- "How's it hangin', Phil?"
- ―Chucky to Phil before dropping him.
Phil Simpson is a foster father, as he and his wife Joanne made the decision to spend their days as foster parents after the harrowing news that she is unable to give birth.
Child's Play 2 (1990)
Phil and Joanne are called to the Midtown Children's Crisis Centre by Grace Poole, where she hopes that they will foster a boy named Andy Barclay. She explains that he has a very troubled past, having been a witness to several murders and coped by claiming these murders were done by his Good Guy doll that was possessed by Charles Lee Ray. Joanne instantly feels compassion for Andy, unlike Phil who is wary of if they are even qualified to handle such a complex case. Grace insists that all Andy needs is a normal family environment to help give him a fresh start.
They decide to take Andy in, and bring him to their house. As Andy explores the living room, Phil explains that he is not to touch their old antiques, especially a porcelain statue which has been in Joanne's family for three generations. They send Andy upstairs to meet his foster sister Kyle and unpack his belongings. In his bedroom he sees a Good Guy doll named Tommy, which had been previously owned by another foster child. Phil hears Andy's scream and scolds him for running inside, but Joanne diffuses the situation when she realizes he was scared by the doll. She takes the doll downstairs, and puts Andy to bed.
The next morning, Andy and Kyle are interrogated by Phil when Joanne's porcelain statue is found smashed. As neither admits they destroyed it, Phil grounds them both until someone confesses their guilt. The two children leave the kitchen to do laundry, but Andy hides behind the basement door to eavesdrop on Joanne and Phil. He discloses that he is having second thoughts about taking in such a troubled boy, especially as he has not come to terms with the "doll thing". Although Phil believes Andy needs more attention than they can provide, Joanne reminds him that he has been through a lot and just needs more time.
During the night, Joanne sews Kyle a scarf as Phil enters the room. She remarks that she wants to get Andy someone to help him get more settled, to which Phil jokingly answers Valium. Unbeknownst to them, as they talk in their room, Andy has been bound and gagged by Chucky in his bedroom. However, before Chucky can transfer his soul, Kyle sneaks in through the bedroom window. Joanne and Phil are alerted by the noise, and are angered as they believe that Kyle tied Andy to the bed to stop him from ratting her out. As Andy insists that Chucky must be killed or else he will come get him, Phil throws the doll down into the basement.
The next day, Andy leaves for his first day of school but gets into trouble as Chucky wrote obscenities on his test paper. He insists that Chucky followed him to school and is still out to get him. Frustrated, Phil remarks that he wants this foolishness to end. He opens the basement door and makes Andy look at Chucky laying on the floor. In the evening, Phil and Joanne argue about fostering Andy, as he insists the boy needs professional help. Joanne snaps back that he never wanted to take Andy in the first place, and if they send Andy back to the Crisis Centre it will be more traumatizing for him. Phil does not back down, and insists that if Andy stays he will only tear their family apart. When she asserts that families don't give up on their children, Phil counters that he is not their child.
Death
Later in the night, Andy enters the basement with an electric knife to confront Chucky. As Phil and Joanne are in bed, Phil hears noise coming from Andy and Chucky's fight. He goes downstairs and opens the basement door to see Andy holding the electric knife. He slowly descends the staircase as he tells the boy to put down the knife, unaware of Chucky hiding underneath the stairs. He hooks Phil's leg, leaving him dangling upside-down briefly on the edge of the stairs. Phil screams at the sight of Chucky until he is dropped, with the resulting fall breaking his neck and killing him instantly. Upon finding her husband dead, Joanne sends Andy back to the Crisis Centre.
Trivia
- Phil is Chucky's 8th victim since Child's Play.
- Originally, Phil's name was George.
- The deleted scenes from the film that were later re-cut for the TV version gave Phil more screen time, making his role akin to that of a false protagonist next to his wife and notably portrayed him more sympathetically than the theatrical version.