CHILD'S PLAY 2

US, 1990, 85 minutes, Colour.
Alex Vincent, Jenny Agutter, Gerrit Graham, Brad Dourif.
Directed by John Lafia.

Child's Play 2 is a reasonable sequel to the original thriller, written by Don Mancini and directed by Tom Holland. This time the writer continues but the director changes with John Lafia directing.

Once again Alex Vincent is Andy. However, Kathryn Hicks as his mother is under mental care and he is fostered out with Jenny Agutter and Gerrit Graham. Christine Erlise is very good as a delinquent teenager. Once again Brad Dourif provides the voice of the Chucky doll and obnoxiously foul-mouthed he is.

While the film lacks the originality of the first, it presupposes the information from the original and capitalises on the sinister Chucky doll, its violence, its wanting to take possession of Andy. There is a quite effective climax in a toy factory.

1.Entertaining horror story? Horror thriller? The impact of the original? A sequel?

2.The Chicago settings, the streets and the darkness, the factories and warehouses, homes and institutions? The special effects for the Chucky doll? Stunts, editing and pace? The ominous musical score?

3.The title, its irony with children and sinister dolls?

4.Andy and the ordeal in the original film, the effect on him, nobody believing him? His age, character? Love for his mother? At the institution with Grace? The psychologist? Their explaining that everything was a dream? His fear of Chucky? Going with Joanne and her husband, passing the truck with the Good Guy dolls? In the house, meeting Kyle? The threat about the fragile porcelain and its breaking, his being blamed? Trusting Joanne? Seeing the Tommy doll? Playing with Kyle and the swing? His continued fear? Chucky in the cellar? Going to school, the teacher, being kept in, the murder of the teacher? The middle of the night, going to the cellar, the husband's death? The murder of Joanne? With Kyle, pursued by Chucky, Chucky holding on to him? Going to the institution, Grace's death? Running away with Kyle, the climax in the toy factory, the confrontations with Chucky, saving Kyle? The effect on him?

5.Joanne and her husband, kindly foster parents, love for Andy, the husband's exasperation, comments about his psychology? The room, their discussions and arguments? The broken porcelain, school? Going down into the cellar, their deaths?

6.Kyle, her style, many foster homes? Friendship with Andy, on the swing? Going to school? Friendship with Joanne? The horror, discovering the doll, the husband's death, Joanne's death? Confronting Chucky, his making her drive to the institution? The police, crashing the car? The pursuit of Chucky in the truck, into the factory, the dangers, the threat to her life, defeating Chucky? A future with Andy?

7.Grace and the psychologists, their concern about Andy, foster homes, the violent death?

8.The school, the cranky teacher, Chucky and his abuse, keeping Andy in, the confrontation with Chucky and her death?

9.The background of the manufacture of the dolls, the factory manager, his assistant, the doll going berserk? The deaths? Forcing the assistant to drive him to the institution, killing him?

10.Chucky as a character, the background from the original film? Murderer? Foul-mouthed? Audience response to the lifelike doll and its behaviour? As a doll, as human? The credits and its being scraped down and reconstituted? Killing in the laboratory? The assistant, going to the home, breaking the vase and killing the Tommy doll and burying it? In the cellar, getting out of the cellar, murder at the school? Killing the father, Joanne? Taking Andy and wanting to possess him, the toy factory, the incantation, not being able to transfer bodies? The climax of the pursuit, the machinery in the toy factory, Chucky's destruction?

11.The popularity of this kind of film in the '80s? Horror tales of the imagination? How well done, combining intelligence and horror?