Child's Play (1988 Film) - Plot

Plot

On November 9, 1988 in Chicago, Illinois, while being chased by homicide detective Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon), serial killer Charles Lee Ray (played by Brad Dourif in both live-action and voiceover), also known as "Chucky" and "The Lakeshore Strangler", is shot and mortally wounded. Knowing he cannot escape, Charles takes cover inside a seemingly old toy store. He looms around until he falls on a stack of "Good Guy" themed dolls. He uses a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into one of the dolls. The store is then struck by lightning and catches on fire; sending Mike flying unexpectedly across the store, although much of its inventory, including the dolls, survives. The detective isn't injured, and walks over to Charles, who lies deceased next to the doll.

Later that morning, 6-year-old Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) tells his mother Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks) that he wants a Good Guy doll for his birthday. Unable to afford the doll at full price, Karen buys a doll from a street peddler. That night, as Andy is playing with the doll – who has introduced himself as "Chucky", (via the doll's talking feature, that has been advertised on commercials Andy has seen) – Karen's friend, Maggie Peterson (Dinah Manoff), who is babysitting Andy, scolds him for turning on the evening news and placing Chucky in front of the TV. When Andy tries to deny the accusation (he is clearly seen brushing his teeth right before the TV turns on), she doesn't believe him and sends him to bed. A small like figure is seen toying with Maggie, ultimately causing her to go into the kitchen. Maggie is violently struck with a hammer and falls out of the kitchen window, falling several stories to her death. Andy, when questioned by Mike Norris, who had killed Charles Lee Ray earlier that day, insists that Chucky has revealed himself to be alive and that he killed Maggie. Karen is very upset at Mike for questioning Andy.

The next day, Andy skips school with Chucky and takes a subway train to the house of Eddie Caputo (Neil Giuntoli), Charles Lee Ray's getaway driver, who had left him to die after he was pursued by Jack Santos, also known as Mario (Tommy Swerdlow), Mike Norris's partner. Chucky sneaks into Eddie's house and blows out the pilot light on the stove and turns up the gas. Eddie discovers that Charles is in the house, and, in panicked self-defense, fires his gun in the kitchen and the house explodes, killing him.

Authorities place Andy in a psychiatric ward after he is found near the crime scene. Karen discovers Andy was telling the truth after discovering that the included batteries in the Good Guy doll box were never put inside the "working" doll. After threatening to throw him in the fireplace, Chucky comes alive in her hands (in a maniacal panic), yells explectives at her, bites her, and runs out of the apartment. She then proceeds to contact Mike Norris. Although he initially doubts her story, the homeless man who sold Karen the doll confirms to Mike that he retrieved it from the burnt down toy store where Charles Lee Ray was killed, but not without asking for an offering first, in which Karen didn't have much to offer, so the homeless man attempted to rape her as an alternative, but she was saved by Mike. The detective becomes a believer after he is attacked by Chucky in his car and survives only by shooting the doll.

Chucky meets John Simonsen (Raymond Oliver), his voodoo instructor when he was younger, showing off his new body. Chucky then asks why his gunshot wound bled, since he should not bleed. John informs him that his body is slowly transforming to that of a human's and will soon become entirely flesh and blood, trapping him within it. Chucky demands to know how to avoid such a fate, but John, feeling Chucky has abused his voodoo knowledge, refuses to help. Having anticipated this, Chucky tortures him via a pre-prepared voodoo doll, and John admits Chucky can escape the doll body if he transfers his soul into the body of the first person he revealed his true nature to, which is Andy. Laughing that he will "get to be six years old again," a perfect disguise for a killer, Chucky stabs the voodoo doll and leaves John to die. Karen and Mike, following leads from Charles Lee Ray's case file, find John as he lies dying and receive instructions on how to kill Chucky; although Chucky is a doll, his heart is fully human and vulnerable to fatal injury.

Knowing that Chucky is chasing him, Andy escapes from the psychiatric unit. Chucky brutally kills Dr. Ardmore (Jack Colvin) with an electroshock machine, leaving the authorities to believe Andy killed Dr. Ardmore while escaping. Mike and Karen rush back to the apartment hoping that Andy is there. Chucky reaches the apartment before them and knocks Andy unconscious with a baseball bat, then tries to begin the voodoo ritual to transfer his soul to Andy. After a prolonged struggle, Chucky is thrown into the fireplace by Karen and, despite some coaxing by Chucky, Andy manages to light a match and ignite the fireplace, ultimately burning Chucky alive.

Andy and Karen, thinking that Chucky is dead, go to help an injured Mike, Karen telling Andy to get the first aid kit under the sink. After Andy gets the first aid kit from under the sink, he discovers Chucky is gone. Very burnt, but alive, Chucky chases after Andy and Karen, who barricade themselves in the bedroom. Karen shoots him several times, missing his heart, but scattering his head, an arm, and a leg in the hallway. After Mike's partner, Jack Mario, arrives, the scattered doll parts attack Mario at the instructions of Chucky's screaming, severed head. Karen, remembering John's last words, tells Mike to shoot Chucky in the heart. Mike does so and makes a direct hit, killing Chucky. Mike and Mario then acknowledge that no one will believe them. The film ends with Andy looking back at Chucky's remains as he, Karen, Mike, and Mario go out to the ambulance.