Stephen King Loves Mark Hamill in the ‘Gruesome as Hell’ Remake of ‘Child’s Play’

Ryan Lattanzio

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Stephen King has historically minced no words about what horror films he doesn’t like, and which ones he does. (Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of his novel “The Shining” isn’t one of them.)

But the master of literary horror, in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, especially liked director Lars Klevberg’s 2019 remake “Child’s Play,” which released back in June and served as a reimagining of the 1988 cult-horror classic of the same name about the psychotic, murderous doll Chucky.

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“I didn’t go see it in the theaters, because I thought, ‘Well, this is just another warmed-over sequel,’” King told EW’s Clark Collis. “Mark Hamill does the voice of Chucky and I just f—ing 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.”

Mark Hamill made his first foray into the Chucky universe with this 2019 version co-starring Aubrey Plaza and Brian Tyree Henry, and Luke Skywalker himself, tickled by King’s response, offered a tweet to echo King’s praise: “As a lifelong Stephen King fanatic, I’m thrilled beyond words to be a part of something HE loved! Do you think his quote would make a good tattoo?” Here’s that tweet, embedded below.

Grossing nearly $45 million worldwide on a $10 million budget for distributor United Artists Releasing, this year’s “Child’s Play” has yet to spawn confirmation of another sequel. Including this version, the franchise has had eight spinoffs since the 1988 original.

For a deeper dive into Stephen King’s favorite horror movies, check out IndieWire’s gallery of his 58 picks.

Launch Gallery: Stephen King's 58 Favorite Scary Movies, From 'Repulsion' to 'Crimson Peak'

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