CHILD'S PLAY (1988)

Best Buddies? Chucky and little Alex Vincent

CHILD'S PLAY (1988). Director: Tom Holland.

A very nice widow named Karen Barclay (Catherine Hicks) wants to get her little son Andy (Alex Vincent) a popular "Good Guy" doll but finds it too expensive. However, she manages to acquire one from a street vendor and brings it home to her delighted six-year-old son. Neither of them realize that the doll -- Chucky by name -- has been possessed by the spirit of nasty strangler Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif of Dario Argento's Trauma), who is out to get revenge on certain people, such as cop Mike Norris (Chris Sarandon), and anyone else who gets in his way. But both Andy and then his mother will have a tough time convincing anyone that this weird little doll is actually alive ...

Chris Sarandon and Catherine Hicks

Child's Play manages to be both suspenseful and creepy in spite of its absurd premise, thanks to some adroit direction and editing and the casting of Catherine Hicks, who is quite good as the mother, and little Alex Vincent, who is sympathetic and appealing as the innocent and rather resourceful Andy. Chris Sarandon [The Light in the Piazza] plays the cop on the case as the stereotypical blase and gruff detective and is okay on that level. But one might wonder why no one would think Chucky was a pygmy or midget before they would accept a supernatural explanation. It's also a little strange that no one in the subway remarks upon a six-year-old traveling by himself on the subway -- we New Yorkers are not that indifferent to what's going on around us.

Don't make Chucky mad

One of the best sequences has Chucky attacking Norris as he drives in his cop car, desperately trying to keep his body up off the seat when Chucky starts trying to thrust a knife into his private parts. Considering his small size, Chucky manages to inflict a lot of damage on certain individuals, such as Karen's friend, Maggie (played by Lee Grant's daughter, Dinah Manoff), who babysits Alex when Karen has to work and comes afoul of that demonic plastic toddler. An interesting touch is that the spell that put the dying Dourif's spell in the doll will eventually turn him completely human. (Although Dourif tries his damnedest to have his consciousness wind up inside Andy, he might as well stay inside the doll as in either case he'll still be a child.)

Child's Play was so successful that it was followed by several sequels, and also engendered a terrible remake that just came out this year. Tom Holland also directed the memorable Fright Night, which starred Sarandon. Child's Play may have been influenced by a segment of the TV film Trilogy of Terror, which also featured a lively killer doll.

Verdict: Appealing players help put over this pretty exciting horror flick. ***. 

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA (2006)

Katie Clarke and Aaron Lazar

THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA. Live from Lincoln Center; 2006. Libretto by Craig Lucas. Music and lyrics by Adam Guettel. Directed by Bartlett Sher.

Vacationing in Florence, Italy in 1953, Margaret Johnson (Victoria Clark) is alarmed to see that her daughter, Clara (Katie Clarke), is falling for a handsome young Italian, Fabrizio (Aaron Lazar) and vice versa. Margaret is sure that there is bound to be trouble when Fabrizio's family realizes that Katie, kicked in the head by a horse, has not developed emotionally beyond a child, although she certainly looks like an adult. In spite of this the two seem perfect for each other, if only each one's father doesn't throw a monkey wrench into their plans. The genesis for this musical seems not to have been the 1962 film, but the original novel upon which it was based, as few would probably have thought of adapting the Olivia de Havilland picture into a musical. To say that this version (especially this production) is vastly superior to the film is an understatement for many reasons. First of all Tony-award winning Victoria Clark exhibits much more warmth and humor than de Havilland did in the movie; she's quite wonderful, and Katie Clarke also excels as her daughter. Lazar is perfect as the handsome, intensely passionate Fabrizio, and there's fine work from Chris Sarandon [Fright Night] as his father; Sarah Uriarte Berry as Fabrizio's mother; and Patti Cohenour as his sister-in-law, who enrages Clara when she appears to make a play for Fabrizio (a scene not in the movie); among others. It was decided to have several sequences where everyone speaks only in Italian to add European flavoring for the audience, but this device only serves to distance everyone from the [Italian] characters. Composer Adam Guettel, the grandson of Richard Rodgers, has fashioned a lyrical score which seems a bit blathery at first but emerges more melodious with repeated hearings. Some of the songs are quite memorable: ""Statues and Stories," "The Beauty Is," and "Dividing Day" in act one; and "The Light in the Piazza," "Let's Walk" and "Love to Me" in act two. The score -- sort of ersatz opera at times -- really grows on you, although it must be said that as good as it is there's nothing in it that has the aching beauty and emotional intensity of, say, Rodgers' "Younger Than Springtime," although "The Beauty Is" and especially "Love to Me" are quite lovely. Librettist Craig Lucas was also responsible for the rather horrible The Dying Gaul.

Verdict: A delightful and very moving experience. ***1/2.

FRIGHT NIGHT

Roddy McDowall as Peter Vincent

FRIGHT NIGHT (1985). Writer/director: Tom Holland.

High school student Charley Brewster (William Ragsdale) becomes convinced that his new next-door neighbor Jerry Dandrige (Chris Sarandon) is a vampire who is preying upon women in the neighborhood, but he has trouble convincing his girlfriend, Amy (Amanda Bearse), let alone the police. When Jerry tells Charley that his days are numbered, the desperate boy appeals to local television celebrity Peter Vincent (Roddy McDowall), who hosts a movie program called "Fright Night" and played a vampire hunter countless times in the cinema. Unfortunately, Vincent has no real skill at killing vampires and is horrified at the whole situation, first thinking Charley is unhinged, and almost becoming unhinged himself when he discovers the lad is telling the truth. When Amy is kidnapped by Jerry, these two unlikely vampire hunters have to gather up their courage to take action ... Fright Night skillfully blends suspense, scares, sensuality and humor in an absorbing and very entertaining movie that features top-notch performances from all of the named principals, as well as good work from Stephen Geoffreys as Charley's friend "Evil" Ed, and Jonathan Stark as Jerry's non-vampire but hardly human helpmate. One clever scene has Amy dancing with Jerry in a disco, glancing in the wall-length mirror, and seeing that she's apparently dancing with herself -- vampires cast no reflection. Excellent special effects throughout as well. Followed by Fright Night Part 2 and remade in 2011; this version was also good but had a lot less charm.

Verdict: Rousing, light-hearted horror thriller. ***.