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Killer toys are fictional characters based on toys, dolls or puppets that come alive and commit violent or scary acts. Reasons for these actions have included possession by demons, devils, monsters, ghosts, supernatural creatures, dark magic, and malevolent or malfunctioning technology.
The films that feature killer toys are listed as follows:
| Film | Year | Rating (Rotten Tomatoes) | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Devil-Doll | 1936 | 79% (19 reviews) | [1] |
| Dead of Night | 1945 | 93% (44 reviews) [2] | [3] |
| Attack of the Puppet People | 1958 | No score yet... (1 review) | [4] |
| The Curse of the Doll People (a.k.a. Devil Doll Men) | 1961 | No critic reviews yet... | [5] |
| Devil Doll | 1964 | 33% (6 reviews) | [6] |
| House of Evil (a.k.a. Dance of Death) | 1968 | No critic reviews yet... [7] | [8] |
| Barbarella | 1968 | 74% (46 reviews) | [9] |
| A Reflection of Fear | 1972 | No critic reviews yet... | [10] |
| Asylum | 1972 | 67% (12 reviews) [11] | [3] |
| From Beyond the Grave | 1974 | 60% (5 reviews) [12] | [3] |
| Craze | 1974 | No score yet... (2 reviews) | [13] |
| Patayin Mo Sa Sindak Si Barbara | 1974 | [3] | |
| Trilogy of Terror | 1975 | 92% (12 reviews) | [14] |
| Cathy's Curse | 1977 | No critic reviews yet... | [15] |
| The Wiz | 1978 | 41% (34 reviews) | [16] |
| Magic | 1978 | 86% (21 reviews) [17] | [3] |
| Tourist Trap | 1979 | 40% (5 reviews) | [18] |
| The Pit | 1981 | No score yet... (4 reviews) | [19] |
| Poltergeist | 1982 | 86% (63 reviews) | [20] |
| Curtains | 1983 | 57% (7 reviews) | [21] |
| Xtro | 1983 | 40% (10 reviews) | [22] |
| Black Devil Doll From Hell | 1984 | No critic reviews yet... | [23] |
| The Devil's Gift | 1984 | No critic reviews yet... | [24] |
| Joey (a.k.a. Making Contact) | 1985 | No critic reviews yet... | [25] |
| Dolls | 1987 | 60% (15 reviews) [26] | [27] |
| GhostHouse (a.k.a. La Casa 3) | 1988 | No score yet... (1 review) [28] | [29] |
| Child's Play | 1988 | 71% (48 reviews) [30] | [27] |
| Pin | 1988 | No critic reviews yet... | [31] |
| Puppet Master | 1989 | 43% (7 reviews) [32] | [3] |
| Child's Play 2 | 1990 | 40% (15 reviews) [33] | [27] |
| Puppet Master II | 1991 | 33% (6 reviews) | [34] |
| Child's Play 3 | 1991 | 23% (13 reviews) [35] | [27] |
| Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge | 1991 | No score yet... (3 reviews) | [36] |
| Dolly Dearest | 1991 | No score yet... (4 reviews) [37] | [38] |
| Silent Night, Deadly Night 5: The Toy Maker | 1991 | No score yet... (1 review) | [39] |
| Dollman | 1991 | No score yet... (4 reviews) | [40] |
| Demonic Toys | 1992 | No score yet... (4 reviews) [41] | [42] |
| Curse, Death & Spirit (a.k.a. Honto ni atta kowai hanashi: Jushiryou) | 1992 | No critic reviews yet... | [43] |
| Dollman vs. Demonic Toys | 1993 | No score yet... (3 reviews) [44] | [38] |
| Puppet Master 4 | 1993 | 0% (4 reviews) [45] | |
| Puppet Master 5 | 1994 | No score yet... (2 reviews) | [46] |
| The Fear | 1995 | No score yet... (1 review) | [47] |
| Tales from the Hood | 1995 | 50% (20 reviews) | [48] |
| Patayin sa Sindak Si Barbara | 1995 | ||
| Doll from Hell (a.k.a. Ikenie) | 1996 | No critic reviews yet... | [49] |
| Amityville Dollhouse | 1996 | No score yet... (2 reviews) | [50] |
| Merlin's Shop of Mystical Wonders | 1996 | No score yet... (1 review) | [51] |
| Pinocchio's Revenge | 1996 | No score yet... (4 reviews) | [52] |
| Trilogy of Terror II | 1996 | No critic reviews yet... | [53] |
| Quicksilver Highway | 1997 | No score yet... (3 reviews) | [54] |
| Curse of the Puppet Master | 1998 | No score yet... (2 reviews) [55] | [56] |
| Small Soldiers | 1998 | 48% (44 reviews) [57] | [58] |
| Bride of Chucky | 1998 | 49% (39 reviews) [59] | [27] |
| The Fear: Resurrection | 1999 | No critic reviews yet... | [60] |
| Blood Dolls | 1999 | No score yet... (1 review) | |
| Totem | 1999 | No critic reviews yet... | [61] |
| Retro Puppet Master | 1999 | No score yet... (2 reviews) | [62] |
| Ragdoll | 1999 | No critic reviews yet... | [63] |
| The Dummy | 2000 | No critic reviews yet... | [64] |
| May | 2002 | 69% (68 reviews) | [65] |
| Demon Island | 2002 | No score yet... (1 review) | [66] |
| Terror Toons | 2002 | No score yet... (1 review) | [67] |
| Love Object | 2003 | 40% (25 reviews) | [68] |
| Puppet Master: The Legacy | 2003 | No score yet... (1 review) | [69] |
| Doll Master (a.k.a. Inhyeongsa) | 2004 | No critic reviews yet... | [70] |
| Seed of Chucky | 2004 | 34% (77 reviews) [71] | [27] [72] |
| Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys | 2004 | No score yet... (1 review) | [73] |
| Marronnier | 2004 | No score yet... (2 reviews) | [74] |
| When Puppets and Dolls Attack! | 2004 | No critic reviews yet... | [75] |
| Doll Graveyard | 2005 | No score yet... (3 reviews) | [76] |
| Tiki | 2006 | No critic reviews yet... | [77] |
| Dead Silence | 2007 | 21% (76 reviews) [57] | [3] |
| Terror Toons 2: The Sick and Silly Show | 2007 | No critic reviews yet... | [78] |
| Black Devil Doll | 2007 | No score yet... (3 reviews) | [79] |
| Dangerous Worry Dolls | 2008 | No score yet... (1 review) [80] | |
| Triloquist | 2008 | No score yet... (2 reviews) | [81] |
| Puppet Show | 2008 | No critic reviews yet... | [82] |
| Skull Heads | 2009 | No score yet... (2 reviews) | [83] |
| The Hole | 2009 | 81% (36 reviews) | [84] |
| Demonic Toys 2 (a.k.a. Demonic Toys: Personal Demons) | 2010 | No score yet... (1 review) | [85] |
| Puppet Master: Axis of Evil | 2010 | No score yet... (1 review) | [86] |
| Shake, Rattle & Roll 12 (Segment: Mamanyiika) | 2010 | No critic reviews yet... | [87] |
| Puppet Master X: Axis Rising | 2012 | No score yet... (1 review) | [88] |
| Ooga Booga | 2013 | No score yet... (2 reviews) | [89] |
| The Conjuring | 2013 | 86% (223 reviews) | [90] |
| Curse of Chucky | 2013 | 76% (21 reviews) [91] | [27] |
| Maria Leonora Teresa | 2014 | No critic reviews yet... | [92] |
| Finders Keepers | 2014 | No critic reviews yet... | [93] |
| Annabelle | 2014 | 29% (134 reviews) | [94] |
| Poltergeist | 2015 | 30% (135 reviews) | [95] |
| Goosebumps | 2015 | 78% (164 reviews) | [96] |
| Krampus | 2015 | 67% (130 reviews) | [97] |
| The Boy | 2016 | 29% (63 reviews) | [98] |
| Annabelle: Creation | 2017 | 71% (189 reviews) | [99] |
| The Toymaker | 2017 | [100] | |
| Cult of Chucky | 2017 | 79% (24 reviews) | [101] |
| Tales from the Hood 2 | 2018 | 78% (9 reviews) | [102] |
| Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween | 2018 | 47% (95 reviews) | [103] |
| Child's Play | 2019 | 63% (205 reviews) | [104] |
| Annabelle Comes Home | 2019 | 65% (206 reviews) | [105] |
| Benny Loves You | 2019 | 79% (26 reviews) | [106] |
| Brahms: The Boy II | 2020 | 10% (58 reviews) | [107] |
| The Curse of Humpty Dumpty | 2021 | [108] | |
| Curse of Humpty Dumpty 2 | 2022 | [109] | |
| M3GAN | 2022 | 93% (305 reviews) | [110] [111] |
| Imaginary | 2024 | 24% (100 reviews) | [112] |
| | This section needs additional citations for verification .(January 2018) |
The episodes that feature killer toys are listed as follows:
| Series | Episode | Year | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Twilight Zone | "The Dummy" | 1962 | |
| The Twilight Zone | "Living Doll" | 1963 | |
| The Twilight Zone | "Caesar and Me" | 1964 | |
| Doctor Who | "The Celestial Toymaker" | 1966 | |
| Night Gallery | "The Doll" | 1971 | |
| Ultraman Taro | "The White Rabbit is a Bad Guy!" | 1973 | |
| Ultraman 80 | "Duel! 80 vs Seven" | 1980 | |
| The Smurfs | "Gargamel's Dummy" | 1986 | |
| Friday the 13th: The Series | "The Inheritance" | 1987 | |
| Tales from the Crypt | "Strung Along" | 1992 | |
| The Simpsons | "Treehouse of Horror III" | 1992 | |
| Sailor Moon | S01E18: "Shingo’s Innocent Love! A Sorrowful French Doll" | 1992 | |
| Mega Man | "Crime of the Century" | 1996 | |
| Goosebumps | "Night of the Living Dummy II" | 1996 | |
| Goosebumps | "Night of the Living Dummy III: Part 1" | 1997 | |
| Goosebumps | "Night of the Living Dummy III: Part 2" | 1997 | |
| Goosebumps | "Bride of the Living Dummy" | 1998 | |
| The X-Files | "Chinga" | 1998 | |
| Sabrina: The Animated Series | "Generation Hex" | 2000 | |
| Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction | "Battered Doll/Poker Justice" | 2002 | |
| What's New, Scooby-Doo? | "Toy Scary Boo" | 2003 | |
| The Twilight Zone | "The Collection" | 2003 | |
| The Simpsons | "The Ziff Who Came to Dinner" | 2004 | |
| The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius | "Flippy" | 2006 | |
| Nightmares & Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King | "Battleground" | 2006 | |
| R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series | "Really You: Part 1" | 2010 | |
| R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series | "Really You: Part 2" | 2010 | |
| Doctor Who | "Night Terrors" | 2011 | |
| R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series | "The Return of Lilly D" | 2012 | |
| R. L. Stine's The Haunting Hour: The Series | "Near Mint Condition" | 2014 | |
| Ash vs Evil Dead | "El Jefe" | 2015 |
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Child's Play is a 1988 American supernatural slasher film directed by Tom Holland, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Don Mancini and John Lafia, and a story by Mancini. The film 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.
Puppet Master is a 1989 American horror film written by Charles Band and Kenneth J. Hall, and directed by David Schmoeller. The film stars Paul Le Mat, Irene Miracle, Matt Roe and Kathryn O'Reilly as psychics who are plotted against by a former colleague, using puppets animated by an Egyptian spell.
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A killer toy is a stock character in horror fiction. They include toys, such as dolls and ventriloquist dummies, that come to life and seek to kill or otherwise carry out violence. The killer toy subverts the associations of childhood with innocence and lack of agency while invoking the uncanny nature of a lifelike toy. Killer toy fiction often invokes ideas of companionship and the corruption of children, sometimes taking place in dysfunctional or single parent homes. They have historically been associated with occultism and spirit possession, though artificial intelligence became more common in later works.
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