When it was announced that “Child’s Play” would be the latest slasher franchise to get the modern-day reboot treatment, diehard fans of the franchise were upset and vocal with their frustrations. These fans saw no reason to reboot the franchise, as it has continued to go strong (albeit on VOD and direct-to-video) for years, with many of the same folks returning film after film, including Chucky voice actor Brad Dourif. And to further alienate those hardcore fans, the new “Child’s Play” decided to hire Mark Hamill to voice the murderous doll.
In a new clip from the upcoming “Child’s Play” remake, we get our first real look…err, listen…at Mark Hamill’s take on the Chucky character. Sure, there are elements of Dourif’s take on the iconic slasher, but for the most part, fans of Hamill will likely hear his version of Joker from “Batman: The Animated Series” coming through. All that to say, it’s probably not going to win back any of those Chucky fans that have been desperate to find something about the new film to celebrate.
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Hamill’s voice isn’t the only startling thing about the clip. You see, the Chucky doll doesn’t actually appear at all in the footage. Though his voice is heard, the murderer doesn’t need to be in the room to taunt his victims, due to the biggest change to the character and the franchise — the cloud. In this new version of “Child’s Play,” Chucky is a doll that is connected to the cloud, via smart device apps. This allows the slasher to take control of your thermostat, drone, radios, TV, etc… You know, because technology is cool, but also scary? Oof.
The film stars Aubrey Plaza, Brian Tyree Henry, Gabriel Bateman, and Hamill, of course, as the voice of Chucky.
“Child’s Play” arrives in theaters on June 21.
Here’s the synopsis:
A contemporary re-imagining of the 1988 horror classic, Child’s Play follows Karen (Aubrey Plaza), a single mother who gifts her son Andy (Gabriel Bateman) a Buddi doll, unaware of its more sinister nature.