Child's Play 2 is poised to celebrate its 30th birthday later this year. Unfortunately, the film's director, John Lafia, will not be able to participate in the festivities. Late last month the tragic news came that Lafia passed away.
After co-writing the screenplay for the original Child's Play, Lafia overtook directorial duties from Tom Holland in the oft-panned yet highly underrated sequel. A lot of cool stuff went down during the making of the movie, hence this collection of behind-the-scenes trivia.
Original Opening
Rather than Chucky's electric revival to begin the film, the original opening written by Don Mancini was set inside a courtroom. The idea was to address the events of the first film before a jury, in which Andy's mother Karen (Catherine Hicks) was to be sent to a psychiatric ward.
However, the entire scene was cut prior to filming, and bits were reused in Curse of Chucky (2013) instead. Even cooler is how Hicks remained on-set during the entire film shoot to keep her husband Kevin Yagher company. The two met and fell in love on the set of the first film, where Yagher oversaw the animatronic killer Chucky doll.
Locker Scene
There was a scene in Bride of Chucky where an evidence locker is shown to contain the iconic masks of Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers.
This scene was originally written to be part of Child's Play 2, according to scribe and series co-creator Don Mancini. Also seen in the locker is Leatherface's trusty chainsaw and Freddy Krueger's infamous knife-glove, drawing a direct comparison between Chucky and some of his hall-of-fame horror contemporaries.
Chris Sarandon
At 84 minutes, Child's Play 2 is the shortest film in the franchise. One of the reasons for the brisk pace is the excision of Chris Sarandon's reprisal as Detective Mike Norris, whose scenes were cut from the script prior to filming due to budgetary constraints.
Without Sarandon and Hicks in the final cut, more emphasis is placed on sympathizing with young Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent), the little boy whose body Chucky seeks to possess. Or more accurately, whose body Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif), the Lakeshore Strangler.
Composer's Bluff
The composer of Child's Play 2, Graeme Revell, only earned the gig after lying to Universal brass about his experience. When asked if he'd composed a full-orchestral score before, Revell misled the studio by answering a resounding "yes."
The truth is, Revell had never arranged such a big-scale musical composition. His only comparable film score came via Dead Calm the year prior, which was a much smaller project. As it is, the Child's Play 2 score is one of the most unnerving aspects of the film.
Advance Voiceover
The practical FX and animatronic work in Child's Play 2 still holds up extremely well 30 years after it was made. One of the main reasons for such is the way in which Lafia prearranged Brad Dourif's voiceover as Chucky.
Lafia had Dourif record all of his lines as Chucky in advance so that the doll's detailed facial movements would easily match with his words. Usually, the opposite occurs. As a result, Dourif rarely appeared on-set while filming. His dialogue was recorded and played back on set for Andy (Alex Vincent) to react to.
Kevin Yagher
Speaking of the stellar FX and animatronic work, department supervisor Kevin Yagher was reportedly forced to step in and direct several scenes whenever the Chucky dolls malfunctioned on set. Despite a lack of directorial experience, Yagher acquitted himself quite well.
Of course, being the original doll designer and engineer on the first film, Yagher was used to working with Chucky intimately.
Andy's Attire
Here's an eerie bit of cross-promotional symmetry. Child's Play 2 was released by Universal in 1990. So too was Kindergarten Cop. Not only does actor Adam Wylie appear in both films, but so does a visible piece of attire.
In the final act of Child's Play 2, Andy makes his way back to the foster home. Once there, he wears a distinct blue and yellow jacket-top. Now take a look at Kindergarten Cop. Actor Miko Hughes (who turns into a mini-killer in Pet Sematary) wears the exact same article of clothing throughout the film.
Good Guy Tommy
Upon arrival at his new foster home at the beginning of the film, Andy is frightened by a Good Guy doll that plummets out of his closet. The name Tommy is inspired by the director of the original Child's Play, Tom Holland.
Holland also directed Fright Night, which too starred Chris Sarandon (Susan's ex-husband) in a pivotal role. Rather than helming the sequel, Holland directed the TV-movie The Stranger Within in 1990.
Seinfeld Connection
When it came time to casting Grace Pool, Karen Black and Mary Steenburgen were considered for the role. In the end, Grace Zabriskie was cast in the role named after a mysterious character in the novel Jane Eyre.
Grace Zabriskie also played Mrs. Ross in Seinfeld during five episodes from 1992-98. Looking back at Jerry's apartment during these seasons, a VHS copy of Child's Play 2 is prominently displayed on the shelf where the title character keeps his movie collection.
Classroom & Factory Finale
The two most riveting horror scenes in Child's Play 2 were elements discarded from Don Mancini's script for the original 1988 film.
The scene in which Chucky beats Andy's teacher to gory death with a yard-stick was meant to be part of the original franchise entry. So too was the brilliantly conceived finale inside a Good Guys factory, where Andy and his foster sister Kyle (Christine Elise) get lost in a maze of creepily-boxed dolls identical to Chucky. In the end, the idea to kill Chucky in the same place he was created is executed to perfection.