Child's Play
Joe Renzetti
" No, I don't want to come out and play Mr. Renzetti "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the limited release
If puppets always scared you, I guess it was never a fun time when you were watching the clown attacking little Robbie in the movie Poltergeist. Yet one movie did even better. You see, Chucky became somewhat of a popular cult icon once he became possessed by the soul of Charles Lee Ray. Through that possession, Chucky was able to talk, run around, murder, hold little knives and even sperm seed (no wait another Chucky movie, sorry). You see, Chucky became for one generation the ultimate not-to-get-gift for Christmas.
The movie in which all this fear came to life was Child's Play, one of the cult classics of the year 1988, and a movie that spawned many sequels (of which I consider only Child's Play II to be the only good one). The music itself was composed by Joe Renzetti, a name most of you will remember for his much beloved scores The Exterminator, Dead and Buried, Vice Squad, Frankenhooker and Basket Case II and III. Frankly the only name ringing a bell for me was Poltergeist III, and that score (nor film) didn't leave a lasting impression on me. Yet true connaisseurs will remember him from his acclaimed The Buddy Holly Movie for which he received an Oscar in 1978.
Either way, Joe Renzetti got the gig and made the most of it in a short amount of time. He scored the "Opening Chase (Main Titles - Child's Play)" with a percussive and synth laden mood that dominates the entire chase to the transformation of the soul in the Good Guys doll. Not to be pessimistic, but this isn't a promising opening.
Because what we get after that is nothing to write home about (and yet I keep writing about it anyway). "Maggie Gets It / Maggie Out the Window" might open with the two note motif for Chucky, what follows is a continuation of the moody synths and creepy tension effects. Whether you like it or not, that's the tone of the album for the most of the time. A two note motif buried under a layer of moody underscore in "Chucky's Shoes / Just a Doll", the return of the percussion in "El Ride" that continues to keep it dark and atmospheric (in other words boring), while "Batteries Included / Mamma Walk / Street Music (not used in film)" gives you atonal music and unused source music that might become, for better or worse, the most interesting moments of the disc.
"Good Night A.H. / Mamma Visits" unfortunately continues the trend of metallic clangs and bangs recreating a tense action cue that works entirely on your nerves from start to finish. Wind chimes fuel the droning in "Chucky Kills the Doctor", the 2 note motif goes berserk in the droning "Chucky Goes to the Hospital", and the finales of finales "Batter Up / Chucky's Chant / This is the End / Chuck Roast" offers droning underscore, synth stabs and swelling brass burps (so does liner notes Brian Satterwhite describes it like). Trust me, it may sound pretty but it hurts the ears soon enough.
The "Goodbye Chucky / Child's Play - End Credits" might come over as the most pleasing music of the entire disc, I must admit that the vocal with the twinkling sound doesn't always give you the feeling if this is fitting or not. I prefer the version without the vocal.
Child's Play is the kind of score that functions easily enough in a movie, but it doesn't offer anything remotely interesting on disc (except perhaps for the ending that doesn't include the sesame street song entitled The Chucky Song). I don't know what the director was craving about, because Renzetti offers you nothing but droning synth noises that don't differ from one another throughout the entire score. That it underscores the movie tremendously is an understatement, because there's nothing that changes throughout the entire experience. So, if you ever wonder what Child's Play sounds like on CD, I can save you the trouble by saying it through the following words.
Chucky: Hi, I'm Chucky, and I'm your friend till the end. Hidey-ho!
Lady in Elevator: Ugly Doll.
Chucky: Fuck you.
Now picture that ... with synth droning.
Tracklisting
1. Opening Chase (Main Titles - Child's Play) (6.07)
2. Maggie Gets It / Maggie Out the Window (5.09)
3. Chucky's Shoes / Just a Doll (3.55)
4. El Ride (5.06)
5. Batteries Included / Mamma Walk / Street Music (not used in film) (7.48)
6. Good Night A.H. / Mamma Visits (5.20)
7. Chucky Kills the Doctor (3.05)
8. Chucky Goes to the Hospital (4.13)
9. Batter Up / Chucky's Chant / This is the End / Chuck Roast (8.00)
10. Chucky Goes to Pieces / Chuck in a Box (4.36)
11. Goodbye Chucky / Child's Play - End Credits (3.43)
Bonus Tracks
12. News Cast (0.39)
13. Child's Play - End Credits (w/a vocal) (3.23)
14. The Chucky Song (not used in film) (3.52)
Total Length: 64.53
The movie in which all this fear came to life was Child's Play, one of the cult classics of the year 1988, and a movie that spawned many sequels (of which I consider only Child's Play II to be the only good one). The music itself was composed by Joe Renzetti, a name most of you will remember for his much beloved scores The Exterminator, Dead and Buried, Vice Squad, Frankenhooker and Basket Case II and III. Frankly the only name ringing a bell for me was Poltergeist III, and that score (nor film) didn't leave a lasting impression on me. Yet true connaisseurs will remember him from his acclaimed The Buddy Holly Movie for which he received an Oscar in 1978.
Either way, Joe Renzetti got the gig and made the most of it in a short amount of time. He scored the "Opening Chase (Main Titles - Child's Play)" with a percussive and synth laden mood that dominates the entire chase to the transformation of the soul in the Good Guys doll. Not to be pessimistic, but this isn't a promising opening.
Because what we get after that is nothing to write home about (and yet I keep writing about it anyway). "Maggie Gets It / Maggie Out the Window" might open with the two note motif for Chucky, what follows is a continuation of the moody synths and creepy tension effects. Whether you like it or not, that's the tone of the album for the most of the time. A two note motif buried under a layer of moody underscore in "Chucky's Shoes / Just a Doll", the return of the percussion in "El Ride" that continues to keep it dark and atmospheric (in other words boring), while "Batteries Included / Mamma Walk / Street Music (not used in film)" gives you atonal music and unused source music that might become, for better or worse, the most interesting moments of the disc.
"Good Night A.H. / Mamma Visits" unfortunately continues the trend of metallic clangs and bangs recreating a tense action cue that works entirely on your nerves from start to finish. Wind chimes fuel the droning in "Chucky Kills the Doctor", the 2 note motif goes berserk in the droning "Chucky Goes to the Hospital", and the finales of finales "Batter Up / Chucky's Chant / This is the End / Chuck Roast" offers droning underscore, synth stabs and swelling brass burps (so does liner notes Brian Satterwhite describes it like). Trust me, it may sound pretty but it hurts the ears soon enough.
The "Goodbye Chucky / Child's Play - End Credits" might come over as the most pleasing music of the entire disc, I must admit that the vocal with the twinkling sound doesn't always give you the feeling if this is fitting or not. I prefer the version without the vocal.
Child's Play is the kind of score that functions easily enough in a movie, but it doesn't offer anything remotely interesting on disc (except perhaps for the ending that doesn't include the sesame street song entitled The Chucky Song). I don't know what the director was craving about, because Renzetti offers you nothing but droning synth noises that don't differ from one another throughout the entire score. That it underscores the movie tremendously is an understatement, because there's nothing that changes throughout the entire experience. So, if you ever wonder what Child's Play sounds like on CD, I can save you the trouble by saying it through the following words.
Chucky: Hi, I'm Chucky, and I'm your friend till the end. Hidey-ho!
Lady in Elevator: Ugly Doll.
Chucky: Fuck you.
Now picture that ... with synth droning.
Tracklisting
1. Opening Chase (Main Titles - Child's Play) (6.07)
2. Maggie Gets It / Maggie Out the Window (5.09)
3. Chucky's Shoes / Just a Doll (3.55)
4. El Ride (5.06)
5. Batteries Included / Mamma Walk / Street Music (not used in film) (7.48)
6. Good Night A.H. / Mamma Visits (5.20)
7. Chucky Kills the Doctor (3.05)
8. Chucky Goes to the Hospital (4.13)
9. Batter Up / Chucky's Chant / This is the End / Chuck Roast (8.00)
10. Chucky Goes to Pieces / Chuck in a Box (4.36)
11. Goodbye Chucky / Child's Play - End Credits (3.43)
Bonus Tracks
12. News Cast (0.39)
13. Child's Play - End Credits (w/a vocal) (3.23)
14. The Chucky Song (not used in film) (3.52)
Total Length: 64.53