Child's Play

CHILD'S PLAY

Director : Lars Klevberg
Year : 2019
Genre : Horror
Rating : ***1/2

One of the most recognisable icons of 1980's horror has been given a new voice, a new face and a new origin story in this highly entertaining reboot of Don Mancini's often controversial 'Child's Play' slasher series. Having spent the last 3 decades playing the definitive Joker for DC Animations, Mark Hamill now lends his undiminished vocal talents to this brand new iteration of Chucky who rather than being the traditional toy possessed by the spirit of a murderer is now an AI robot whose protective safety measures are turned off, inadvertently turning the apparently cute and friendly plaything into a wisecracking killing machine.

Fleeing from Chucky's rampage are indie-queen Aubrey Plaza and newcomer Gabriel Bateman who both do a very good job as the mother and son duo who unknowingly bring the red-haired menace into their home while Brian Tyree-Henry provides some good laughs as a friendly cop and neighbour. However, the true star of the show is of course Chucky and 'Star Wars' legend Mark Hamill is quite clearly having terrific fun throughout, easily maintaining the characters trademark black humour while also lending the doll a lilting and deceptively soothing voice which helps to contrast his Chucky with the gruffer, more aggressive Chucky made famous by Brad Dourif.

The performances from the cast both young and old are good and the direction by Lars Klevberg is deft and solid. But where the film truly stands out is in the carnage and this new 'Child's Play' certainly skimp on the franchises trademark violence and dark comedy. Running at less than an hour and a half and at a breakneck pace, the movie doesn't take long to start bumping off characters and there are a number of deaths which, while not particularly scary, contain a healthy dose of good old-fashioned retro gore. One especially grisly murder by a unique Christmas lights/lawnmower combo is a particularly gruesome highlight that instantly calls to mind the work of special effects maestro Tom Savini whose blood-drenched exploits were the crown jewel of the slasher subgenre's g(l)ory days.

Like 2018's 'Halloween' before it, 'Child's Play' is a textbook example of a horror reboot done right and while purists of the original series may be critical of the changes made to Mancini's beloved creation by Klevberg and screenwriter Tyler Burton Smith, I myself found it to be a fantastically enjoyable throwback whose commercial success will hopefully generate more sequels in the future.