Child's Play (1988 film)

Child's Play is a 1988 American supernatural slasher film directed by Tom Holland, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Don Mancini and John Lafia, and a story by Mancini. The film stars Catherine Hicks and Chris Sarandon with Brad Dourif as Chucky. Its plot follows a widowed mother who gives a doll to her son, unaware that the doll is possessed by the soul of a serial killer.

Child's Play was released in the United States on November 9, 1988, by MGM/UA Communications Co. It grossed more than $44 million against a production budget of $9 million. Along with the film gaining a 1980s cult following, the box office success also spawned a media franchise that includes a series of seven sequels, merchandise, comic books, a reboot, and a television series. The original Child's Play film was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, although the rights to the series were sold to Universal Pictures in 1990. MGM retained the rights to the original film and also distributed the reboot in 2019.