After a series of films that ran longer than most people would have thought, Child’s Play will be added to the long list of horror icons to get the reboot treatment. With the release of the first trailer for the 2019 version, we get our first hint at how this version of Chucky, the murderous doll, will differ from the classic version.
As with most remakes, we can expect some call-backs to the original while also changing things up – especially since pretty much everyone involved in the original is against this remake. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest changes the new Child’s Play film will have to make.
10. Mythology
The Child’s Play franchise has benefited from having the original creators involved throughout its entire run. Producer David Kirschner and writer Don Mancini have helped grow the series over three decades, building upon their own mythology of the story with each new film.
With Kirschner and Mancini decidedly not involved with the new remake, and with the story going in a new direction, it looks like all that groundwork will be lost. It’s understandable that the new film would want to start fresh, and hopefully they can build a new, exciting mythology.
9. Chucky’s Origin
In the 1988 film, Chucky the doll gains his murderous tendencies after being possessed by a serial killer named Charlie Lee Ray. The remake seems to be replacing the cult-centric details of his origins with a modern approach. The new Chucky has been given an artificial intelligence component that presumably goes very wrong.
Rumors suggest the doll is turned homicidal after being reprogrammed by a disgruntled factory worker. While hardly realistic, the new film seems to be tapping into a fear of dependency on technology, similar to Black Mirror. We’ll see if that idea translates well to a killer doll movie.
8. Chucky’s Motivation
If the A.I. version of Chucky is indeed true – and the trailer suggests it is – then that changes a lot about the Chucky we know. In the original, the possessed doll goes on a killing spree to transfer his soul into a human body. It was simple enough and gave Chucky clear motivation throughout the series.
With the occult aspects reimagined, Chucky will need some new drive to murder. Hopefully, the new film will find a way to make the robot Chucky interesting and not just a mindless killing machine.
7. Age Of Andy
One of the strangest deviations in the new film that we can see in the trailer is the age of the young protagonist. In the original, young 6-year-old Andy received the killer doll as a birthday gift. However, the new Andy looks to be about 13 years old, making the fact he got a doll for his birthday seem strange.
The new film could have a good reason for making Andy older. Maybe Chucky’s new tech really does make him the hottest gadget in stores. But a young child being terrorized by his doll seemed to make a lot more sense.
6. Groups Of Kids
Andy was Chucky’s main target for the first three movies in the franchise. He even returned in the last film, Cult of Chucky with original actor Alex Vincent in the role. This time it seems Chucky will have a few young victims to scare.
Early rumors suggested there would be a group of kids who become the target of the killer doll. The trailer doesn’t hint at this aspect, but it was short on any story elements. With the popularity of It and Stranger Things, it wouldn’t be too surprising if the new film wanted to follow that trend.
5. Humor
Even though it involved a killer doll, the first Child’s Play film was more or less a straight horror film. But as the franchise went on, it began to lean more into the comedic elements. Chucky soon turned into the kind of villain whose quippiness would put Freddy Krueger to shame.
The profanity and dirty jokes worked fine when it was a possessed doll, but the new tech-based Chucky doesn’t seem to fit with the one-liners. It’s a shame, since that humor became such a distinct part of Chucky’s personality, it could feel like something is really missing from the new film.
4. Chucky’s Biology
Comedy isn’t the only thing that later sequels embraced. Being that it was a movie about a killer doll, they decided they could go to some pretty bizarre places and really push the envelope. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Bride of Chucky when we find out the killer doll is… anatomically correct. This inevitably leads to a doll-on-doll sex scene.
Now, there is no way to explain how or why this would be possible on a child’s doll, but it’s safe to say the new film will be avoiding including that aspect of the character.
3. Killer Abilities
It’s pretty impressive that Chucky was such a scary horror killer even though he was basically just a doll with a knife most of the time. He was nearly indestructible and could certainly come up with some creative methods of killing but he was still just a doll.
The new upgraded Chucky has the opportunity to add some frightening new tricks to the character. With the A.I. component, there seems to be an endless amount of possibilities. It could prove to be a much more intelligent and cunning villain than the original.
2. Chucky’s Look
Part of the reason the original Child’s Play film worked so well was how good the doll looked. Thanks to some very impressive puppetry and animatronics, Chucky was a genuinely scary looking and expertly realized movie villain.
Of course, with a remake, the character must get a new look. The filmmakers have promised that a good deal of practical effects went into creating the new Chucky, but we’ve yet to get a clear look at the changes. From the looks of the poster, it could be a less scary and more innocent looking doll. That might actually be more unsettling.
1. Chucky’s Voice
One constant aspect to the character of Chucky throughout the series of film has been Brad Dourif’s voicework for the character. His aggressive and sometimes playful line deliveries helped to make the character into the horror icon he is today.
Sadly, Dourif is not participating in this new remake which means Chucky will be without one of his most distinguishing features. There has been no announcement of an actor to replace Dourif. It will be interesting to see if they try to bring in a recognizable voice for the role. Whomever they get, they will be big doll shoes to fill.
