Child's Play (1988, USA) C-87m. SCOPE **½ D: Tom Holland. Starring Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif, Dinah Manoff. Quite well-made horror film from the director of FRIGHT NIGHT (1985). A boy's new birthday present (barely afforded by his single mother) turns out to be inhabited by the spirit of a murderer. The doll goes on a rampage - will cop Sarandon believe the boy's stories of the talking and walking doll? Pretty mean-spirited movie puts a child in almost constant danger. The effects are good and so is the editing - though one could have shortened the finale a bit. Its success led to several sequels.