We've learned the tragic news this afternoon that writer John Lafia, who co-wrote Child's Play and returned to co-write and direct Child's Play 2, has passed away.
Lafia committed suicide on April 29th in Los Angeles. He was 63.
Lafia, who collaborated closely with director Tom Holland and writer Don Mancini on the beloved 1988 horror classic's screenplay, was credited with conceiving the famous killer doll's name of "Chucky" and coming up with the iconic line, "Hi, I’m Chucky, wanna play?" He also received a writing credit on Lars Klevberg's 2019 remake.
"We’re devastated to hear of the passing of our friend John Lafia. He was a crucial part of the Chucky family from the very beginning." Mancini said in a statement (via Variety) "He co-wrote the original ‘Child’s Play’ script along with director Tom Holland and myself, and John directed ‘Child’s Play 2,’ — the consensus favorite film among Chucky fans. John was an incredibly generous artist. He let me tag along with him to every meeting, and shadow him on set; he taught me more about filmmaking during the production of that movie than several semesters in film school. John was also one of the most naturally curious and constantly creative people I ever met, someone who was always taking pictures, and jotting down ideas."
After graduating with a BFA in Motion Picture and Television from UCLA, Lafia worked in the art department on Alex Cox’s Repo Man and Howard R. Cohen's Space Raiders before moving on to writing/directing with the 1988 action film The Blue Iguana.
Lafia also wrote and directed the killer dog film Man's Best Friend, and directed the made-for-television films The Rats (1995) and Monster! (1997).
His other career credits include episodes of "Freddy's Nightmares", "Joe Bob's Drive-In Theater", "The Dead Zone", "Babylon 5" and "Ghost Stories".
In the mid-1990’s, Lafia also directed the Digital Pictures/Sega live-action video game Corpse Killer and interactive featurette Bombmeister for Sony/Interfilm. These two early works paired computer technology with live-action imagery and digital graphics to immerse the audience in an interactive world.
In 2012, Lafia independently released his passion project and final film, a musical drama titled The Ballad of Frank and Cora. It was written, directed, shot and edited by Lafia, who also co-produced the soundtrack with musician Bill Jones. Lafia provided lead vocals for the film alongside Michele Rene. Irena Costa and Tobias Jelinek starred.
Lafia is survived by his two children Tess and Kane and his ex-wife Beverly.
We here at CryptTeaze extend our deepest sympathies to Lafia's family, friends and fans.
If you or someone you know might be at risk of suicide, please call 1-800-273-8255 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. It provides free and confidential support 24 hours a day, seven days a week for people in suicidal crisis or distress.
Comments