Child's Play 3 (1991)

User Rating:

4.3/10   

Director:

Jack Bender

Writers (WGA):

Don Mancini (characters)
Don Mancini (written by)

Release Date:

30 August 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Look who's stalking!

Plot:

It's been eight years since the events in the second film, we now see that Andy is a teenager who has been enrolled in a military school...

Plot Keywords:

Chucky | Toy | Military School | Doll | Chase

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Justin Whalin	...	Andy Barclay
Perrey Reeves	...	Kristen De Silva
Jeremy Sylvers	...	Ronald Tyler
Travis Fine	...	Cadet Lt. Col. Brett C. Shelton
Dean Jacobson	...	Harold Aubrey Whitehurst
Brad Dourif	...	Chucky (voice)
Peter Haskell	...	Mr. Sullivan
Dakin Matthews	...	Col. Cochrane
Andrew Robinson	...	Sgt. Botnick
Burke Byrnes	...	Sgt. Clark
Matthew Walker	...	Maj. Ellis
Donna Eskra	...	Ivers
Edan Gross	...	Good Guy Doll (voice)
Terry Wills	...	Garbage Man
Richard Marion	...	Patterson

Also Known As:

Child's Play 3: Look Who's Stalking (USA)
Child's Play III (USA) (TV title)

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence and language.

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-18 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:13 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Germany:18 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | South Korea:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Kemper Military School - 701 Third Street, Boonville, Missouri, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Under pressure from Universal, screenwriter Don Mancini was asked to begin writing the third film even before the second film was released. Hence, this picture was released only nine months after Child's Play 2 (1990). Mancini has called it his least favorite because he felt he was out of ideas so soon after Part 2.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Andy falls to the floor with his food tray, a lot of food falls on the floor. When it cuts to a wide shot all the food is gone from the floor. Also the tray has moved closer to Andy.

Quotes:

Colonel Cochrane: At Kent, we take bed wetters and we turn them into men. So grow-up, Barclay, it's time to forget these fantasies of killer dolls.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Conceiving the 'Seed of Chucky' (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Calliope #1 & #2

Black Sheep? Not Quite

Every horror series has a black sheep. "Friday the 13th" had the Jason-less fifth installment, "Halloween" the Michael Meyers-less third entry, and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" the silly first sequel. For many fans, "Child's Play 3" is the embarrassment of the Chucky saga. But why?

So many reviews of this film express exacerbation, even confusion, over the sudden shift eight years into the future. What's so hard to understand? We had already had two movies with Chucky chasing a little kid. It was time to move the story along, hence our hero Andy Barclay (Justin Whalin) is now a teenager at a military academy. This change of scenery was the breath of fresh air the series needed, as it opens up all kinds of new options to the murderous doll, which he fully exploits (paintball guns loaded with real ammo, anyone?).

Other reviewers complain this just isn't scary. There they have a point, but how many gorefests actually bring our hands up to our eyes? Scariness is a great complement, but that doesn't mean the whole project goes down the tubes without it. "Child's Play 3" has a smooth storyline, a touch of suspense and a truly memorable, original climax at a carnival (though it doesn't quite surpass the doll factory finale of the the previous film). Chucky's foul mouth begins to be a liability rather than an asset, but we can cut him some slack -- he's certainly never looked better (or more realistic).

"Child's Play 3" does have its ups and downs, however. The romance between Andy and a fellow cadet is a distraction, and there are times when our plastic star just seems brushed aside in favor of more serious moments. Chucky's desire to swap souls with someone other than Andy is a welcome change, but his new target, young Tyler, is one dimensional and uninteresting. He's unable to carry his scenes like Alex Vincent, who played child Andy in the first two films.

As far as I'm concerned, this was the last of the true "Child's Play" films. Once this one was done, the series became a shameful, hokey parody of itself. This entry is by no means perfect and it's certainly not up the caliber of "Child's Play 2". Yet it's not the piece of trash so many would have us believe. In fact, it may just be one of the most underrated theatrical horror films of the early '90s.