Back in the ’90s, Universal heard a 'Problem Child vs. Chucky' pitch
In the ’90s, the Problem Child writers pitched an unlikely crossover to Universal — and it’s not the match-up you’re expecting.
Here's one for the "this almost happened" files: apparently, back in the 1990s, we very nearly got a Problem Child and Child's Play crossover. Yes, that would've meant Junior, the world's least-wanted son, going toe-to-toe with Chucky, everyone's favourite serial killer in a Good Guy doll.
This bit of odd film history was confirmed by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski — the writers behind Problem Child — just this week. It came up after their appearance at Cinematic Void's double feature screening, ”Problem Child: The Whole Bloody Affair” in Los Angeles. The event lined up both Problem Child films, followed by a Q&A with the writers, director Brian Levant, and a few cast members.
Problem Child and Child's Play were both Universal franchises debuting sequels within a year of each other in the early '90s.
The Horror Crossover That Wasn't
The writers have now confirmed through social media that, yes, this unhinged crossover was actually pitched to Universal Pictures back in the day. And no, this isn't a case of the internet making something up for clout — Alexander and Karaszewski themselves responded after the story did the rounds online, most notably via a resurfacing on Dread Central.
So what was the idea? They saw it as an "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein"-style horror comedy. In other words, it wasn't about turning Junior's films into a straight-up slasher. Think more about the chaos that would come from putting a pint-sized agent of mayhem like Junior against (or possibly alongside) Chucky, the world's most dangerous children's toy. They actually took this pitch to Universal, but as Karaszewski put it on Facebook,
”no one bit.”
Missed Opportunity or Bullet Dodged?
For those keeping track, Universal was the parent to both franchises at the time. Problem Child kicked off in July 1990, and Child's Play 2 showed up that November. Both kept chugging along into 1991, with Problem Child 2 and Child's Play 3 following one another in quick succession. Sure, the tone couldn't have been more different — PC was a big, messy family comedy; Chucky was about a doll possessed by a murderer who enjoys kitchen knives a little too much — but both had kid-related carnage at their core.
It's not as far-fetched as it sounds. The Problem Child films leaned further into increasingly outlandish comedy — the writers admitted their goal was to make “John Waters films for children.” (Fun bit: Waters himself had cameos in two later Chucky films.) Meanwhile, Chucky himself evolved from horror to full-tilt horror comedy as the years went by. The idea of mashing up Junior's chaos with Chucky's homicidal tendencies — well, it would've fit right in with some of the wild swings both franchises took later on.
What Could Have Been
As for the actual plot, don't go expecting lost screenplays to leak. Alexander and Karaszewski haven't shared any story details. The most we know is that they wanted Junior and Chucky to play off each other, with the classic Abbott and Costello meets monsters dynamic as the template — mischievous kid meets homicidal doll, both trying to out-menace the other. Would Junior end up an unwilling sidekick? Or would he simply have driven Chucky to actual insanity? We'll never know, because Universal basically said "pass" and moved on.