Shivers of Horror – Horror Book & Movie Reviews

Plot: Before cops gun down real serial killer Charles (Chucky) Lee Ray, he invokes a spell that transfers his soul into the body of a toy store doll. The doll ends up as a birthday present for 6 year old Andy. When a rash of murders ensues, Andy knows that Chucky is the one behind it. But neither the police nor his mother believe him.

My Review: I hadn’t seen this movie in MANY MANY years. But Netflix had the first two to stream so I figured why not. I remember enjoying parts of the first movie, and I really enjoyed the 2nd. I mean, just how serious can you take a movie about a possessed killer doll? Surprisingly, there are a lot of people who are scared of dolls because they think its possible they are possessed and watching them, or going to do something to them. In fact, my sister & her daughter just had an experience where they swore they heard the pitter patter of the other child’s ventriloquist dummy‘s feet. And no, she’s not crazy. Just an overactive imagination.

So, if you haven’t seen the movie before, here’s a little rundown. Its Andy’s birthday and all he wants is a Good Guy doll. Unfortunately for him his mother wasn’t able to get one, so later that day she ends up buying one for much cheaper from a peddler selling it out of a shopping cart off in a back alley. What she doesn’t know is that this doll is actually possessed by a serial killer. Poor family. I’m actually at the age now where I can appreciate what the mother was trying to do by getting him this doll.

As the movie goes on Chucky kills people for the heck of it and because they are in his way. The mother doesn’t believe Andy when he tells her that Chucky is really alive and must be doing all these bad things. I can’t imagine how Andy’s mother must have felt when she discovers Chucky has been talking for days with no batteries in him. That would freak me right the fuck out.

This movie doesn’t really have any comedy in it. Okay, there was the one scene where Chucky was in the elevator all busted up and this little old lady says he’s ugly and when she’s gone he says “Fuck You” to her. But other then that I don’t really remember any comedy, it was actually dark, this movie took itself seriously. The sequels lean more towards comedy, as do most killer doll movies.

Gore/FX: Its amazing to have recently seen Bride of Chucky, or Seed of Chucky and see the difference between the dolls. Obviously they’ve gotten much better, but its still pretty amazing what they did here in 1988. You don’t actually SEE Chucky come to life for awhile. As for the deaths they aren’t really gory. There are a couple that may qualify as gory, but nothing compared to movies these days.

Sexual Content: None.

Acting: I had totally forgotten that Chris Sarandon was in the movie as the cop. I always had such a huge crush on him in The Princess Bride & Fright Night. To bad his “people” (as in the people who worked at his table) were jerks at the RockNShock Horror Convention I went to. Wasn’t even allowed to photograph him from afar using your own camera. Otherwise they’d come over and TELL you to delete it. But as for the acting its top notch. You’ll notice Catherine Hicks, the mother from the old WB/CW show 7th Heaven.

Overall: What can I say, for a movie about a killer doll its actually pretty decent. It helps that the movie takes itself seriously and it isn’t all comedy like the later sequels became. On the other hand, I recall enjoying it more as a child. I’ll still give this one a viewing now and again, but I wouldn’t rush out and buy it.

My Rating:

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