Halloween is imminent, and as we get closer, it's always a great time to revisit the best horror movies of all time. I recently revisited a horror movie from my childhood with my Netflix subscription, as I was curious if Child's Play 2 was still as great as it was when I was a kid. For those eagerly awaiting the answer, the short answer is yes, but I enjoyed it in an entirely different way.
When I was younger, I got rid of a clown doll because I was convinced it would come alive like Chucky and try to murder me. It was traumatizing, which is why I've waited so long to watch it again. Now that I've seen it again at the ripe old age of 35, I can confidently say it's still a classic, but almost hilarious for how over-the-top and ridiculous it is. I should say before I get rolling that due to my traumatic childhood moment, I've literally only seen Child's Play 2 and no other movie in the franchise. Hardcore fans, cut me some slack and hear me out about why this movie is objectively hilarious.
The Violence Is Ludicrously Over The Top
Considering CinemaBlend has a collection of Chucky's best kills, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the character is known for killing people in creative ways. Even so, the kills in this movie are so ludicrously over the top, you can't help but laugh at some of them. The toy maker getting doll eyes slammed into his sockets is certainly up there, but what about the fact that there is not one, but two kills in this movie that involve an air pump?
It's gruesome, but it's also so silly at times that you can't help but laugh at how ludicrous it is. Seriously, a doll beating a teacher to death with a yardstick? He trips the foster dad on the stairs, and he dies immediately. Sure, wild things happen all the time, but the ludicrous deaths in Child's Play 2 aren't limited to the most gruesome.
There are also times when Chucky just looks objectively hilarious while trying to look intimidating. I about lost my mind laughing at the toy executive who is freaking out in his car when Chucky is holding a doll-sized gun to his head. The gun is fake, of course, but the fact he even got ahold of it for this elaborate bit is so funny. Not that I'm trying to call out other scary dolls, but Annabelle would not think to have that level of creativity. As a kid, it's terrifying to see, but as an adult, it gave me some of the biggest laughs of the movie.
A Lot Of Chucky's Movement Feels Really Dated
Child's Play 2 was released in 1990, and if you want to see how far animatronics and visual effects have come since then, watch this movie. For all the great moments in this movie that might've been cutting-edge back in the day, the animatronics in this movie feel dated over 30 years later. Sometimes they look solid, and other times they look like a Disney World animatronic on its last leg.
There are also some scenes in which Chucky does the weird rag doll movement that was common in that time in Hollywood, where people can often tell it's clearly a rag doll in the place of an actual person. I think a specific example would be when Kyle tries to hit him with the car, and he dashes to the side like Kermit The Frog trying to get behind the curtain to start The Muppet Show.
I would imagine some of this technology was improved in the Chucky series, but even if it wasn't, I think it fits the character well. Chucky is a doll, after all, and so much of the movie is hinged on Charles Lee Ray's frustration that he's stuck inside of it rather than a human body. He understands how ridiculous it is, so we as the audience can at least chuckle a little bit at that as well.
It Was Hilarious To Rewatch A Movie That Terrified Me As A Kid And Laugh
The image of Chucky exploding haunted my nightmares for years as a child, and watching it as an adult, all I could do was laugh. There's some real camp to this movie that I couldn't possibly appreciate when I was little. I think what was probably making it the most hilarious was that it scared me so bad I waited this long into adulthood to finally watch it again, only to realize it wasn't as bad as I remember.
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I think it unlocked one of the true joys of Halloween, which is overcoming fears you once had prior. I'm sure there are a few reading who might say that the Child's Play franchise fell under the category of horror movies that aren't that scary, but I'm on the other side of being healed from some repressed childhood trauma acknowledging that it messed me up good back in the day.
It's reminiscent of that time where you finally make it through the haunted house in town, and you didn't have to leave early because you started crying midway through. Am I the only one who continued to put myself through that torture until i was finally able to do it? There's a chance that I'm just a glutton for punishment, or that I just like the perceived feeling that I'm stronger because I got through it.
I'm excited to check out the rest of the Child's Play franchise now that I've finally conquered this fear and see if some of my gripes with the second movie improve as the years went on. I am disappointed that the Chucky TV series was canceled now that I feel like I'm finally ready to dive in and watch it, though CinemaBlend's Ryan LaBee felt it was time to let it go. I'll defer to his judgment since I'm a new fan, and hopefully, when I get around to it, I'll agree!
Those looking to check out Child's Play 2 on Halloween can do so by streaming it on Netflix. If you were also terrified by this movie as a kid and haven't seen it recently, I highly recommend you check it out and have a laugh.
