Child’s Play  ★★

I LOVE horror films, but usually not when they’re played for laughs.

There are exceptions – Shaun of the Dead, Evil Dead 2 and Dead Snow: Red vs Dead – to name probably the best of them.

But generally I think the business of scaring filmgoers should be a wholly serious one.

The Child’s Play series is a perfect example. The original series has produced seven films about a killer doll called Chucky…and there are more in the works.

But Chucky isn’t like Anabelle from The Conjuring series or re-animated Gage from the original Pet Semetary. Chucky couldn’t scare the skin off custard.

The 2019 Child’s Play re-boot makes things even worse because Chucky is now a computer-driven doll called Buddi that almost looks cute. He even has to be taught by his teenage owner how to look scarier.

Becuse it’s not at all frightening – the couple of jump scares are badly handled – the film has to rely on laughs and gore.

There isn’t a lot of the former, but there’s a heap of the latter with victims despatched with a range of mainly saws and blades as well as a driverless car.

The film tries to make a few points about the dangers of consumerism, but they are largely lost in the constant search for laughs.

You might think I hated the film but it did make me ‘Chuckle’ (can’t believe I’m leaving that in) a few times, particularly during the over-the-top craziness of the final supermarket hayhem.

Gabriel Bateman as 13 year-old Andy (get it, Toy Story) and Aburbey Plaza as Mum Karen, do their best in ridiculous roles that are hard to pull off.

The voice of Chucky, Buddy, whatever his name is, is voiced by Mark Hamill who replaces Brad Dourif from the previous films.

Why, I’m not sure; a bit like the whole experience really.