Movies: Horror Movie Discussion

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

I don't watch many movies, but I love movies... I just am very picky about what I watch, but decided to throw on a few horror movies this week.

I watched Trick r' Treat, The Exorcist, Hausu (House) and Let the Right One In.

Some damn fine movies.

Let the Right One In is just such a fantastic story, one of the best horror stories, because there's a breadth of emotion to it, which the genre nearly lacks in its entirety.

The Exorcist of course is a classic and I hadn't seen it for 30 years. Better than I remember.

Trick r' Treat is so much fun. I love it. Takes some weird detours at times, but it's the kind of horror movie that makes the genre fun.

Hausu... what to say about Hausu. I loved it. Such a unique and weird flick. Give me more of that.

Hausu is one of my absolute favorite movies. The only bummer about it is ... there's nothing else like it. Only Hausu.

 

[The Marquis]

Hausu is one of my absolute favorite movies. The only bummer about it is ... there's nothing else like it. Only Hausu.

Yeah, considering I'd never seen anything like it and my film tastes veer toward the highly unusual, I was afraid it would be the only thing I'll ever see like that.

 

[Osprey]

Child's Play (1988) - 7/10

A six-year-old is tormented by a doll possessed by a serial killer.

Catherine Hicks stars as Karen, a struggling single mother to Andy (Alex Vincent). Thanks to a stroke of luck, Karen is able to purchase a popular "Good Guys" doll for Andy's birthday, but things quickly go awry after a death in their apartment building. Detective Norris (Chris Sarandon) suspects Andy is involved, but no one will believe the child's story: his doll is possessed by serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif)...

Child's Play was directed by Tom Holland and written by Holland, John Lafia, and Don Mancini. Originally titled Batteries Not Included, Child's Play went through numerous re-writes, with the final re-write from Holland being so extensive that he petitioned for sole credit. The movie went through further development struggles as it did poorly during test screenings, causing nearly 30 minutes of footage to be cut from the final film. The disappointing reception also led to Chucky's voice actor being changed from Jessica Walter to Brad Dourif, the latter of whom initially had to be replaced due to scheduling conflicts. How does Child's Play fare?

It's a classic, but you don't need me to tell you that. Or maybe you do. I've been a horror movie fan for my whole life, but the Child's Play series never particularly appealed to me. I vividly remember when Bride of Chucky (1998) was in theaters, but I never sought it or any of the other movies in the franchise out. And as I never recall them being on TV, this was my first watch of Child's Play (the biggest black eye to my horror street cred can start to heal).

Enough about me. The film is lean and mean; very simple and straightforward in a good way. It doesn't overexplain how Charles Lee Ray comes to possess the Chucky doll; the movie rolls with it, and it's easy to buy in...considering it's a movie about a killer doll. This entry plays things straight for the most part, though it doesn't take itself too seriously either. There's one scene involving a car which is (I think) unintentionally hilarious and stands out like a sore thumb against the rest of the movie.

Other than that scene, though, I don't have anything to nitpick with this film. The characters are likable, and more importantly, aren't idiots. Of course they don't initially believe that the Good Guy's doll is alive. But once the evidence starts piling up they're actually logical about it, whereas a lesser movie may have written them as frustratingly dense.

If you want to watch a killer doll film and like me haven't seen this one, you won't be disappointed. I'll mention this movie strangely feels like Candyman (1992), with both movies being set in Chicago, and part of the events involving characters investigating the city's underbelly to explain the unexplainable. Just a random shower thought.

Overall, Child's Play is a cult classic. The film earned $44M against its $9M budget and spawned six sequels, a remake, and an original TV series that has run for three seasons thus far.

"This is the end, friend... unless they do six sequels, a remake and a TV series."

Child's Play was the first horror movie that I saw at the theater. My dad took me to the local drive-in to see Iron Eagle II, but he misremembered the time and got us there an hour early. Child's Play was playing on the same screen, so I got to see the second half of it... and I was forever changed.

I'm looking forward to you going through the sequels. I briefly reviewed them all in this thread five years ago (here). They fluctuate in quality, but are never boring. They shift between horror and comedy, so you never know which you're gonna get.

 

[shadow1]

Child's Play 2 (1990) - 6/10

A foster child is stalked by a possessed doll.

Alex Vincent returns as Andy, who following the events of the first movie has wound up in the foster care of couple Joanne (Jenny Agutter) and Phil (Gerrit Graham). Along with new foster sister Kyle (Christine Elise), a rebellious teenager, Andy tries to readjust to normal life. However, Andy is dealing with trauma from his previous encounter with the killer doll Chucky (Brad Dourif). Psychological torture quickly turns into physical torture when it turns out Chucky is still alive...

Child's Play 2 was directed by John Lafia and written by Don Mancini. Child's Play director Tom Holland was asked to return but declined due to a personal conflict with the producers. Lafie and Mancini were then brought back, both of whom wrote drafts of the original Child's Play movie, with Mancini being responsible for originating the Child's Play concept. How does it fare?

It's a pretty good sequel. Child's Play 2 mostly plays it safe, sticking with a similar concept and story beats as the first movie. The one area where things are changed up is the addition of more comedy, both in terms of Chucky's dialogue and some of his kills. Otherwise, it delivers on the same concept as the original movie. If you enjoyed that one, you'll probably like this one.

Child Play 2 is a step down from the first movie, though. In the last film, Chucky motivations were more complex, but here have been whittled down to just being after Andy. Meanwhile, unlike the last film, the people in Andy's orbit are a lot more hardheaded. Characters behave illogically and/or ignore clear evidence Andy is telling the truth, making it easy to figure out who's going to eventually bite the dust. That issue is pretty common in horror movies, so it doesn't hurt the film too much, but it does make it a worse overall film than the original Child's Play. I was disappointed by the way some of the characters who survived the first movie were written out of this one (despite a bigger budget), but I digress.

Overall, Child's Play 2 is a solid sequel. Though I think it's a little derivative, it once again delivers on the killer doll concept and should satisfy those who enjoyed the original movie. Child's Play 2 earned $35.7M against its $13M budget.

"This is the end, friend... unless they do six sequels, a remake and a TV series."

Child's Play was the first horror movie that I saw at the theater. My dad took me to the local drive-in to see Iron Eagle II, but he misremembered the time and got us there an hour early. Child's Play was playing on the same screen, so I got to see the second half of it... and I was forever changed.

I'm looking forward to you going through the sequels. I briefly reviewed them all in this thread five years ago (here). They fluctuate in quality, but are never boring. They shift between horror and comedy, so you never know which you're gonna get.

So far we're chalk, lets see how long I can keep the streak going.