(S12 EP01) INCYC: Retro Review: Child's Play (1988)

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This week the boys discuss the movie Child's Play and the campy explosion horror

Join us on the journey.

Trivia

• Inspired by a real toy craze: The film was partly inspired by the Cabbage Patch Kids and My Buddy dolls, both highly popular in the 1980s, which caused a toy craze among children.

• Original concept: The original version of the script, titled Batteries Not Included, had a more psychological angle. In it, Andy’s blood would mix with the doll’s latex skin, bringing it to life as a manifestation of Andy’s anger. Chucky would act out Andy’s suppressed feelings, making the audience question whether Chucky was real or just a figment of Andy’s imagination.

• Chucky’s name: The name “Charles Lee Ray” is a combination of three real-life killers: Charles Manson, Lee Harvey Oswald (JFK’s assassin), and James Earl Ray (MLK Jr.’s assassin).

• Chucky’s voice: Legendary actor Brad Dourif voices Chucky. He also portrayed Charles Lee Ray in the live-action scenes at the beginning. Dourif’s performance is a big part of what makes Chucky such an iconic villain.

• Multiple puppets used: The filmmakers used a variety of techniques to bring Chucky to life, including puppetry, animatronics, and even a little person in a Chucky suit for certain scenes. It took multiple puppeteers to control the doll’s movements.

• Banned in some countries: Child’s Play was banned in certain countries due to concerns that it would inspire violent behavior in children. The film was controversial in the UK after it was linked to real-life crimes, including the murder of a toddler, although the connection was never proven.

• Chucky’s look: Chucky’s design was deliberately made to look cute at first, so the transformation into a menacing, murderous doll would be even more jarring.

• The knife scene: In the original script, Chucky was supposed to stab his victims with a hammer, but it was changed to a knife to make the murders more intense and iconic.

• Chucky’s transformation: Throughout the movie, Chucky’s doll face becomes more human-like as he spends more time as the doll, showing that Ray’s soul is becoming more trapped in the body.

• Andy’s actor: Alex Vincent, who played Andy Barclay, was just six years old during filming. He reprised his role as Andy in Child’s Play 2 and later returned to the franchise in Cult of Chucky and Chucky (the TV series).

• Real-life voodoo connection: The voodoo elements in the movie were inspired by real-life practices, but they were fictionalized for the sake of the film. The filmmakers consulted with a voodoo priest to get some ideas, though the final result was largely a Hollywood invention.

• Influence on pop culture: Chucky became one of the most recognizable horror icons, standing alongside characters like Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, and Michael Myers. His humor and personality set him apart from more silent killers of the era.

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