Chucky

A killer doll turns up in the most ordinary of places, a small American town, and finds himself in the hands of a boy who has absolutely no idea what he has brought home. From there it is chaos of the sort only Chucky can manage, mixed in with a dry, knowing sense of humour about just how ridiculous the whole thing is.

It is slasher horror with its tongue firmly in its cheek, so the scares come with a grin attached. There is real menace in there, a body count and a doll who is properly unsettling when he wants to be, but it never takes itself too seriously for long. I would not call it deeply frightening so much as gleefully nasty.

Good for a night when you want horror that does not demand too much of you emotionally. Pour something fizzy, put your feet up, and let a possessed toy do the heavy lifting. It rewards anyone who already has a soft spot for the Child's Play films, but you do not need the homework to enjoy the chaos.