Child's Play

"You'll wish it was only make-believe."

1988 1h 27m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 3,506

Horror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

After being shot in a toy store, a serial killer transfers his soul into a Good Guy doll. A mother then gifts it to her six-year-old son Andy, which unleashes terror upon the city.

“You'll wish it was only make-believe.”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

Amazon Prime VideoSubscription

PhiloSubscription

AMC Plus Apple TV channelSubscription

AMC+ Amazon ChannelSubscription

AMC+ Roku Premium ChannelSubscription

AMCSubscription

MGM PlusSubscription

Amazon Prime Video with AdsSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Apple TV StoreRent

Google Play MoviesRent

Google Play MoviesBuy

YouTubeBuy

Fandango At HomeBuy

Cast

Alex Vincent
Andy Barclay
Catherine Hicks
Karen Barclay
Brad Dourif
Charles Lee Ray
Chris Sarandon
Mike Norris
Dinah Manoff
Maggie Peterson
Tommy Swerdlow
Jack Santos
Jack Colvin
Dr. Ardmore
Neil Giuntoli
Eddie Caputo

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tom Holland
Writers: Tom Holland, John Lafia, Don Mancini
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.9× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

38 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Child's Play Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tom Holland, shot by Wilmer Butler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Joe Renzetti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Edward Warschilka shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Alex Vincent and Catherine Hicks and Brad Dourif carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tom Holland directs. Wilmer Butler behind the camera. Joe Renzetti scores. Edward Warschilka cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Made its money back 4.9× over at the box office.
338 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
4Part of the "Child's Play Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Tom Holland, shot by Wilmer Butler. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Joe Renzetti. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Edward Warschilka shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Alex Vincent and Catherine Hicks and Brad Dourif carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "You'll wish it was only make-believe.".
10IMDB entry: tt0094862 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 23 themes, including "chicago, illinois", "birthday", "gun", "voodoo".

The technical file

Cinematography: Wilmer Butler
Original score: Joe Renzetti
Editing: Edward Warschilka
Production design: Daniel A. Lomino
Costume design: April Ferry
Makeup / hair: Michael Hancock
VFX supervisor: Peter Donen
Sound: Franklin Jones Jr.
Stunt coordinator: Bud Davis
Runtime: 87 min · 1h 27m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $9,000,000
Box office: $44,196,684
Return: 491% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Child's Play (1988)

Part of

Child's Play Collection

A horror film series franchise featuring Chucky, a killer Good Guys doll with the soul of a notorious serial killer.

Also by

Tom Holland

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Gimly2017-10-18
★ 7/10
I'm a big fan of the Chucky franchise. Throughout all of its ups and downs, Don Mancini and the gang have never failed to bring forward a watchable movie. Even the most recent entry, Cult of Chucky (which was kind of a fuck-up) provided me great enjoyment as a series-long fan. But no subsequent movie has ever matched the original for me. That first Child's Play didn't just birth a classic character, it is, in and of itself, a classic. The first time you see Chucky open his mouth and hear the words of the real Brad Douriff... I've seen it twenty times over, and I'm still floored every single one of them. Absolutely floored, and floored with a massive grin on my face to boot. Final rating:★★★½ - I really liked it. Would strongly recommend you give it your time.
CinemaSerf2022-09-17
★ 6/10
Young "Andy" (Alex Vincent) is obsessed with the "Good Guys" cartoons on the telly. Of course there is loads of accompanying merchandise, but his widowed mother "Karen" (Catherine Hicks) has to make ends meet so the newly released doll is just too expensive for the young lad's birthday. Luckily for her, her pal "Maggie" (Dinah Manoff) finds a street pedlar who has one for a mere $30 and so she takes it home to the delight of the youngster. Unbeknown to everyone though, this rather ugly looking lump of plastic has been possessed by the demonic soul of "Charles Lee Ray" - a pretty brutal strangler who ended up being blown to bits in an explosion at a toy shop whilst being pursued by detective "Norris" (Chris Sarandon). When an unfortunate accident befalls poor old "Maggie", the boy discovers the truth and tries to explain the malevolence of his new toy to the grown ups, but they are sceptical. Until, that is, the mum discovers that "Chucky" manages to function remarkably well - without his Duracells - and soon she and the police officer are on their own toy- hunt! Despite only being about a foot tall, this doll is remarkably effective with a knife as he seeks vengeance on all who have betrayed him, and to involve "Andy" in his plan to stop himself becoming mortal and vulnerable. It's quite entertaining this, but not in the least scary. I found the young Vincent really got on my nerves after a few scenes and the story really doesn't have much substance to it. The camerawork tries hard to introduce a sense of menace, but the late 1980s synthesised soundtrack put me constantly on the lookout for "Crockett" or "Tubbs". It is short and the action, once we get going, comes thick and fast - but I found this all rather comedic and the ending, frankly, rather daft. Still, I can't say I hated it. It is quite a fun watch.
Andre Gonzales2023-06-04
★ 8/10
Loved Chucky I watched this movie a lot as a kid. It was only creepy to me after he was burned up. That was the only part I remember getting scared from.