Child’s Play 2 (1990)

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Posted By: brian@brianschell.com September 21, 2023

Spoiler Free Judgement Zone:

Despite the police and his mother knowing about Chucky at the end of the last movie, Andy is on his own again with no one believing him. It’s fast-moving and violent, with a lot of dark humor and a higher body count than the first film. They put a lot of money into the effects and sets and stepped things up a bit with Chucky’s expressions. If you liked the first Child’s Play, you’ll probably enjoy this.

Synopsis

We open on the burned, melted remains of what’s left of Chucky from the first film as the credits roll. The skin is replaced, new limbs are added, and he’s spray-painted with more freckles. We cut to a limousine driving to the “Good Guys” factory. Mr. Sullivan gets out, and the company is doing damage control over the story that got out about their murderous toy. They’ve done a quality control check on the doll, and it’s all come up normal. Except when the technician puts the eyes in, he gets shocked and blown out a window.

Meanwhile, Andy’s in therapy. His mother’s been locked away in an institution, and he explains all about Charles Lee Ray to his social worker. Grace, the foster child coordinator, wants to send Andy to live with Phil and Joanne Simpson. On the way home, they’re almost run over by a Good Guys truck.

Andy meets Kyle, another foster kid in the home. She’s expecting to be thrown out at any time. Andy finds a Good Guy doll in the closet, and he panics, but Joanne apologizes and says she will get rid of “Tommy.”

Meanwhile, the Good Guys lawyer, Mattson, takes the Chucky doll out to his car to dispose of. Chucky calls Grace to find out about Andy posing as “Uncle Charles.” Chucky then wakes up, makes Mattson drive him near the Simpsons’ house, and then kills Mattson. Chucky trades places with “Tommy” the doll whom he buries in the backyard.

Chucky has Andy tied to the bed, and they’re gonna play “Hide the Soul.” Then Kyle comes in and unties him. Phil and Joanne come in, and they think Kyle tied him up. Phil throws the doll into the basement and locks the door. Chucky’s nose is bleeding, so he’s turning human again. “If I don’t get out of this body, I’m screwed.”

Chucky follows Andy to his first day at the new school. The teacher gets mad at Andy and locks Chucky in the toy closet. Andy climbs out the window, and then Chucky kills the teacher.

Phil isn’t pleased with Andy’s behavior. The doll is still lying at the bottom of the stairs where he left him last night. Phil and Joanne argue about Andy needing more help than they can offer. That night, Andy goes downstairs with an electric knife to dismember Chucky, but Chucky’s not there anymore.

Andy and Chucky fight for a bit until Phil catches Andy with a knife and gets the wrong idea. That doesn’t go anywhere because Chucky kills Phil. Joanne and Kyle soon rush in and find Phil, dead, and they get the wrong idea about Andy.

Grace comes to pick up Andy; he’ll be going to stay at the center for a while. Kyle finds the Chucky doll and takes him out to the trash can. She goes outside and finds the remains of “Tommy” in the dirt. If that’s Tommy, who has Andy been playing with? She looks in the trash again, and he’s gone. Kyle goes inside to find Joanne has been murdered as well.

Chucky attacks Kyle, and she sees him clearly. He makes her drive him to the orphanage center. The fire alarm sounds, and all the kids file outside. Grace confronts Kyle and Chucky, but she only lasts a few seconds.

Andy and Chucky get a lift in the back of a newspaper truck, but Kyle chases after them. They all stop and run inside the Good Guys factory. “No more Mister Good Guy,” Chucky quips as he recites his voodoo spell, and the clouds spring up outside the building. Chucky finishes the spell and then gets a nosebleed. It’s been too long; he’s stuck in the doll.

Kyle interrupts Chucky just simply killing Andy, and they run through the maze of Good Guys boxes. Eventually, they come to the factory portion of the building. Chucky chases them and loses a hand, which he replaces with a knife.

Kyle notices the machine that melts down the defective dolls. The technician arrives to fix one of the machines, and Chucky ensures the man gets a new set of plastic eyes. Chucky winds up in the furnace, “Andy! I was only playing!” When he comes out of the machine, he looks like a reject from “The Thing.”

Except he didn’t die. He cut off his own legs to avoid the machine. He attacks Andy one more time, but Andy dumps acid all over him. There’s nothing left of Chucky this time but a lump of plastic. Even now, he tries to get Kyle, who shoves an air hose into Chucky’s mouth until he explodes everywhere.

Kyle and Andy head home, wherever that is.

Commentary

Chucky’s face is much more expressive this time than in the last film. There’s a lot less explanation and development here and a lot more killing. Chucky’s a lot funnier in this one than in the original film, but it’s definitely not an all-out comedy the way some of the later movies are.

It’s not as original as the first one, but it’s still quite good.