Child's Play (1988)

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Child’s Play has become a classic in the horror genre for a reason. None of these movies are truly great, but the first film stands out as the best of the bunch. The acting is really good. I especially have to give props to Alex Vincent, who plays the little boy, Andy. Child actors can be hard to watch because they aren’t usually that great. At times, the movie feels a little uneven. The first half of the film builds up terrific atmosphere and doesn’t outright tell you whether the killer is Andy or Chucky. The last half of the movie isn’t bad per se, but it does let the atmospheric feel down by revealing Chucky as the killer. I will admit the first time you see Chucky come alive in the mom’s hands is a little freaky. There’s an inherent goofiness to the film, but that’s sort of what they were going for with the movie. Chucky is one of the rare horror villains that seems to divide horror fans right down the middle. Some people either love the character, and are a little scared of him. Others can’t stand him, and find too silly. Me personally, I don’t find that scary, but I do love Chucky. I think a lot of that has to do with Brad Dourif, the man who voices Chucky. He always seems to walk this fine edge in his performance, and strikes the right balance. I personally really like Child’s Play, but I can understand if some people are turned off by it. 

8 / 10