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Child's Play: Collector's Edition
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray A - America - Shout! Factory Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (20th November 2016). |
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The Film
 What is it about speech-capable horror villains that cause filmmakers to turn them from menacing to maniacally humorous within a sequel or two of the original film? I can appreciate Freddy’s gallows humor as much as the next horror fan, but by the fourth or fifth entries in his series the guy was practically doing standup (side thought: a Krueger’s Comedy Case act would have been a riot back in his prime). The ghouls from Sam Raimi’s “Evil Dead” series went from darkly humorous to clearly humorous to The Skeletal Three Stooges by the time “Army of Darkness” (1993) rolled around. And, of course, there’s Chucky, the demonic, diminutive doll who always has a quip at the ready. His one-liners have become so synonymous with the series that audiences may have forgotten there was a time when he was legitimately scary (as scary as a three-foot tall doll can be). “Child’s Play” (1988) introduced the world to Chucky, the pint-sized terror whose name has become inexorably linked to evil dolls or scary smallfolk. Before screenwriter Don Mancini ramped up his humor skills to infinity, however, Chucky spent his first outing on a rampage of revenge and resurrection. A few years back I revisited the film again for the first time in years and was a pleasantly surprised to find it has only gotten creepier with age. Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) has been the ideal son to his single mother, Karen (Catherine Hicks). He makes her breakfast in bed. He does his chores. He makes sure to be on his best behavior. All of this, of course, means he wants something. The “something” in this case being the hottest toy on the market – a Good Guy doll. Only problem is Karen can’t afford it on her department store slave wages. Lucky for her, an explosion at a toy store the night before has allowed an open-box Good Guys doll to fall into the hands of a street peddler. Unlucky for her: the doll is possessed by the spirit of Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif), a serial killer who used voodoo magic to transfer his soul into the doll just before his body died. Karen scores the doll for a basement price and excitedly brings it home to Andy. He brims with enthusiasm, which is a bit sad when you realize this kid has no real friends and is relying on a doll to bring him a modicum of happiness. Despite it being Andy’s birthday, Karen’s no-nonsense store manager forces her to work that night, so Karen’s coworker Maggie (Dinah Manoff) offers to step in and watch Andy. After some strange occurrences involving Andy’s new doll, Maggie is frightened by something that causes her to fall out of the kitchen window in spectacularly over-the-top fashion to her death. Andy is quick to pin the blame on Chucky, but Det. Norris (Chris Sarandon) suspects another pint-sized person may be the culprit: Andy. His reasoning relying almost entirely on a set of small shoe prints found at the scene. When Andy is again caught in a precarious situation – having taken Chucky to a seedy downtown home so he can exact revenge on his former partner – a psychiatrist orders him to be placed in a hospital until further notice. Karen, meanwhile, finally learns of Chucky’s true nature and tries in vain to convince Det. Norris of her findings. He is understandably skeptical… until Chucky attempts to kill him, too. Now with both adults, armed with knowledge of how to kill Chucky, on his side Andy escapes the hospital and heads home for a final confrontation with his former “best friend till the end”. There was clearly less concern about amping up the humor for Chucky’s first outing, though that isn’t to say he doesn’t let a few zingers fly every now and then. For the most part, though, Chucky is a sadistic little fuck whose primary interest is in taking over a young boy’s body so he can return to the world of flesh and blood. Part of me is morbidly curious to see a film where he succeeds, continuing on with his rampage within the guise of a kid. Holland’s film falters a bit during the second act, when the entire game is waiting for characters to learn Chucky is actually alive, but the first act sets up some brilliantly tense moments that, while not ambiguous, certainly hold off on the reveal of Chucky so that once he does show his true face it comes as a shock. Though it doesn’t often get credited as such, the film plays with voodoo lore quite a bit. The whole reason Charles Lee Ray is able to download his spirit into a doll is due to his knowledge of voodoo magic and transference. Later in the film, when Chucky visits the practitioner who taught him what he knows, a voodoo doll is used to sadistic effect. The use of voodoo rituals grounds the supernatural elements into something with a certain veracity, making Chucky’s mission a little more unsettling. Kevin Yagher and his crew did a killer job of making the finale scenes with Chucky splendidly creepy. The script may have had to use more contrived means to make it all believable on some level – Det. Norris becomes a little incompetent because the story requires him to be off his feet – but those moments when Chucky is being burned and dismantled yet he keeps coming after Andy and Karen? Chilling. My favorite scene in the entire film is when Andy, having just discovered Chucky’s flaming corpse has disappeared, is tripped and he scoots away on the wood flooring while a melted Chucky menacingly stalks him down the hallway. It is of such imagery that nightmares are made. After this entry, Chucky would go on to star in five sequels of varying quality, each taking on a more comedic bent than the last. Mancini continued writing the series, taking over the directorial duties starting with “Seed of Chucky” (2004). Chucky works perfectly well as a wise-cracking prankster, maybe it even suits him better than attempting to be scary (which makes sense, given his stature) but those who have forgotten there was a time when he wasn’t such a kidder would do well to revisit the film where it all began.
Video
Scream Factory went to the film’s inter-positive for a new 2K scan of the 1.85:1 1080p 24/fps AVC MPEG-4 encoded image, the results of which are ever-so-slightly superior to MGM’s previous Blu-ray. This isn’t a night-and-day difference, so if you’re buying this hoping for a vastly improved transfer… don’t. Still, this is a mostly strong image overall, with tighter contrast and better clarity. Black levels are generally solid. Colors appear accurate but they are a tad muted. The gritty decay of Chicago and its mean streets permeate the palette in every scene. Definition varies, too, with some scenes exhibiting excellent detail while others appear softer in focus. Daylight shots, unsurprisingly, offer up the greatest examples of clarity. Again, not a major upgrade by any means but certainly an improvement no matter how minor.
Audio
The English DTS-HD Master Audio track – in 2.0 stereo or 5.1 surround sound (48kHz/24-bit) – is a fairly standard audio offering. Dialogue comes through clean and clear, with no noticeable hissing or pops. The rear channels do a nice job of filling out the streets of Chicago, with plenty of ambient city sounds creating an immersive environment. Composer Joe Renzetti’s score employs an aura of mood and sinister sounds, downplaying the childish elements of the plot for something more terrifying. Subtitles are available in English SDH.
Extras
MGM previously issued “Child’s Play” on Blu-ray with a feature-laced edition that seemed satisfactory enough for fans. Well, leave it to Scream Factory to up the ante by including not only all of those previous features but also a massive dosage of new ones, too. Expect to find a few audio commentary tracks, interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, featurettes, promos, and more. DISC ONE: The only extras found here are four audio commentary tracks – a new track with director Tom Holland, and two legacy audio commentary tracks – the first with Alex Vincent, Catherine Hicks, and “Chucky” designer Kevin Yagher; the second with producer David Kirschner and screenwriter Don Mancini; the third with Chucky himself, on select scenes. DISC TWO: “Making Chucky” (1080p) contains the following featurettes and interviews: - “Behind-the-Scenes Effects Footage” featurette runs for 60 minutes and 8 seconds. This is a lengthy piece, featuring the film’s special effects being worked upon in the studio. It’s all very fly-on-the-wall, camcorder stuff. - “Howard Berger: Your Special Effects Friend ‘Til the End” is an interview that runs for 40 minutes and 53 seconds. Berger, a longtime vet of the industry, touches a little upon his career before devoting much of the conversation to his work here assisting in Yagher’s shop. - “Life Behind the Mask: Being Chucky” is an interview that runs for 40 minutes and 2 seconds. Ed Gale, the diminutive actor who donned Chucky’s outfit for many of the film’s scenes, talks about his time on set. A handful of pieces under the title “Featurettes” include the following: - “Evil Comes in Small Packages” featurette runs for 24 minutes and 49 seconds. This making-of was previously found on MGM’s special edition DVD and Blu-ray, with interviews featuring much of the cast & crew. - “Chucky: Building a Nightmare” featurette runs for 10 minutes and 5 seconds. The film’s special effects are discussed here, while also showing off construction on Chucky. - “A Monster Convention” featurette runs for 5 minutes and 26 seconds. Some of the cast reunited for a panel discussion at Monster Mania 2007. - “Introducing Chucky: The Making of Child’s Play” featurette runs for 6 minutes and 15 seconds. This is your standard studio EPK covering the film’s overview. - “Vintage featurette” featurette runs for 4 minutes and 54 seconds. For such a brief piece a lot of ground is covered, but, again, it’s a fairly standard EPK. “More Child’s Play” contains the following promotional materials: - A TV spot runs for 17 seconds. - Theatrical trailer runs for 2 minutes and 2 seconds. - “Behind-the-Scenes” photo gallery runs for 3 minute and 9 seconds, featuring 38 images. - “Posters & Lobby Cards” photo gallery runs for 1 minute and 45 seconds, featuring 21 images.
Packaging
The two-disc set comes housed in a standard Blu-ray keep case, with each disc on a hub opposite the other. The cover art is reversible, allowing for display of either the newly created artwork or the original key art. A slip-cover with the new art is included on first pressings.
Overall
Creepier than you probably remember, “Child’s Play” delivered one of horror’s most iconic killers ever in Chucky, whose temperament and ability to terrorize made him an instant hit among horror fans. The film has been reissued on various formats numerous times, though I would have to say Scream Factory’s latest Blu-ray is, unsurprisingly, as definitive as it can get.
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