"Child's Play 2" (1990) Review

Two years after the events of the first "Child's Play," Andy is living in foster care, and still dealing with the trauma of escaping Chucky. Meanwhile, the company that manufactured the Good Guys dolls decide to remake Chucky to show the public that everything's cool--big mistake. Once reborn, Chucky continues his relentless search for Andy so he can possess his body. 

"Child's Play 2" is a horror film from 1990 written by Don Mancini and directed by John Lafia. Starring Alex Vincent (reprising his role as Andy Barclay), Christine Elise (Kyle), Gerrit Graham (Phil), Jenny Agutter (Joanne), Grace Zabriskie (Grace), and of course the incomparable Brad Dourif as the voice of Chucky. Without missing a beat, this sequel ramps up the pace of the first film, but still offers enough chills and kills to please any horror fan.

Oftentimes, horror franchises misfire with their second installment ("A Nightmare On Elm Street" even faltered), but "Child's Play 2" succeeds and overcomes the sophomore slump with grace. Straight away, our favorite killer doll, Chucky is front and center, and his vicious personality drives the film. This sequel trades a slow drag opening and quieter buildups for an in-your-face approach, and it all works!

Our cast, this time, is comprised once again of a small group of characters. Each actor gives a decent enough performance, and even Alex Vincent is a bit better this time! Christine Elise may be your typical 90s teen, but she still proves to be a strong supporting character. Far and away though, Brad Dourif steals the show as Chucky, this is where the Chucky character shows his true self, and the writers knew it--this is his movie.

A big flaw of "Child's Play 2" is that the story is essentially the same as before, except that we're already familiar with Chucky's backstory. The film does have some exposition scenes thrown in, unfortunately, but they don't really slow its momentum. What the film lacks is suspense, and in its place is a pedal-to-the-metal pace--not exactly a bad thing for a sequel. One more gripe of mine is that there aren't many onscreen kills in this one--what's up with that? The filmmakers have pretty much embraced the slasher genre here, but a lot of the kills aren't shown...bummer...

Once again, Kevin Yagher and his team improve upon the Chucky doll design, and give the character a much more emotive performance. They did an excellent job, and it made (along with Brad Dourif) Chucky the memorable villain that he is today!

If you're a fan of the first film, I would definitely recommend "Child's Play 2". It's not a perfect sequel--there were some changes made--but they ultimately set Chucky in the right direction. Grab some friends and drinks, strap yourself in, and enjoy the ride!

Good-

• Brad Dourif as the voice of Chucky
• Excellent special effects by Kevin Yagher
• A fast-paced story with plenty of thrills

Bad-

• Not much suspense or mystery
• Alex Vincent as the protagonist--he did better though
• Not many onscreen kills!