Jeu d'enfant

Who doesn’t know Chucky? Horror movie of the year. (29/12/2007)

I finally saw the creation of the Chuckie doll and I have to say that the original idea is quite fun. You can smell the 1980s atmosphere from the movie from miles away. Blood isn’t used sparingly, a body part explodes ever so often, women have predominantly curly hair, and the Czech dubbing doesn’t mess about too much and so Chuckie intends to fuck everything that gets under his chiv. All of that is likable and, from today’s point of view, quite amusing. Much better than today’s remakes, which lack the magic of the time. (12/07/2017)

Given the tie-in of the Chucky series with the real-life James Bulger murder case, I was very cautious about seeing these movies until I was convinced that the last two films were just slightly off-the-wall horror entertainment. Unfortunately, the first three films are a bit different. In the late 1980s, Child's Play earned a special status for its originality and the rather clever solution of the whole idea, but the mistake was that the film was soon seen by even the youngest and most naive viewers. The drama builds up very systematically, and the mother and son duo features decent actors - Catherine Hicks made such a strong mark that she also played a caring mother in eleven seasons of 7th Heaven. Unfortunately, for Alex Vincent, participating in the first and second Child’s Play was his peak and further acting experiences did not inspire him to pursue an acting career in adulthood. The two policemen are worse off, with their characters bordering on amateur performances. Great, however, is of course the team controlling Chucky and Brad Dourif, without whom the series wouldn't have its particular style. All in all, this is an inventive horror film for its time, which cleverly turned the theme from the world of children's imagination into its opposite. I would attribute the universally negative impact that inspired the real-life killers Robert Thompson and Jon Venables to inappropriate marketing and lax parenting by irresponsible parents. (23/12/2010)

More than a good idea, sympathetically straightforward execution (do not seek any place to rest here, there's always something going on in Child's Play, and sometimes it's better, sometimes worse) and great special effects that, in short, I have to admire even today. When Chucky first comes to life to the fullest, it's really a shock, and I clearly remember what that scene did to me once upon a time in my teens. Maybe I would have liked a breakup of the storyline with Andy the murder suspect, and I'd probably be happy especially if the adult characters were able to think a little more, but on the other hand, that would take away much of the film’s charm. It's still great, though. (10/03/2019)

What could I have expected with that premise? The Chucky doll would be a great toy for small children, it talks, loves to cuddle and thanks to its size is almost life-like, but as a cold-blooded deliverer of revenge it wasn’t very believable. At first, the film has a nice atmosphere and you are quite anxiously waiting to see what the toy will do next, but as soon as everything "gets going" and Chucky starts cursing his opponents and throwing crazy looks at them, it becomes more and more clear that the killer doll simply cannot be taken seriously, as the filmmakers unfortunately try to do. I kind of understand how it could become a cult-classic in the late 80s, but I just didn't buy it, and the final Jack Torrance parody was downright ridiculous. Strong 2*. (15/10/2012)

"The Children's Game" has not lost anything after years and it is a horror that was definitely not adequately appreciated in its time. Yes, it is quite clichéd in some phases, sometimes the acting performances are rather lackluster, but it still doesn't change the fact that the horror atmosphere here is incredible. Many current creators could still learn from this movie. This is a film that should be labeled as a legend. (20/03/2014)