I remember being 6 years old and hearing my friend talking about this film that he had seen about this doll ‘Chucky’. Someone else piped up and
started talking about all the cool deaths and how it was really scary….I
was intrigued.
At lunch time my friends and I walked along to the local video shop and stood in awe of this huge cardboard cut out of the box art for the film.
I pleaded and pleaded and tricked my dad into renting it for me by telling him it was a comedy with a few bad words providing it’s 15 certificate.
My dad took me to rent it in the City and when we got there, there was a
rack full of copies and a Chucky doll hanging on the wall above them.
That weekend my mum and sister sat down with me to watch it and we were terrified!!
When the Lakeshore Strangler or Charles ‘Chucky’ Lee Ray, is shot and cornered in a toy store he uses his knowledge of the black arts to
transfer his soul into the body of a good guy doll. With his dying
breath, he promises to kill his partner who betrayed him, and the cop who
killed him.
Meanwhile little Andy Barclay is celebrating his sixth birthday with his mum Karen. Andy longs for a good guy doll as he is an only child with no
father, and longs for a best friend.
Unfortunatelty he doesn’t get one, that is until his aunt Maggie spots a peddler selling one in an alley behind Karen’s work.
That night Andy meets Chucky for the first time and that’s when the terror begins!!
Tom Holland followed up ‘Fright Night’ with this excellent film that terrified the world and made Chucky a horror icon.
The cast are excellent especially little Alex Vincent, and the film really captures the spirit of the 1980’s.
Chucky was excellently brought to life (by the amazing Kevin Yagher who created the Freddy Krueger make-up) and truly scared me as a child (I was
so annoyed to see him wisecracking in ‘Bride of Chucky’, although his one
liners are excellent here).
OVERALL SUMMARY
Hugely popular, this little film spawned three sequels and the fourth is
currently in pre-production. Whilst the film is now a little dated, it is
still effective and a personal favourite!
