Written & Directed by: Don Mancini
Producer: David Kirschner
Release Date: October 3, 2017
Cast: Alex Vincent, Jennifer Tilly, Fiona Dourif, Brad Dourif
Horror sequels and reboots have long been common, as everyone from Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th movies to Leatherface from Texas Chainsaw Massacre has seen sequel after sequel and has now been rebooted for modern day audiences. But Chucky, the killer “Good Guy” doll from 1988’s Child’s Play, has gotten a reboot or a CGI makeover. Don Mancini’s creation remains just as he did in the original, and now, in 2017, returns for his sixth sequel in Cult of Chucky. The movie delivers what we’ve come to expect from the series- gruesome killings with a dark sense of humor. Brad Dourif returns as the voice of the killer doll, and he’s gleefully maniacal here.
The film picks up four years after 2013’s Curse of Chucky. Nica (Fiona Dourif, Brad’s daughter) has been locked in a mental institution for the murders of her family. Dr. Foley (Michael Therriault) has convinced her that it was her, and not a killer doll, responsible. Pleased with her progress, Nica is transferred to a medium security hospital where she encounters patients who all have their own quirks- one has multiple personalities, one burned a house down, one believes she’s a ghost, and one who has lost a child. Foley introduces an unusual item into their group therapy sessions to aid in their treatment- a “Good Guy” doll who naturally is named Chucky. As can be expected, bodies start to pile up and Nica has her fears confirmed as to who’s responsible. Meanwhile, Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent), who encountered Chucky as a boy, realizes the doll possessed by the spirit of killer Charles Lee Ray is up to his old tricks, and heads to the mental hospital to stop him once and for all.
The setting of a mental hospital proves to be a perfect choice. With its white, antiseptic walls, floors, and furniture, and placed in a snowy environment, the hospital is quietly creepy all on its own. Once the blood starts to flow, the white offers a stark contrast for the violence. A couple of the kills are quite clever and unique, while others are standard horror flick fare. Through it all, Chucky makes snide remarks and quips, most of which are quite funny. There’s a nice escalation to the proceedings that I won’t spoil here, and it works well to increase the tension. The movie acknowledges the franchise’s continuity, with a couple of nice cameos, including that of Tiffany Valentine (Jennifer Tilly). At times the plot does feel a little threadbare, but it still entertains for its 90 minute runtime. The cast of characters is solid, especially Brad Dourif’s voice work and daughter Fiona’s Nica is very convincing as a patient convinced she’s crazy but knows she’s not. Therriault’s Dr. Foley is both the voice of sanity and a little shady. The patients are all well portrayed, as are the two staff members- nurses Carlos (Zak Santiago) and Ashley (Ali Tataryn)- that play a part in the proceedings. While not overly scary (there are a couple of jump scares), it does benefit from its setting and the kills are suitably gory. Thankfully, the filmmakers chose practical effects over CGI, and the movie is all the better for it. It feels like a nice throwback to the 80s horror movies, and the musical score by Joseph LoDuca echoes that era well. Cult of Chucky comes in two versions on the Blu-ray, the 91 minute R rated version, and a 90 minute unrated version which contains a post credits scene. Both are worth your time, and the movie makes a fine addition to the series.
In addition to the two versions of the film, the Blu-ray has a number of special features. There are three deleted scenes, and while all three are worth a look, none of them would have added much to the film overall. “Inside the Insanity of Cult of Chucky” goes behind the scenes of the production, and offers some nice insights from the cast and crew. “Good Guy Gone Bad: The Incarnations of Chucky” gives us a look at how the puppeteers brought Chucky to life, and gives a little introspective on Chucky’s appearance over the years. There’s a featurette called The Dollhouse, made by head puppeteer Tony Gardner’s daughter, and takes a look at how the franchise has impacted the families behind the franchise, touching on Brad and Fiona Dourif’s relationship over the years as well as producer David Kirschner and his family, and of course Gardner and his daughter. It’s not long, but it does give a nice insight as to what families go through as both cast and crew devote their time away from home to bring audiences these movies. There’s also the feature commentary with writer and director Don Mancini along with head puppeteer Tony Gardner, which is interesting to listen to. Aside from the feature commentary, all of the special features are around ten minutes or less. They’re all worth a look, but you won’t be missing a whole lot should you choose to skip them.
In all, Cult of Chucky makes a fine addition to the franchise, which has been fairly steady over its 29 year history since the first film released in 1988. The film strikes a nice balance between humor and horror, with its characters managing not to go over the top as they did with the more comical entries of the series- Bride of Chucky (1998) and Seed of Chucky (2004). It chooses a great setting and an engaging cast of characters, and Chucky delivers as the delightfully maniacal killer doll. It’s a testament to Brad Dourif’s voice work that the whole premise of a killer doll is buried under ridiculousness. This new sequel shows why Chucky has endured alongside the likes of other horror icons like Jason, Michael Meyers, Leatherface, and Freddy Krueger. And it shows why the franchise has held onto its continuity and not gone the reboot route that other franchises have done. Cult of Chucky is an entertaining horror flick that’s sure to please fans and have them looking forward to the next sequel.
