Child's Play 2 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Review

The 4K UHD Blu-ray presentation of "Child's Play 2" delivers a visually stunning upgrade over previous releases. Featuring a 2160p/Dolby Vision transfer, the image quality is exemplary. The remastering process from the original 35mm camera negative, finished as a 4K Digital Intermediate, ensures a detailed and pristine visual experience. Grain structure is well-maintained, providing a filmic texture without excessive graininess. Colors are vibrant, with Dolby Vision grading significantly enhancing the depth and boldness of primary colors like the reds and blues in Chucky's outfit. Black levels stand out for their depth and clarity, essential for the film's darker, moodier scenes. The contrast is well-balanced, with highlights adding a refined spark to light sources.

Technical precision shines through with exquisite details visible in close-ups and wide shots alike. Facial features and skin textures are highly discernible, showcasing an impressive level of detail. Scenes like the school bus pulling out onto a neighborhood street exhibit a stunning mix of grain, clarity, and color stability. The image benefits from consistent sharpness and natural-looking skin tones that remain faithful throughout the film. HDR10 and Dolby Vision offer substantial improvements in dynamic range, providing richer and more animated color palettes and enhancing shadow detail brilliantly.

Shout! Factory's new 4K scan has provided "Child's Play 2" with an image that far surpasses its previous Blu-ray counterparts. The clarity and texture are leagues ahead, ensuring that even secondary elements like set designs are given enhanced nuance and realism. The medium grain structure contributes to a stable, unmarred presentation free of artifacts or encode flaws. This release is a revelation for fans, offering the best home viewing experience the film has ever had, with refined visual fidelity that does justice to its original cinematographic intent.

The Dolby Atmos track for the 4K UHD Blu Ray of "Child's Play 2" offers a commendable audio experience, yet it remains anchored heavily to its original 2.0 design. The remix certainly expands the soundscape, allowing music and certain ambient effects to flow into the back of the room, including the height channels. Graeme Revell’s score benefits from this expansion, comfortably dispersing to the rear speakers. The dynamic range is respectable, with dialogue maintaining clarity and crispness upfront. However, despite some well-crafted surround content and atmospheric inclusions such as rain and factory noises, the overall surround engagement lacks a significant push, rendering the track more balanced than aggressively immersive.

One notable strength of this Atmos track is its auditory precision, even if the action and horror elements are less forceful than expected. Surround effects, while subtle, do provide depth and a more expansive imaging compared to the DTS-HD MA 2.0 mix. This stereo track, although louder and offering a stronger presence, lacks the precision and spatial activity found in the Atmos version. Consequently, listeners will have to choose between a more immersive yet less punchy Atmos mix or an in-your-face stereo option that sacrifices precise placement and finer clarity.

The implementation of low-frequency effects is modest yet effective, providing impactful bass during high-intensity scenes such as car crashes and factory moments. While bass might not be overwhelmingly robust, it increases the weight and presence of key action sequences. Overall fidelity remains impressive for a film of its age, although some minor top-end hiss is present. This revamped audio presentation does justice to the original design while introducing discreet enhancements that heighten the cinematic experience without overshadowing its roots.

The 4K UHD Blu-ray of "Child's Play 2" comes richly packed with a variety of new and insightful extras that will captivate fans and newcomers alike. At the forefront, an audio commentary featuring director John Lafia provides a deep dive into the filmmaking process, covering all aspects from cinematography to performance choices. The Blu-ray disc supplements this with a series of exclusive interviews, shedding light on the production's history, character development, and set experiences. Highlights include detailed interviews with writer Don Mancini, actor Alex Vincent, and producer David Kirschner, among others. The set also includes theatrical trailers, TV spots, and extra scenes from the broadcast version, making it a comprehensive package that celebrates both the technical achievements and enduring legacy of the film.

Extras included in this disc:

• Audio Commentary: Director John Lafia guides audiences through his film.
• Puppet Master: An interview with writer Don Mancini.
• Under Pressure: An interview with actor Alex Vincent.
• The Family Expands: An interview with producer David Kirschner.
• In Kyle We Trust: An interview with actress Christine Elise.
• School's Out: An interview with actress Beth Grant.
• The Second Dance: An interview with executive producer Robert Latham Brown.
• Extra Scenes from the Broadcast TV Version.
• Theatrical Trailer.
• TV Spot.

"Child's Play 2," released by Universal following the success of its predecessor, continues the eerie tale of young Andy (Alex Vincent) plagued by the murderous doll Chucky (voiced by Brad Dourif). The narrative follows Andy, now in the foster care system, where he must navigate his traumatic past while new characters, Joanne (Jenny Agutter), Phil (Gerrit Graham), and Kyle (Christine Elise), come into play. Lafia, who co-wrote the original "Child’s Play," directs this installment, maintaining the tone and feel of its precursor while adding a dimension of extravagant horror seen in the memorable and gruesomely entertaining Good Guys assembly factory climax.

Building on traditional horror sequel expectations, "Child's Play 2" effectively dials up the slasher elements with a higher body count and even more sinister Chucky. The film adopts a Spielberg-esque low camera perspective to align with Andy's experiences, complemented by striking use of primary colors that enhance its menacing atmosphere. Vivid set designs, particularly in Andy's foster home, add to the sense of creeping dread. The school scene with Chucky wielding a ruler and the climactic factory sequence are standout highlights, blending horror with darkly comedic undertones.

Despite its goofier direction compared to the original, "Child's Play 2" remains a solid horror sequel. While it eschews nuanced story development in favor of more elaborate kills and Chucky’s characteristic sardonic wit, fans can appreciate its energetic reanimation of the franchise. This sequel’s distinctive tone is largely attributable to Don Mancini's screenplay, which embraces the absurdity of its core premise while delivering satisfying splatter and suspense. For enthusiasts of '80s and '90s horror sequels, "Child’s Play 2" serves well as an entertaining conduit between innocent nostalgia and grisly thrills.

Scream Factory delivers an exceptional 4K UHD Blu-ray release of "Child's Play 2," marking a significant upgrade from previous versions. This edition features a brand-new remaster that is visually striking in 2160p/Dolby Vision HDR, ensuring every gruesome detail is rendered with impressive clarity and vibrancy. The Dolby Atmos soundtrack, though it may not be the pinnacle of this format, still provides a robust audio experience that substantially enhances the film's chilling atmosphere. The aspect ratio of 1.85:1 and multiple audio options (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core, DTS-HD MA 2.0) further accentuate the technical excellence of this release.

This two-disc collector's edition also stands out with its exhaustive array of special features. Notably, the inclusion of John Lafia’s commentary track and newly unearthed interviews and deleted scenes enriches the viewing experience, offering fans a deeper dive into the making of this cult classic. Scream Factory's meticulous care in curating bonus content will undoubtedly satisfy even the most ardent fans, making this the definitive presentation of "Child's Play 2" on home video.

Over thirty years since its release, "Child's Play 2" continues to captivate with its quirky mix of dark humor and slasher thrills. While it diverges from the original's suspenseful tone, this sequel charms with its offbeat absurdity and inventive kills. The remastering breathes new life into this nostalgic gem, presenting it in unparalleled quality. For both long-time fans and new viewers, this release is an essential addition to any 4K collection.

Scream Factory does their usual good job of remastering the video for this one, and the included Blu-ray is also from that same new remaster instead of just taking the older Universal transfer from years and years ago. The extras are not AS extensive as Child’s Play, but there are still more than enough new goodies to gorge yourself on. A fun sequel to a fun 80s flick, it’s definitely worth the upgrade over the old Universal release on Blu-ray, and the 4K disc looks fantastic.