’t you think? It’s possible that director Lars Klevberg (Polaroid) had Spielberg’s classic movie in mind when he gave Chucky a glowing finger. Tim Matheson (Animal House) has a funny supporting role as the CEO/commercial spokesperson for the company that makes the Buddi dolls.
Child’s Play, in addition to NOT being the soulless, pointless horror remake I thought it would be, also has a wicked, warped sense of humor. It satirizes consumerism and our reliance on technology to control every aspect of our lives. Look how easily it can turn on you. It’s also sickly funny in how it deals with the killings. Chucky still drops amusing one-liners including one about Tupac when he takes somebody out. The bit with the facial mask is like something from a Troma movie. At its heart though, Child’s Play is a horror movie with plenty of violence, blood, suspense and even a few good jump-scares. It’s not only one of the better horror remakes they’ve attempted over the years; it’s a good scary movie in its own right.
