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SYFY WIRE Child's Play

Child's Play watch party reveals film's original titles and why Alex Vincent 'deserved an Oscar'

By James Comtois
Child's Play

Did you know that Child's Play originally had a different title? That's what screenwriter and keeper of the Chucky franchise, Don Mancini, revealed on Thursday during SYFY WIRE's watch party for the 1988 horror classic.

So, what was its original title? Batteries Not Included. Sound familiar? It should. It was a sci-fi kids film produced by Steven Spielberg and Amblin Entertainment that came out the year before Chucky began terrorizing the fine folks of Chicago.

Since that title had already been taken, it was changed to Child's Play. Well, eventually, as it was first changed to Blood Buddy (also not a bad title).

Mancini even tweeted a very cool fan-made poster with the original title...

Mancini promised to share some fun tidbits during the watch party, and he definitely delivered throughout the film...

Apparently Mancini and company are good at making children cry (at least, according to Child's Play star Alex Vincent, who plays little Andy)...

Vincent also filled in fans on some fun facts about shooting the slasher film.

After writing Child's Play with John Lafia and director Tom Holland, Mancini took the iconic Chucky character (voiced by Brad Dourif) and used it to spawn the Chucky franchise, which is still going strong. Mancini recently told SYFY WIRE that the Chucky franchise uses its eponymous killer as an ever-changing metaphor for whatever era we happen to be in, from symbolizing "consumerism run amok" to LGBTQ rights.

And proving that he and Chucky are indeed friends till the end, Mancini will soon write and showrun a live-action Chucky series for SYFY, which he teased via social media also...