Child's Play (1988)

Director:

Tom Holland

Writers (WGA):

Don Mancini (story)
Don Mancini (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

9 November 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

You'll wish it was only make-believe.

Plot:

Young Andy Barclay gets the doll he wanted. However, he did not know it was alive!

Plot Keywords:

Doll | Chucky | Birthday | Voodoo | Murder

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

Catherine Hicks	...	Karen Barclay
Chris Sarandon	...	Mike Norris
Alex Vincent	...	Andy Barclay
Brad Dourif	...	Charles Lee Ray / Chucky
Dinah Manoff	...	Maggie Peterson
Tommy Swerdlow	...	Jack Santos
Jack Colvin	...	Dr. Ardmore
Neil Giuntoli	...	Eddie Caputo
Juan Ramírez	...	Peddler
Alan Wilder	...	Mr. Criswell
Richard Baird	...	News Reporter at Toy Store
Raymond Oliver	...	Dr. Death
Aaron Osborne	...	Orderly
Tyler Hard	...	Mona
Ted Liss	...	George
Roslyn Alexander	...	Lucy
Bo Kane	...	Male TV Newscaster (as Robert Kane)
Leila Lee Olsen	...	Female TV Newscaster (as Leila Hee Olsen)
Ed Gale	...	Chucky Stunt Double
Lena Sack	...	Bellevue Patient
Tommy Gerard	...	Bellevue Patient
Michael Chavez	...	Bellevue Patient
Jamie Gray	...	Bellevue Patient
Erin Munz	...	Bellevue Patient
Jana Twomey	...	Bellevue Patient
Suaundra Black	...	Bellevue Patient
Edan Gross	...	Friendly Chucky / Kid in Animated Commercial (voice)
John Franklin	...	Walkabout Chucky (voice)
Michael Patrick Carter	...	Kid in Animated Commercial (voice)

Directed by
Tom Holland

Writing credits (WGA)
Don Mancini		(story)
Don Mancini		(screenplay) and
John Lafia		(screenplay) and
Tom Holland		(screenplay)

Produced by
Elliot Geisinger	....	co-executive producer
David Kirschner	....	producer
Laura Moskowitz	....	associate producer
Barrie M. Osborne	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Joe Renzetti

Cinematography by
Bill Butler		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Roy E. Peterson
Edward Warschilka

Casting by
Sharon Bialy
Richard Pagano

Production Design by
Daniel A. Lomino

Set Decoration by
Cloudia

Costume Design by
April Ferry

Makeup Department
Michael Hancock	....	makeup artist
Marina Pedraza	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Robert Latham Brown	....	unit production manager
Carl Olsen	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Arthur Anderson	....	first assistant director: insert unit
Bud Davis	....	second unit director
George Fortmuller	....	second assistant director
James Giovannetti Jr.	....	first assistant director: second unit (as James R. Giovannetti Jr.)
Michael Green	....	first assistant director
Stefanie Moore	....	second assistant director: second unit
Linnea Ebba Wicklund	....	second assistant director

Art Department
William Arnold	....	set designer (as William David Arnold)
Gary Baugh	....	set designer
Bernard P. Cutler	....	assistant art director
William Dambra	....	property master: Chicago
Edward England	....	construction coordinator: Chicago
Casey Hallenbeck	....	leadman
James F. Orendorff	....	construction coordinator
Arthur Shippee	....	property master
Timothy W. Tiedje	....	set dresser
James E. Tocci	....	set designer
David Gianneschi	....	swing gang (uncredited)
Robert E. Knight	....	scenic artist (uncredited)

Sound Department
Harry Cheney	....	sound editor
Clayton Collins	....	sound editor (as Clayton R. Collins)
Rick Kline	....	sound re-recording mixer
Donald O. Mitchell	....	sound re-recording mixer
Kevin O'Connell	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Riordan	....	supervising sound editor
Kirk Schuler	....	sound editor
Douglas Vaughan	....	boom operator
Sherman Waze	....	sound editor
James E. Webb	....	sound mixer
Daniel Yale	....	sound editor (as Daniel Evan Yale)
Marty Church	....	foley mixer (uncredited)
Don Summer	....	sound mixer (uncredited)
Dan Yale	....	dialogue editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Howard Berger	....	shop supervisor: chucky construction crew
Richard O. Helmer	....	special effects supervisor
Rick Lalonde	....	lab technician: chucky construction crew
Ron Pipes	....	hair: chucky construction crew
Zandra Platzek	....	hair: chucky construction crew
James D. Schwalm	....	special effects
Carl Sorensen	....	lab technician: chucky construction crew
Christopher Swift	....	lab technician: chucky construction crew
Kevin Yagher	....	designer and executor: "Chucky" doll
Mark C. Yagher	....	shop assistant: chucky construction crew
James Kagel	....	lead sculptor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Peter Donen	....	visual effects supervisor
Joseph Yanuzzi	....	visual effects editor

Stunts
Tony Cecere	....	stunts
Joie Chitwood Jr.	....	car stunts: Mike (as Joie Chitwood)
Bob K. Cummings	....	stunts (as Robert Cummings)
Bud Davis	....	stunt coordinator
Eddie J. Fernandez	....	stunts & stunt driver
James Fierro	....	stunts
Glory Fioramonti	....	stunts
Joe Gilbride	....	stunts
Rick Le Fevour	....	stunts
Stacy Logan	....	stunts
Carl Paoli	....	stunts
Debby Lynn Ross	....	stunts
Dennis Scott	....	stunts
Joie Chitwood Jr.	....	assistant stunt coordinator (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Art Bartels	....	key grip: Chicago
James Blanford	....	director of photography: second unit
James R. Connell	....	camera operator (as Jim Connell)
Peter J. Donoghue	....	rigging gaffer: Chicago
George Hill	....	key grip
To Lee	....	second assistant camera
Morgan Michael Lewis	....	key grip
John Lubin	....	best boy: Chicago
Wayne Mort	....	dolly grip
Mike Moyer	....	chief lighting technician
Peter Salim	....	camera operator: insert unit
Don Smetzer	....	still photographer: Chicago (as Donald Smetzer)
Peter Sorel	....	still photographer
Robert Ulland	....	steadicam operator: Chicago (as Robert K. Ulland)
Johnny Walker	....	first assistant camera (as John Morton Walker)
Paolo Cascio	....	second assistant camera (uncredited)

Casting Department
Jane Alderman	....	casting: Chicago
Shelley Andreas	....	casting: Chicago

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mort Schwartz	....	costume supervisor
Lois DeArmond	....	costume illustrator (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Bob Noland	....	color timer
Kevin Nolting	....	assistant editor
Scott K. Wallace	....	additional film editor (as Scott Wallace)
Carlyn Montes De Oca	....	assistant film editor (uncredited)

Music Department
David Chackler	....	music supervisor
Brad Dechter	....	orchestrator
Arlon Ober	....	orchestrator
Ted Whitfield	....	music editor

Transportation Department
James Davis	....	transportation coordinator
George DiLeonardi	....	transportation coordinator: Chicago

Other crew
Howard Berger	....	puppeteer: "Chucky"
Susan J. Bonno-Buckner	....	first assistant accountant
Billy Bryan	....	puppeteer: "Chucky"
John Ross Bush	....	location manager
Bundy Chanock	....	set medic
Allen Coulter	....	mechanical crew
Allen Coulter	....	puppeteer: "Chucky"
Pete Emmet	....	unit publicist
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Karen Golden	....	script supervisor
Judy Groffman	....	production associate
Steven James	....	mechanical crew
Steven James	....	puppeteer: "Chucky"
Carol Kim	....	assistant to Mr. Osborne
David Kirschner	....	creator: Chucky doll
Frank Charles Lutkus III	....	mechanical crew
Frank Charles Lutkus III	....	puppeteer: "Chucky"
Michael J. Malone	....	location manager
Dave Nelson	....	mechanical crew
David Arthur Nelson	....	puppeteer: "Chucky"
Lisa J. Olin	....	assistant to producer
Sioux Richards	....	script supervisor: second unit
Carol S. Siegle	....	assistant to director (as Carol Siegle)
Loren Soman	....	mechanical crew
Loren Soman	....	puppeteer: "Chucky"
Marc Tyler	....	puppeteer: "Chucky"
N. Brock Winkless IV	....	mechanical crew
N. Brock Winkless IV	....	puppeteer: "Chucky"
Kevin Yagher	....	doll designer: "Chucky" doll

Production Companies

• United Artists

Distributors

• United Artists (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
• Chapel Distribution (1997) (Australia) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures Verleih (1989) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2000) (France) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1989) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (1995) (USA) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2000) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Apogee Productions

Other Companies

• Cinema Research  opticals
• Goldwyn Sound Facility  sound re-recording
• Inter Video  24 frame video services
• Ruby-Spears Productions  animated sequence
• The Cast Supper  catering

Also Known As:

Batteries Not Included (USA) (working title)
Blood Brother (USA) (working title)
Blood Buddy (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-16 | Finland:K-15 (re-rated) | Finland:(Banned) (1988) | Ireland:18 | UK:15 (cut) (1989) | UK:15 (uncut) (2005) | Spain:13 | Spain:18 (DVD version) | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A | France:-12 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:18 | Ireland:18 (original rating) | Norway:18 (video premiere) | Norway:(Banned) (1989-2003) (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

Brewster Building Apartments - 2800 N. Pine Grove Avenue, Lake View, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Company:

United Artists

Trivia:

All of Brad Dourif's voice over work for Chucky was recorded in advance so they could match up Chucky's mouth with the words. Because of this, Brad Dourif rarely ever appeared on set during the "doll" scenes. Instead, recordings of his voice would be played back for Alex Vincent to go by.

Goofs:

Continuity: Extra bowls appear, when Maggie is putting away the washed utensils.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mike Norris: I got the strangler! Wabash and Van Buren.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Masters of Horror (2002) (TV)

Soundtrack:

CHUCKY'S ANIMATED THEME

A modern classic

When people nowadays think of Chucky, the living doll, they think of the foul mouthed psycho doll complete with body modifications and a punky bride in a movie filled with funny one liners and black humor. However, when Chucky came to life almost 20 years ago, he was a real thrill that redefined the horror genre of the late 80s and spawned a series of imitators (some better than others).

Director Tom Holland crafts this very original tale written by Don Mancini, where a dying sociopath (Brad Douriff) uses voodoo to transplant his soul to an inanimate toy. Catherine Hicks plays Karen Barclay, a single mother who gets the possessed toy for her little son Andy (Alex Vincent), not knowing what is hidden deep inside the doll.

Despite its apparent cheesiness, Holland truly creates a haunting atmosphere filled with suspense by following the trick Steven Spielberg used in "Jaws". While we know from the very beginning that the toy is haunted, we never get a glimpse of what he can do and neither does the characters; only the young Andy knows the truth, but nobody believes him.

Unlike its current MTV-inspired incarnations, "Child's Play" starts a bit slow, but suddenly it turns into a suspense-filled roller-coaster with enough thrills to keep you at the edge of the seat. Holland directions truly makes the difference between a cheap B-movie and the classy film this one has become.

Brad Dourif makes a superb job and this movie started his now-legendary career in the genre. Catherine Hicks is a very good lead character, surprisingly realistic, thanks in part to the very well-written dialog. Chris Sarandon completes the cast as the detective investigating the mysterious murders surrounding Chucky and Andy.

The movie moves at a very good pace, despite its slow start; it has that 80s feeling and it is surprisingly violent for its time (it was released when rules were turning a bit stricter). It has great special effects and a very creepy atmosphere inside it's urban landscape.

While many reviewers consider a flaw the fact that Chucky's possession is not a mystery, I believe that a lot of the suspense is in the fact that we know that, but the characters don't. It is a very well constructed film in the end, and definitely better than its current sequels. 8/10