Child's Play 2
Encyclopedia
Child's Play 2 is a 1990 American horror film
, the sequel to Child's Play, written by Don Mancini
and directed by John Lafia
(one of the original film's writers). It was released on November 9, 1990. Veteran actors Gerrit Graham
and Emmy
and BAFTA-winner Jenny Agutter
, star as Andy's foster parents. The film also stars Alex Vincent, who returns as Andy Barclay and Christine Elise as well as Brad Dourif
as Chucky. This film is also noted for being the first film appearance of Adam Wylie
and featuring an early appearance by Quarantine
s Greg Germann
.
Chucky disposes with and takes the place of the foster home's Tommy doll by destroying it with Joanne's priceless China ornament. That night, Chucky ties Andy up so he can finish what was started in Child's Play; the transferal of his soul into Andy's body. But Kyle, Andy's foster sister, is sneaking back into the house through his bedroom window and she interrupts the process. Confused, Kyle tries to help untie Andy, but Phil and Joanne unexpectedly arrive and accuse her of tying Andy up. Phil then throws the doll into the basement.
The next morning, Andy attends his first day at a new school. During recess, Chucky sneaks into the classroom and finds Andy's test paper on the teacher's desk. With class dismissed Ms. Kettlewell, the teacher, uncovers Andy's paper with an obscenity written all over it in crayon. She confronts Andy and he is forced to stay after school for detention. He's locked inside the classroom while Ms. Kettlewell leaves to phone Joanne and Phil. Andy tries to warn anybody on the other side of the locked door, to no avail. When Chucky starts pounding on the closet door, Andy escapes through the classroom window. Ms. Kettlewell returns and notices the classroom is empty. Hearing a sound coming from the closet, she assumes Andy is hiding and opens the door and searches the closet, but uncovers nothing. Confused, she attempts to leave, but Chucky stabs her with an air pump and then beats her to death with a yard stick. Back at the foster home, Phil and Joanne confront Andy about the phone call from his teacher. Phil scolds Andy for telling what he believes to be fictional stories about Chucky, and shows him that Chucky has been in the basement since last night.
In the middle of the night, Andy hears a noise downstairs. He arms himself with an electric carving knife and heads into the basement. Chucky wrestles with Andy, until Phil suddenly comes in and notices Andy holding the knife. Andy tries to warn him before he can walk down the steps, but Chucky trips him and leaves him dangling on the edge of the stairs, before dropping him, killing him from a broken neck. Believing Andy responsible for the murder, Joanne angrily packs his things and sends him back to the foster care center. Kyle, knowing that Andy didn't kill Phil on purpose, tries unsuccessfully to reason with her and decides to have a cigarette outside, throwing Chucky into a garbage can. In using the tree swing, she accidentally uncovers the original Tommy doll, buried in the dirt. She then notices that the garbage can she tossed Chucky into is empty, causing her to realize that Andy was telling the truth. Terrified, she runs back into the house to warn Joanne, but discovers her dead body tied to a chair. Chucky reveals himself and threatens to kill Kyle, unless she cooperates.
He tells her to drive to the children's home so he can finally reach Andy and transfer his soul into him. Kyle outwits Chucky by slamming onto the car's brakes, ejecting him through the windshield. Chucky begins the rest of his journey to the Foster Center by foot. Finally reaching the home, he pulls the fire alarm in the facility to create a diversion. Amongst the commotion, the head of the center, Grace (with Andy in hand), angrily accuses Kyle of pulling the fire alarm. She grabs Chucky (sitting below the alarm), and starts to yell at Kyle but is fatally stabbed to death after he reveals himself to be alive. Chucky grabs Andy and forces him to go where he can begin the transfer. Kyle tries to track Chucky and Andy down by car, but it proves difficult for her.
Eventually, she notices Andy walking with Chucky in hand toward the city's Good Guy doll factory. From there, Chucky knocks Andy out and begins to say the chant. Kyle rushes as fast as she can to find them, but the chant is completed before she can do so. Though it would appear that Chucky had succeeded, he notices his nose bleeding, revealing that it is indeed too late and that he is trapped permanently as a doll. Enraged, he tries to kill Andy, but Kyle manages to subdue him for a brief moment by dropping some good guy boxes on top of Chucky. While Andy and Kyle navigate through the huge labyrinth maze of boxes in the factory, Chucky does whatever he can to kill them, and in doing so loses a hand from the grate that Kyle slam on him as well as his legs. Andy and Kyle think they have killed Chucky by sending him up a conveyor belt backward and having extra arms and legs attached to him. Seconds later as they walk away, Kyle is hit by the corpse of a factory repair maintenance man that Chucky had killed earlier after the machine crushes his eyeballs with those used for the Good Guy dolls and somehow attached him to a rope to use as a weapon, the force of the impact sends Kyle flying onto the conveyor belt, she hits her head and is knocked unconscious, leaving Andy alone to fight Chucky. Andy manages to pour hot, melted plastic onto the killer doll, stopping him in his tracks. He then jumps onto the conveyor belt and wakes up Kyle right before she can be crushed to death, they check Chucky who they thought was destroyed but emerges from the melted plastic pile and tries to kill them until Kyle forces an air hose into his mouth causing his head to inflate and explode, finally killing him. Andy and Kyle walk out of the factory into the bright new morning. Andy asks where they are going, to which Kyle replies "Home", even though neither one knows where home is.
Some television airings show an extended ending, in which it is revealed that a piece of Chucky's flesh got into a tank of hot plastic. A machine is then seen making a new Good Guy Doll head, which then forms a sinister smile, setting up the events for Child's Play 3
.
composed the film's score, it was conducted by the late Shirley Walker
.
, its opening weekend earning an estimated $10,718,520, with only 1,996 screens in the United States
. The film grossed an estimated $28,501,605 in the US and was #1 at the box office. It grossed an additional $7.2 million overseas.
The film received mixed reviews, with a 43% 'Rotten' rating on Rotten Tomatoes
. Whilst negative criticism was directed towards some scenes and areas of the script which were considered unrealistic or 'corny', positive reception was again directed towards the acting, in particular Brad Dourif who was again praised for his voice-acting of Chucky. Alex Vincent was also praised for his performance as Andy in the movie. Roger Ebert
was confused with the film, stating it was neither good nor bad, but both, and the closing sequence at the "Play Pals Factory" was fun yet disturbing at the same time.
.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
, the sequel to Child's Play, written by Don Mancini
Don Mancini
Don Mancini is an American screenwriter, producer, and film director. Mancini is best known for creating the character of Chucky, and writing all of the films in the Child's Play series. Mancini was also the executive producer of Bride of Chucky, and he directed the latest entry in the series;...
and directed by John Lafia
John Lafia
John Lafia is an American film and television writer, director, and producer. He attended UCLA, where he received his Bachelors in Film. Lafia's first film was The Blue Iguana, which he wrote and directed...
(one of the original film's writers). It was released on November 9, 1990. Veteran actors Gerrit Graham
Gerrit Graham
Gerrit Graham is an American actor and songwriter. He's appeared in such films as Used Cars, TerrorVision, National Lampoon's Class Reunion, and Greetings, where he worked with Brian DePalma for the first time...
and Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
and BAFTA-winner Jenny Agutter
Jenny Agutter
Jennifer Ann "Jenny" Agutter is an English film and television actress. She began her career as a child actress in the mid 1960s, starring in the BBC television series The Railway Children and the film adaptation of the same book, before moving on to adult roles and relocating to Hollywood.She...
, star as Andy's foster parents. The film also stars Alex Vincent, who returns as Andy Barclay and Christine Elise as well as Brad Dourif
Brad Dourif
Bradford Claude "Brad" Dourif is an American film and television actor who gained early fame for his portrayal of Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and has since appeared in a number of memorable roles, including the voice of Chucky in the Child's Play franchise, Younger Brother in...
as Chucky. This film is also noted for being the first film appearance of Adam Wylie
Adam Wylie
Adam Augustus Wylie is an American television and motion picture actor, as well as a Broadway musical performer and a former Crayola spokesman.-Early life:...
and featuring an early appearance by Quarantine
Quarantine (film)
Quarantine is a 2008 American horror film, directed by John Erick Dowdle and starring Jennifer Carpenter, Jay Hernandez, Columbus Short, Steve Harris, Rade Šerbedžija, Greg Germann, Bernard White, and Johnathon Schaech. The film is a remake of the Spanish horror film REC with a few exceptions such...
s Greg Germann
Greg Germann
Gregory Andrew "Greg" Germann is an American actor. He played the roles of Richard Fish in the television series Ally McBeal, businessman Mattson from Child's Play 2 and the vet Laurence from Quarantine...
.
Plot
After the events of Child's Play, Andy Barclay was placed in a foster home with Joanne and Phil Simpson while his mother underwent psychiatric evaluations, because she supported her son's story about a killer doll. Two years have passed since Chucky was destroyed and the bad publicity about Play Pals, Inc. (the company behind the "Good Guy" toy line) is all over the newspapers. The company has the original doll reconstructed for analysis and a worker is electrocuted. Chucky is brought back to life because of the accident and kills a client of Mr. Sullivan's, named Mattson, to find details of Andy's location.Chucky disposes with and takes the place of the foster home's Tommy doll by destroying it with Joanne's priceless China ornament. That night, Chucky ties Andy up so he can finish what was started in Child's Play; the transferal of his soul into Andy's body. But Kyle, Andy's foster sister, is sneaking back into the house through his bedroom window and she interrupts the process. Confused, Kyle tries to help untie Andy, but Phil and Joanne unexpectedly arrive and accuse her of tying Andy up. Phil then throws the doll into the basement.
The next morning, Andy attends his first day at a new school. During recess, Chucky sneaks into the classroom and finds Andy's test paper on the teacher's desk. With class dismissed Ms. Kettlewell, the teacher, uncovers Andy's paper with an obscenity written all over it in crayon. She confronts Andy and he is forced to stay after school for detention. He's locked inside the classroom while Ms. Kettlewell leaves to phone Joanne and Phil. Andy tries to warn anybody on the other side of the locked door, to no avail. When Chucky starts pounding on the closet door, Andy escapes through the classroom window. Ms. Kettlewell returns and notices the classroom is empty. Hearing a sound coming from the closet, she assumes Andy is hiding and opens the door and searches the closet, but uncovers nothing. Confused, she attempts to leave, but Chucky stabs her with an air pump and then beats her to death with a yard stick. Back at the foster home, Phil and Joanne confront Andy about the phone call from his teacher. Phil scolds Andy for telling what he believes to be fictional stories about Chucky, and shows him that Chucky has been in the basement since last night.
In the middle of the night, Andy hears a noise downstairs. He arms himself with an electric carving knife and heads into the basement. Chucky wrestles with Andy, until Phil suddenly comes in and notices Andy holding the knife. Andy tries to warn him before he can walk down the steps, but Chucky trips him and leaves him dangling on the edge of the stairs, before dropping him, killing him from a broken neck. Believing Andy responsible for the murder, Joanne angrily packs his things and sends him back to the foster care center. Kyle, knowing that Andy didn't kill Phil on purpose, tries unsuccessfully to reason with her and decides to have a cigarette outside, throwing Chucky into a garbage can. In using the tree swing, she accidentally uncovers the original Tommy doll, buried in the dirt. She then notices that the garbage can she tossed Chucky into is empty, causing her to realize that Andy was telling the truth. Terrified, she runs back into the house to warn Joanne, but discovers her dead body tied to a chair. Chucky reveals himself and threatens to kill Kyle, unless she cooperates.
He tells her to drive to the children's home so he can finally reach Andy and transfer his soul into him. Kyle outwits Chucky by slamming onto the car's brakes, ejecting him through the windshield. Chucky begins the rest of his journey to the Foster Center by foot. Finally reaching the home, he pulls the fire alarm in the facility to create a diversion. Amongst the commotion, the head of the center, Grace (with Andy in hand), angrily accuses Kyle of pulling the fire alarm. She grabs Chucky (sitting below the alarm), and starts to yell at Kyle but is fatally stabbed to death after he reveals himself to be alive. Chucky grabs Andy and forces him to go where he can begin the transfer. Kyle tries to track Chucky and Andy down by car, but it proves difficult for her.
Eventually, she notices Andy walking with Chucky in hand toward the city's Good Guy doll factory. From there, Chucky knocks Andy out and begins to say the chant. Kyle rushes as fast as she can to find them, but the chant is completed before she can do so. Though it would appear that Chucky had succeeded, he notices his nose bleeding, revealing that it is indeed too late and that he is trapped permanently as a doll. Enraged, he tries to kill Andy, but Kyle manages to subdue him for a brief moment by dropping some good guy boxes on top of Chucky. While Andy and Kyle navigate through the huge labyrinth maze of boxes in the factory, Chucky does whatever he can to kill them, and in doing so loses a hand from the grate that Kyle slam on him as well as his legs. Andy and Kyle think they have killed Chucky by sending him up a conveyor belt backward and having extra arms and legs attached to him. Seconds later as they walk away, Kyle is hit by the corpse of a factory repair maintenance man that Chucky had killed earlier after the machine crushes his eyeballs with those used for the Good Guy dolls and somehow attached him to a rope to use as a weapon, the force of the impact sends Kyle flying onto the conveyor belt, she hits her head and is knocked unconscious, leaving Andy alone to fight Chucky. Andy manages to pour hot, melted plastic onto the killer doll, stopping him in his tracks. He then jumps onto the conveyor belt and wakes up Kyle right before she can be crushed to death, they check Chucky who they thought was destroyed but emerges from the melted plastic pile and tries to kill them until Kyle forces an air hose into his mouth causing his head to inflate and explode, finally killing him. Andy and Kyle walk out of the factory into the bright new morning. Andy asks where they are going, to which Kyle replies "Home", even though neither one knows where home is.
Some television airings show an extended ending, in which it is revealed that a piece of Chucky's flesh got into a tank of hot plastic. A machine is then seen making a new Good Guy Doll head, which then forms a sinister smile, setting up the events for Child's Play 3
Child's Play 3
Child's Play 3, also known as Child's Play 3: Look Who's Stalking, is a 1991 horror film. It is the third installment in the Child's Play series with Brad Dourif returning as the voice of Chucky...
.
Cast
- Alex Vincent as Andy BarclayAndy BarclayAndy Barclay is the main protagonist in the first three films of the Child's Play film series. He was portrayed by Alex Vincent in the first two films, who was replaced by Justin Whalin in the third film...
- Jenny AgutterJenny AgutterJennifer Ann "Jenny" Agutter is an English film and television actress. She began her career as a child actress in the mid 1960s, starring in the BBC television series The Railway Children and the film adaptation of the same book, before moving on to adult roles and relocating to Hollywood.She...
as Joanne Simpson - Gerrit GrahamGerrit GrahamGerrit Graham is an American actor and songwriter. He's appeared in such films as Used Cars, TerrorVision, National Lampoon's Class Reunion, and Greetings, where he worked with Brian DePalma for the first time...
as Phil Simpson - Christine EliseChristine EliseChristine Elise is an American film and television actress.-Personal life:Born Christine Elise McCarthy in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of artists, she graduated from the Boston Latin School in 1983...
as Kyle - Grace ZabriskieGrace ZabriskieGrace Zabriskie is an American actress. She has appeared in many popular American films but, she is best known for her work in television. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the television series Twin Peaks, Seinfeld, and Big Love.-Early life:Zabriskie was born in New Orleans, Louisiana...
as Grace Poole - Peter HaskellPeter HaskellPeter Abraham Haskell was an American actor who worked primarily in television.-Early years:Haskell was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Rose Veronica Golden and geophysicist Norman Abraham Haskell...
as Mr. Sullivan - Beth GrantBeth GrantBeth Grant is an American actress. She is known for often playing characters who are conservatives, religious zealots or sticklers for rules....
as Miss Kettlewell - Greg GermannGreg GermannGregory Andrew "Greg" Germann is an American actor. He played the roles of Richard Fish in the television series Ally McBeal, businessman Mattson from Child's Play 2 and the vet Laurence from Quarantine...
as Mattson - Brad DourifBrad DourifBradford Claude "Brad" Dourif is an American film and television actor who gained early fame for his portrayal of Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and has since appeared in a number of memorable roles, including the voice of Chucky in the Child's Play franchise, Younger Brother in...
as Chucky (voice)
Soundtrack score
Graeme RevellGraeme Revell
Graeme Revell is a New Zealand film score composer.Revell attended Auckland Grammar School, where he finished his final year in 7A...
composed the film's score, it was conducted by the late Shirley Walker
Shirley Walker
Shirley Walker was an American television and film composer and conductor. She was one of the few female film score composers working in Hollywood...
.
Reception
The film was successful for a horror filmHorror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
, its opening weekend earning an estimated $10,718,520, with only 1,996 screens in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The film grossed an estimated $28,501,605 in the US and was #1 at the box office. It grossed an additional $7.2 million overseas.
The film received mixed reviews, with a 43% 'Rotten' rating on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
. Whilst negative criticism was directed towards some scenes and areas of the script which were considered unrealistic or 'corny', positive reception was again directed towards the acting, in particular Brad Dourif who was again praised for his voice-acting of Chucky. Alex Vincent was also praised for his performance as Andy in the movie. Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
was confused with the film, stating it was neither good nor bad, but both, and the closing sequence at the "Play Pals Factory" was fun yet disturbing at the same time.
Film rights
MGM/United Artists released the original Child's Play in 1988, the rights to a sequel were bought in 1990 by Universal StudiosUniversal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
.