How scary is the new Child’s Play movie? Directed by Lars Klevberg and written by Tyler Burton Smith, the horror reboot is remake of the original 1988 film. MGM owns the original Child’s Play movie rights, and franchise creator Don Mancini has a separate television series in the works. But the premise remains the same: a toy doll transforms into a killer. 

The Child’s Play reboot is based on the original 1988 storyline. This time around, however, the iconic Mark Hamill replaces Brad Dourif as the voice of the primary villain, Chucky. Aubrey Plaza stars as Karen Barclay, while Gabriel Bateman portrays her son, Andy, whose Buddi doll experiences a system failure and begins killing.

Given how the original Child’s Play hit at the peak of the slasher boom, just how terrifying is the new version? The MPAA has given Child’s Play 2019 an R rating (meaning nobody under 17 can see unsupervised) for “bloody horror violence, and language throughout,” while the BBFC has given it a 15 rating (meaning nobody under 15 will be admitted) for “strong gory violence, threat, language.” But what does all that mean in terms of traditional movie scares? And how does Child’s Play compare to other popular horror movies? Here are the Child’s Play spoiler-free basics.

How Scary Is Child’s Play 2019?

The Child’s Play premise features a smiley doll that kills people and terrorizes a family. So, if you’re someone who gets creeped out by dolls, Child’s Play 2019 could either be good therapy (fear confrontation) or absolutely terrifying (running from fears). Given that seven Chucky films have already been made, there’s a precedent in place for violence and gore. But the reboot may try to make a statement and set a new bar.

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Keep in mind that Chucky is a doll, so viewers can walk away from Child’s Play 2019 knowing that a real-life Buddi doll isn’t on the prowl. Still, it’s possible that Chucky could find a home in one’s subconscious, and perhaps even make a cameo in one’s dreams.

If you’re worried about jolts in the theater, though, rest assured that Child’s Play 2019 doesn’t have many jump scares.

How Violent Is Child’s Play 2019?

Beware: Child’s Play 2019 is very gory. The kills are inventive and dark, with the real moments of toe-curling horror slowly build up to; two in particular don’t hold back. That said, the majority are played for laughs – or at least have humor underscoring them, which should make them a little more acceptible.

Chief amongst the moments of blood and guts is a disturbing lawnmower scene in which a man’s head is shredded. On top of that, said man also loses a limb (double whammy). In a different form of gore – a meta moment – kids watch a horror movie on television, and it includes a chainsaw (hint, hint). Naturally, viewers can expect to see plenty of blood and more severed body parts.

The Rest Of Child’s Play’s R Rating: Swearing And Nudity

Child’s Play 2019 doesn’t include any human (or doll) nudity. It does, however, feature rampant use of the word “f**k.”

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Q.V. Hough
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Q.V. Hough is a senior writer at Screen Rant. He’s also the founding editor at Vague Visages, and has contributed to RogerEbert.com and Fandor.

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