Horror in the 80s was a time of franchising. It was no longer enough to set up a sequel at the end, you needed a character that could return for regular installments. Someone evil but not too off-puttingly mean, and while they didn’t have to speak, it was a plus if they could crack jokes while slashing throats, creating a bizarrely safe coating around the thrills. Into this environment, writer Don Mancini put a nasty spin on the idea that our toys could be alive. (Mancini has been a part of Chucky’s legacy throughout the franchise.) The first film is the least ambitious, but also the one that truly generates some good scares. It shouldn’t work with a doll so small you feel you could just push him away, but the dolls movements along with Brad Dourif’s vocal performance give Chucky real menace. Effects are created through a combination of puppetry and body doubles and still hold up real well today, and the extended climax is one of the more intense confrontations of the modern era.
[NOTE: Chucky will return (of course) but not until we get into the 500s. That will be where we find Bride of Chucky.]
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