Being praised for a performance is one thing. But being praised for your performance in a horror film by the Master of Horror, Stephen King, is quite another. That’s why Mark Hamill is so obviously pleased at yesterday’s news that King chose Child’s Play as his Halloween movie pick of 2019.
Speaking in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, King praised the film to high heaven, saying:
“I didn’t go see it in the theaters, because I thought, ‘Well, this is just another warmed-over sequel. Mark Hamill does the voice of Chucky and I just fucking loved that movie. I laughed and I cried at the things in there. Everybody who’s in the movie does a terrific job. It’s a smart script and it’s just a load of fun. It really is. It’s gruesome as hell.
There’s this scene where this guy is [laughs] hanging some Christmas lights on his house, and Chucky does something to the ladder, and he falls off and he lands on his feet, and his bones come right out the side [now convulsing with laughter] of his legs. And you know, it’s not funny, but at the same time it is funny.”
Hamil is so jazzed about this praise that he’s apparently considering getting a tattoo of it, writing on his Twitter account:
“As a lifelong @StephenKing fanatic, I’m thrilled beyond words to be a part of something HE loved! Do you think his @ChildsPlayMovie quote would make a good tattoo?
I’d be over the moon as well. It should be remembered that Hamill was stepping into some pretty big shoes when he took on the role of Chucky (or should it be very little shoes?). Brad Dourif has been voicing the character since the first film was released in 1988, stayed in the role for the next 7 movies and will also be playing the part in the upcoming Chucky Syfy TV show. Fans of the series were dismayed when it was announced that he wouldn’t be returning for the remake, but having finally seen it I can’t deny that Mark Hamill did a fantastic job.
As the remake was a box office hit, I’d expect a sequel to be put into production fairly soon. That means we may get two Child’s Play franchises running in parallel to one another. And let’s face it, it’s only a matter of time before they cross over and we get to see Brad Dourif’s classic Chucky going toe-to-toe with Hamill’s nu-Chucky. Personally, I can’t wait.
