Child's Play is a 1988 American slasher film directed by Tom Holland, from a screenplay by Holland, Don Mancini and John Lafia, and based on a story by Mancini.[7] It is the first film in the Child's Play series and the first installment to feature the character Chucky. It stars Catherine Hicks and Chris Sarandon with Brad Dourif as Chucky. Its plot follows a widowed mother who gives a doll to her son, unaware that the doll is possessed by the soul of a serial killer. Child's Play was released in the United States on November 9, 1988, by MGM/UA Communications Co. It grossed more than $44 million against a production budget of $9 million. Charles Lee Ray uses voodoo magic to put his soul inside a doll named Chucky—which Karen Barclay buys for her young son, Andy. Now Karen must convince the detective of the murderous doll's intentions, before Andy becomes Chucky's next victim.