Child's Play

Tom Holland's Child's Play took the killer doll concept and elevated it through surprisingly strong performances and practical effects that brought Chucky to terrifying life. Brad Dourif's voice performance as Charles Lee Ray — a serial killer who transfers his soul into a Good Guy doll — is the engine that drives an entire franchise. The film works because it plays the premise straight for its first two acts, letting Catherine Hicks' Karen slowly discover the truth while the audience squirms. The voodoo mythology gives Chucky a ticking clock, and the doll effects by Kevin Yagher are stunning for the era. Chucky became a permanent fixture in horror's villain pantheon.