Remakes seem somewhat commonplace now, and the latest franchise to receive the makeover treatment is none other than Don Mancini’s 1988 Child’s Play. Featuring our favourite Jedi and the voice behind the Joker, Mark Hamill delivers a chilling performance that brings a creeping distress to the Barclay household, with director Lars Klevberg (Polaroid, The Wall), making viewers second guess the true nature behind Toy Story’s latest sequel.
“Mom, I need to tell you something. And I need you to believe me. I think Chucky did something”
Andy Barclay
In 1988, the soul of the serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) was imprinted into the body of a Good Guys doll, only to be purchased by Karen Barclay (Chatherine Hicks) for her son Andy (Alex Vincent) as a birthday present. In the 2019 reboot, however, the voodoo origins of the first Chucky are done away with in favour of a familiar Asimov bad AI that’s sure to tap into some inner technophobes worst dreams. It all starts in a toy factory in Vietnam where a mistreated worker removes the safety protocols and violence prohibitors of a ‘Buddi’ doll – in reaction to being fired by the abusive Kaslan corporation – allowing this particular Buddi doll to become more susceptible to violent notions and his own aggressive urges. Not entirely sure why a toy would have need for a violence prohibitor in the first place.
These Buddi dolls were designed by Kaslan with the intent of becoming a child’s “best friend,” imprinting their new owners ID thanks to their fairly sophisticated AI, along the lines of Alexa or Siri, using voice-recognition software, with the ability to sync with all Kaslan products. Naturally, you can see why this might not be such a great idea, especially if you’re even somewhat familiar with Chucky’s history, or worried about the threat posed by real-world hackers and rogue AI.
One memorable scene, in true cheesy ‘80s horror comedy form, sees Chucky remotely hack into a Kaslan car, taking control of its steering and brake controls; you’ll never guess what that means for the hapless victim inside. This is but one moment that drives the fear (so to speak) of corrupt AI and remote hacking that has been a concern of many a technophobe and Asimov fan alike, with a humorous, if dark, delivery. I guess the message here is to be wary of the dangers of modern technology? Of course no one seems particularly concerned with how easy it is for the dolls to sync with the products around the household, so maybe they brought the robo-psycho revolution upon themselves…
“Maybe you’re the one that’s broken, maybe I should open you up… see what’s wrong”
Chucky threatening Andy
There are gorier moments, involving dismembered limbs and plenty of blood splatters, though they are often so ridiculous they tend to provoke more laughs than screams – illustrated by the creative use of a lawnmower. If you’re a fan of over the top horror comedies from the ‘80s and ‘90s, no doubt you’ll appreciate the humour, though for some the preachy technophobic angle might cause the odd eye role.
From the outset it’s clear what themes Child’s Play is attempting to tackle. Kaslan seems to be a fairly typical company in the business of making products for children with a relatively innocent profile and family friendly demeanour, but in reality are making use of inhumane factories with abusive overseers and, effectively, slavery. These workers work for so little to provide consumers in the West with the products they’re dying for – though in the case of Child’s Play, that could be quite literal – which is a familiar story outside the world of the cinema complex.
While Chucky’s psychotic behaviour is in-part thanks to a sabotaged AI, it’s also inspired by the prankish relationship he builds with Andy – his new best friend, until the end – and a slasher horror movie marathon, featuring all the creative murder techniques and one liners any self respecting psychopath needs to compliment their signature butchery style. Perhaps another angle this presents reflects on the desensitisation of a child’s exposure to violence and horror. As brutal as some of the scenes are, they are more parody if anything, and remarkably enough Chucky is still somewhat charming – if rather creepy – despite creeping around your room in the dark, standing behind you with a knife as a ‘joke’, or hacking your TV to show you he can see you. This is in large part thanks to Luke Sky… sorry, I mean, Mark Hamill’s talented delivery.
The design of the doll itself bears some resemblance to the original, though frankly whereas the original Chucky at least looked like an authentic toy you might have seen on an ‘80s TV advert, this newer version looks like one of those weird blank dolls that tries to replicate real human features. I for one wouldn’t have gone anywhere near one at Christmas, though admittedly it does somewhat reflect the new range of animatronics, perhaps updating the doll to be more in-keeping with current designs. Even if they are disturbing, this certainly works in it’s favour.
Andy: “We’re not friends”
Chucky’s possessive feelings towards Andy present a danger to everyone close to him
Chucky: “I’m sorry to hear that… because if I can’t be your best friend, nobody can”
But what about Chucky’s best friend? It’s no coincidence that Gabriel Bateman’s Andy shares his name with the original 1988 protagonist. Andy appears in nearly every scene and Bateman’s reactions and overall delivery sell the anticipation and fear. Like his original counterpart, he’s a lonely kid with no friends living with his single mother, Karen Barclay (Aubrey Plaza), who also happens to share her namesake with her 1988 counterpart. During the course of the film Andy befriends Pugg and Falyn, played by Ty Consiglio and Beatrice Kitsos, provoking Chucky’s jealousy streak, as well as police detective Mike Norris (Brian Tyree Henry) and his mother (Carlease Burke) – yet another recognisable name to fans of Chucky’s past massacres. As Chucky and Andy bond, our horrific plastic friend becomes more possessive, thanks to the nature of the Buddi doll, to the point that when Andy starts to form new relationships, anyone who gets close to his new best bud are seen as a threat to their ‘bestie’ status and therefore have to ‘go’, spelling bad news for Pugg, Falyn, and Mike.
Bear McCreary’s main theme, a remix of the original 1988 “Child’s Play Theme”, plays disturbingly around the sound of a musical box with accompanying creepy chants and heavy drum beats that reflect the twisted nature of the character. It’s easily one of the musical highlights of the soundtrack, perfectly complimenting the paradoxic concept of a murderous child’s toy, perhaps echoing the theme of the desensitised child with a bit of a Danny Elfman/ Tim Burton vibe.
The rest of the score features a mix of heartwarming orchestrations with a more family film tone, which clash against dissonant lullabies, drawn out strings, and high tension drum beats that signify the beginning of Chucky’s rampage. As far as current horror scores go, this one has a great deal of liveliness to it, without relying too heavily on low growls or high pitch strings and crescendos, such as in La Llorona or It. And it would be remiss not to mention Mark Hamill’s own musical contribution, taking up lead vocals for “The Buddi Song” as the credits role. Some may think back to the Joker singing over the credits in the Arkham games; somehow hearing the innocent nature of the Buddi doll in this song makes the obsessive, over-attachment of Chucky to Andy that bit more disturbing.
“This is for Tupac”
One of Chucky’s funnier lines, as he proceeds to ‘deal’ with Andy’s mum’s new boyfriend, Shane (David Lewis)
You may find yourself put off from visiting your local Build-a-Bear after seeing the mayhem Chucky unleashes with a few corrupt toys, but you’re almost guaranteed to have fun, from the safety of your cinema seat. The tone is more inline with films like Gremlins, returning to a similar style of comedy horror, with Chucky butchering with an innocent smile and a grin. Thankfully it doesn’t try to take itself seriously, indulging in the over the top ‘80s/ ‘90s horror comedy humour we’ve been missing. To Chucky, it’s more like a prank than an act of sadistic evil, unlike his wise-cracking predecessor, who was evil incarnate.
Die hard fans of the original Good Guy may have misgivings about the new Buddi doll – after all, how many remakes do we have to put up with now? Child’s Play 2019 works thanks to the changes it has made to the story. Arguably in someways it’s superior and shouldn’t offend Mancini fans, though the weakest part is perhaps the somewhat uninspired band of friends Andy makes, pandering to the Goonies/ Stand By Me throwbacks as seen in the likes of Stranger Things, which seems commonplace yet again.
With it’s wit and silly gore, 2019s Child’s Play reboot may be the film of choice for those who have little interest in the adventures of Buzz Lightyear, or perhaps looking for that alternative ‘what if’ scenario after seeing Toy Story 4. With Buzz and Woody joining Annabelle Comes Home and Child’s Play, it seems toys are running rampant in cinemas. While Chucky reminds us “we’re friends ‘till the end,” by the time the credits roll, as with Toy Story, we should be asking ourselves: is this really the end?
