‘Child’s Play’ Reboot Star Claims New Film “Captures” the Spirit of the Original

The upcoming reboot of Child’s Play is making some major changes to the mythology, yet star Aubrey Plaza claims the new film honors the spirit of the original movie.

“Buckle up. I love it so much. To me, the original is an iconic movie. I haven’t seen our film, just the trailer, but it’s a real throwback horror movie,” Plaza shared with The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s almost got a Spielbergian vibe to it. The reason I did it was for how beautiful the script was. It doesn’t feel like a hokey, shticky, campy movie. If you remember the original Child’s Play, it was a drama! It wasn’t that funny. As the franchise went on, it became something else. The remake really captures the original.”

In the original film, the murderous Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) becomes critically injured and uses his final moments on earth to conduct a voodoo ritual that imbues his spirit into the body of a child-sized doll. The spirit allows the doll to come to life to continue the murderer’s rampage. In the new film, the killings are caused by a doll whose internal computer malfunctions, allowing it to enact all manner of violence on anyone it encounters.

“I would only do certain remakes. This is smart. The messaging behind the film is different. Technology becomes the villain,” the actress noted.

As the franchise continued, each sequel leaned more heavily into the inherent absurdity of the premise, allowing the series’ sense of humor to shine alongside the horror. Plaza noted that the reboot will lean into psychological terrors as opposed to straightforward slasher elements.

“I play Karen, the mother, and I have less interaction with Chucky than the actor who plays my son does. I can’t reveal too much,” Plaza admitted. “We’re not supposed to talk about Chucky. It builds for Karen in a way that I’m interacting with Chucky by the end, but I’m mostly dealing with my son — who I almost believe is behind the mayhem. The horror of it all will be for the audience. For me, it’s more of a psychological thriller.”

The new Child’s Play lands in theaters on June 21st.

What do you think about Plaza’s remarks? Let us know in the comments below or hit up @TheWolfman on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!

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