I was in the mood for a slasher film and decided to watch one that I had heard of, but was not too familiar with. The only film or tv show I had seen, that got any inspiration from the character of Chucky, was a few episodes about a dummy from Goosebumps. Apart from that, I went into this film blindly.
The film follows a simple plot, in that a single mother get’s her son a doll for his birthday that is possessed by the soul of serial killer. It’s always nice when a director or writer, has an idea this original and just goes with it. Who would’ve thought you could turn something as seemingly harmless as a children’s doll, and turn it into a monster. I have to give Tom Holland props for bringing this character and idea to the big screen.
With most slasher films that I’ve seen, as much as I have enjoyed them, I have to admit how bad or over the top the acting is. That wasn’t really the case here. All of the character’s did a fine job in their respected roles. Each actor inhabits their roles, and brings something different to the table. These aren’t insanely good performances in terms of horror classic standards, but they are sufficient enough. We are introduced to them, have a pretty good grip on who they are, and more importantly, we can root for them.
It’s got a nice steady pace, that never drags, and is easy to follow. Narratively, it stays on target for a majority of the runtime. As for the runtime itself, well it’s just over the 90 minute mark, and doesn’t over stay it’s welcome.
The best part of Child’s Play, is that it’s self-aware. It knows what it wants to accomplish, and doesn’t try to be anything else. This is evident in the performances, story structure, and violence.
Overall this film does merit the title of being a classic, simply because it took an interesting idea and brought it to life.
Cedric Cinema 