Child's Play 3
Encyclopedia
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. The film became notorious in the United Kingdom
, when it was suggested that it may have inspired the real-life murder of British
child James Bulger
, a suggestion rejected by officers investigating the case.
, Play Pals (Good Guys) has recovered from bad publicity arising from Chucky's murder spree. The company releases a new line of Good Guy dolls and recycles Chucky's remains. However, the soul of serial killer Charles Lee Ray still inhabits the remains, and Chucky is soon revived. Chucky is unwittingly given to Play Pals' CEO
, whom Chucky tortures to death in his office by using dangerous toys such as darts. Afterwards, Chucky uses computer records to relocate Andy Barclay (Justin Whalin
).
Andy, now sixteen, has been sent to military school. Colonel Cochran (Dakin Matthews
), the head of the school, begrudgingly enrolls Andy. However, Cochran disbelieves Andy's story about Chucky, and advises he forget his "fantasies" about the doll. Inside the school, Andy befriends cadets Harold Aubrey Whitehurst (Dean Jacobson), Ronald Tyler (Jeremy Sylvers), and Kristin DeSilva (Perrey Reeves
), for whom he develops romantic feelings. He also meets Brett C. Shelton (Travis Fine
), a lieutenant colonel
who routinely bullies the cadets.
Not long after Andy arrives, Ronald is asked to deliver a package to his room. Ronald realizes that the package contains Chucky and, excited, takes the new toy to the cellar. Once freed, Chucky realizes that he can possess the first person who learns his true nature. He reveals his secret to Ronald, thus making him eligible. Just as Chucky is about to possess Ronald, they are interrupted by Cochran, who takes the doll away. When Andy sees Cochran carrying Chucky across the campus, he is horrified. Cochran throws Chucky into a garbage truck, but Chucky escapes by luring the driver into the truck's compactor
.
Andy tries to warn Ronald about Chucky, but is initially unheeded. Chucky lures Ronald into playing hide-and-seek in Cochran's office, making another attempt to possess the boy again. However, they are interrupted by De Silva and, moments later, Cochran himself. When the cadets leave, Cochran is confronted by a knife-wielding Chucky. The resulting shock causes Cochran to suffer a fatal heart attack.
Despite Cochran's death, Shelton declares that the school's annual war games
will proceed as planned, with Andy and Shelton on opposing teams. However, Chucky secretly replaces the paint bullets of one team with live ammunition. When the simulation begins, Chucky accosts Ronald, but threatens the boy when he refuses to take part. Ronald stabs Chucky with a pocket knife and flees, trying to find Andy. Chucky attacks Kristen and holds her hostage, attempting the lure the teams into fighting each other to save her. Chucky forces Andy to exchange Kristen for Tyler.
Suddenly, the red team descends upon the area and obliviously opens fire with their live rounds. Shelton is the first to be killed in the crossfire. Amidst the chaos, Tyler makes a quick getaway, but before giving chase, Chucky tosses a live grenade at the quarreling cadets. Recognizing the danger, Whitehurst bravely leaps on top of the grenade and sacrifices himself to save the others. With no time to mourn his friend, Andy heads off in pursuit of Chucky, with Kristen close behind
Eventually the chase leads the group into a haunted house
at a nearby carnival
. In the ensuing melee, Chucky shoots Kristen in the leg, leaving Andy to fight Chucky alone. In some point, Chucky stands under the grim reaper statue and gets part of his face sliced off by the moving scythe. When Tyler is inadvertently knocked out, Chucky seizes the opportunity to possess him, but Andy intervenes, shooting him several times. Enraged, Chucky attempts to strangle Andy, but Andy uses Tyler's knife to cut off Chucky's hand, dropping him into a giant fan which slices him to pieces with Andy and Tyler looking down at the scattered remains. Afterwards, Andy is taken away by the police for questioning, while Kristen is taken to the nearby hospital. Tyler's fate is never revealed.
, the film was a box office disappointment, grossing $20.5 million worldwide. Mainstream critics gave the film mixed to negative reviews, and horror fans regarded it the worst of the series until Seed of Chucky
was released 13 years later. Series creator Don Mancini
said that this was his least favorite entry in the series, adding that he ran out of ideas after the second film. On Metacritic, the film received 48 positive reviews out of 100 reviews. Critics referred the film as "the oddest, darkest and saddest of all Child's Play films". Although Brad Dourif was again praised for his voice-acting of Chucky, the film holds a "Rotten" rating of 25% on Rotten Tomatoes. Due to the negative feedback, Don Mancini would not make another entry in the Child's Play series until seven years later, with Bride of Chucky
.
Despite this film's failure, in 2009, a haunted house inspired by the climax of this film ("Chucky's Fun House") was featured in Halloween Horror Nights.
. The killers, who were 10 years old at the time, were said to have imitated a scene in which one of Chucky's victims is splashed with blue paint. Although these allegations against the film have never been proven, the case has led to some new legislation for video films. Psychologist Guy Cumberbatch has stated, "The link with a video was that the father of one of the boys - Jon Venables - had rented Child’s Play 3 some months earlier. However, the police officer who directed the investigation, Albert Kirby, found that the son, Jon, was not living with his father at the time and was unlikely to have seen the film. Moreover, the boy disliked horror films—a point later confirmed by psychiatric reports. Thus the police investigation, which had specifically looked for a video link, concluded there was none.
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...
. It is the third installment in the Child's Play
Child's Play (film series)
Child's Play is a horror film franchise created by Don Mancini, with its first installment, Child's Play, being released on November 9, 1988. The film has so far spawned four sequels and has gone into other media, such as comic books. The films all feature Chucky, a killer Good Guys doll with the...
series with 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...
returning as the voice of Chucky. The film became notorious in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, when it was suggested that it may have inspired the real-life murder of British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
child James Bulger
Murder of James Bulger
James Patrick Bulger was a boy from Kirkby, England, who was murdered on 12 February 1993, when aged two. He was abducted, tortured and murdered by two ten-year-old boys, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables .Bulger disappeared from the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle, near Liverpool, while...
, a suggestion rejected by officers investigating the case.
Plot
In 1998, eight years after the events of Child's Play 2Child's Play 2
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 . It was released on November 9, 1990. Veteran actors Gerrit Graham and Emmy and BAFTA-winner Jenny Agutter, star as Andy's foster parents...
, Play Pals (Good Guys) has recovered from bad publicity arising from Chucky's murder spree. The company releases a new line of Good Guy dolls and recycles Chucky's remains. However, the soul of serial killer Charles Lee Ray still inhabits the remains, and Chucky is soon revived. Chucky is unwittingly given to Play Pals' CEO
Chief executive officer
A chief executive officer , managing director , Executive Director for non-profit organizations, or chief executive is the highest-ranking corporate officer or administrator in charge of total management of an organization...
, whom Chucky tortures to death in his office by using dangerous toys such as darts. Afterwards, Chucky uses computer records to relocate Andy Barclay (Justin Whalin
Justin Whalin
Justin Garrett Whalin is an American actor best known for his role as Jimmy Olsen in the American television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.-Early life:...
).
Andy, now sixteen, has been sent to military school. Colonel Cochran (Dakin Matthews
Dakin Matthews
Dakin Matthews is an American actor with a long history of work in film, television and theater. He is also a playwright, director, and theatrical scholar.-Life and career:...
), the head of the school, begrudgingly enrolls Andy. However, Cochran disbelieves Andy's story about Chucky, and advises he forget his "fantasies" about the doll. Inside the school, Andy befriends cadets Harold Aubrey Whitehurst (Dean Jacobson), Ronald Tyler (Jeremy Sylvers), and Kristin DeSilva (Perrey Reeves
Perrey Reeves
Perrey Reeves is an American film and television actress best known for her role on HBO's Entourage.- Life and career :...
), for whom he develops romantic feelings. He also meets Brett C. Shelton (Travis Fine
Travis Fine
Travis Lane Fine is an American actor, writer, director and producer, perhaps best known for his roles in Girl, Interrupted and The Young Riders.-Personal life:...
), a lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
who routinely bullies the cadets.
Not long after Andy arrives, Ronald is asked to deliver a package to his room. Ronald realizes that the package contains Chucky and, excited, takes the new toy to the cellar. Once freed, Chucky realizes that he can possess the first person who learns his true nature. He reveals his secret to Ronald, thus making him eligible. Just as Chucky is about to possess Ronald, they are interrupted by Cochran, who takes the doll away. When Andy sees Cochran carrying Chucky across the campus, he is horrified. Cochran throws Chucky into a garbage truck, but Chucky escapes by luring the driver into the truck's compactor
Compactor
A compactor is a machine or mechanism used to reduce the size of waste material or soil through compaction. A trash compactor is often used by homes and businesses to reduce the volume of trash....
.
Andy tries to warn Ronald about Chucky, but is initially unheeded. Chucky lures Ronald into playing hide-and-seek in Cochran's office, making another attempt to possess the boy again. However, they are interrupted by De Silva and, moments later, Cochran himself. When the cadets leave, Cochran is confronted by a knife-wielding Chucky. The resulting shock causes Cochran to suffer a fatal heart attack.
Despite Cochran's death, Shelton declares that the school's annual war games
Military simulation
Military simulations, also known informally as war games, are simulations in which theories of warfare can be tested and refined without the need for actual hostilities. Many professional contemporary analysts object to the term wargames as this is generally taken to be referring to the civilian...
will proceed as planned, with Andy and Shelton on opposing teams. However, Chucky secretly replaces the paint bullets of one team with live ammunition. When the simulation begins, Chucky accosts Ronald, but threatens the boy when he refuses to take part. Ronald stabs Chucky with a pocket knife and flees, trying to find Andy. Chucky attacks Kristen and holds her hostage, attempting the lure the teams into fighting each other to save her. Chucky forces Andy to exchange Kristen for Tyler.
Suddenly, the red team descends upon the area and obliviously opens fire with their live rounds. Shelton is the first to be killed in the crossfire. Amidst the chaos, Tyler makes a quick getaway, but before giving chase, Chucky tosses a live grenade at the quarreling cadets. Recognizing the danger, Whitehurst bravely leaps on top of the grenade and sacrifices himself to save the others. With no time to mourn his friend, Andy heads off in pursuit of Chucky, with Kristen close behind
Eventually the chase leads the group into a haunted house
Haunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
at a nearby carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
. In the ensuing melee, Chucky shoots Kristen in the leg, leaving Andy to fight Chucky alone. In some point, Chucky stands under the grim reaper statue and gets part of his face sliced off by the moving scythe. When Tyler is inadvertently knocked out, Chucky seizes the opportunity to possess him, but Andy intervenes, shooting him several times. Enraged, Chucky attempts to strangle Andy, but Andy uses Tyler's knife to cut off Chucky's hand, dropping him into a giant fan which slices him to pieces with Andy and Tyler looking down at the scattered remains. Afterwards, Andy is taken away by the police for questioning, while Kristen is taken to the nearby hospital. Tyler's fate is never revealed.
Cast
- Justin WhalinJustin WhalinJustin Garrett Whalin is an American actor best known for his role as Jimmy Olsen in the American television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.-Early life:...
as Andy Barclay - Perrey ReevesPerrey ReevesPerrey Reeves is an American film and television actress best known for her role on HBO's Entourage.- Life and career :...
as Kristen De Silva - 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 - Andrew Robinson as Sergeant Botnick
- Travis FineTravis FineTravis Lane Fine is an American actor, writer, director and producer, perhaps best known for his roles in Girl, Interrupted and The Young Riders.-Personal life:...
as Cadet Lieutenant Colonel Brett C. Shelton - Dakin MatthewsDakin MatthewsDakin Matthews is an American actor with a long history of work in film, television and theater. He is also a playwright, director, and theatrical scholar.-Life and career:...
as Colonel Cochrane - Burke Byrnes as Sergeant Clark
- Matthew WalkerMatthew Walker (US actor)Matthew Walker is an American film and television actor and a television director.-Life and career:Walker was born in Santa Monica, California. He has been acting professionally since the age of 17 when he appeared in a Disney Movie of the Week in 1986...
as Major Ellis - Jeremy Sylvers as Ronald Tyler
- Dean Jacobson as Harold Aubrey Whitehurst
- 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
Reception
Released less than a year after Child's Play 2Child's Play 2
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 . 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 was a box office disappointment, grossing $20.5 million worldwide. Mainstream critics gave the film mixed to negative reviews, and horror fans regarded it the worst of the series until Seed of Chucky
Seed of Chucky
Seed of Chucky, also known as Child's Play 5: Seed of Chucky or Child's Play 5, is a 2004 horror comedy film, which is the fifth entry in the Child's Play series. The film was written and directed by Don Mancini, who created Child's Play and has written all sequels to date...
was released 13 years later. Series creator 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;...
said that this was his least favorite entry in the series, adding that he ran out of ideas after the second film. On Metacritic, the film received 48 positive reviews out of 100 reviews. Critics referred the film as "the oddest, darkest and saddest of all Child's Play films". Although Brad Dourif was again praised for his voice-acting of Chucky, the film holds a "Rotten" rating of 25% on Rotten Tomatoes. Due to the negative feedback, Don Mancini would not make another entry in the Child's Play series until seven years later, with Bride of Chucky
Bride of Chucky
Bride of Chucky is a 1998 American comedy horror film directed by Chinese director Ronny Yu. It is the fourth entry in the Child's Play series. The film stars Jennifer Tilly and Brad Dourif...
.
Despite this film's failure, in 2009, a haunted house inspired by the climax of this film ("Chucky's Fun House") was featured in Halloween Horror Nights.
James Bulger controversy
The film also has become controversial because it has been indirectly linked to the brutal murder of James BulgerMurder of James Bulger
James Patrick Bulger was a boy from Kirkby, England, who was murdered on 12 February 1993, when aged two. He was abducted, tortured and murdered by two ten-year-old boys, Robert Thompson and Jon Venables .Bulger disappeared from the New Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle, near Liverpool, while...
. The killers, who were 10 years old at the time, were said to have imitated a scene in which one of Chucky's victims is splashed with blue paint. Although these allegations against the film have never been proven, the case has led to some new legislation for video films. Psychologist Guy Cumberbatch has stated, "The link with a video was that the father of one of the boys - Jon Venables - had rented Child’s Play 3 some months earlier. However, the police officer who directed the investigation, Albert Kirby, found that the son, Jon, was not living with his father at the time and was unlikely to have seen the film. Moreover, the boy disliked horror films—a point later confirmed by psychiatric reports. Thus the police investigation, which had specifically looked for a video link, concluded there was none.