All fun and games…: children's culture in the horror film, from Deep Red (1975) to Child's Play (1988)

Abstract

In the horror film, children's culture is frequently represented as a sinister and liminal force, or a cutesy façade for the concealment of delirium or violence. This article discusses horror film's treatment of children's culture, and its implicit reflection of the relationships between adults and children. It focuses particularly on the popular film ‘Child's Play’ (1988), in which a hi-tech children's doll is possessed by the spirit of a murderer, in connection with a rise in marketing to children during the 1980s.