"Curse Of Chucky" - - Kick It's Face Off!!!

The Child's Play series has always been an odd duck of a horror franchise in the sense that it is a series of rated R movies made for an audience of children. Adults don't find the idea of a killer doll scary.

Well, some do, but it's usually because they saw a killer doll movie as a child.

So you have this weird cycle: the only people who find Chucky scary are kids or grown-ups who were scared by Chucky as kids. Yet this franchise has continued on for nearly 15 years even though the audience shouldn't even be watching these movies. It is the ultimate "Slumber Party" franchise and the one parents should know better than to let their kids watch.

I've been a late-comer to the Child's Play series (and horror movies in general, if you can believe that.). The first Child's Play movie I saw was "Bride Of Chucky," which I actually saw at the theater opening night. I forced my (at the time) girlfriend to take me because she was a manager of the theater and that way I could get in for free. Because I'm a cheapskate. I loved it. I thought it was gross and hilarious. Even without having seen the previous 3 movies I was able to follow the plot of "Bride" but, come on, it's not like a movie with a killer doll needs an elaborate backstory.

A few years later "Seed Of Chucky" came out and I was stoked. I remember reading an article in Fangoria or Empire or some other old media magazine about how good it was going to be with all these elaborate kills.

"When the guy's guts hit the ground, you can actually see the steam because the floor is cold!" I remember the article proclaiming. Wow! That sounds ridiculous I have to see it!

The only steaming pile that fell to the ground was the movie itself. For argument's sake, it really was my fault thinking a movie called "Seed Of Chucky" would be any good. The movie poster was sperm in an eyeball, for crying out loud. It might as well be saying "Watching this movie will feel like spermatozoa is headed towards your pupils."



Just deliver me my money back
and we'll call it even.

With taglines like "Fear The Second Coming" and "This November, Get A Load of Chucky" (gross) what did you expect the poster to look like? The movie wasn't funny, wasn't thrilling or disgusting, and, the worst sin of all; it was boring.

So I loved one movie, hated the other one, and after going back and watching the first "Child's Play" movie and finding it dated and underwhelming, I figured "Bride" was a fluke and set the franchise aside. When "Curse Of Chucky" was announced I had tentative hope but paid little attention to it's development. Was it a reboot? A sequel? I didn't really care.

And this movie rocked.



"Wait till they get a load of me .. .oh wait wrong movie."

"Curse of Chucky" is not scary in the traditional sense but it is a great suspense movie. We as audience members know exactly what Chucky is but his newly adopted family has no idea. The opening credits is a simple time lapse shot of Chucky sitting in a chair as the camera lazily swings around him. By the time it reaches full circle, the family is already dealing with his first kill.



"Who ordered the 6 foot party sub?"

Jason Vorhees kills sinners. Freddy Krueger kills the children of those that killed him. Chucky has an agenda but at the same time he just likes to kill. It's not about the target, it's about the thrill. At one point Chucky randomly poisons a bowl of soup and then we watch as the gathered group eats their dinner. Who got the poison? Chucky doesn't care but we do, and the scene is dragged on for laughs until it's gruesome end.

The characters are quite well crafted as well. Sure, you have the stereotypical absentee parents (shrew wife/distant husband) but even they become more fleshed out and go in unexpected directions. Two interesting standouts are Nica, the protagonist, who is wheelchair bound but not weak by any means; and Alice, the little girl and current owner of Chucky.

One of the first scenes we see Alice in she has to go to the bathroom. There is an uncomfortable scene where you can hear her peeing, which is odd because she's a kid and you don't really see that in movies. But when you think about it, when does a child feel the most vulnerable? They are in a room by themselves and they hear a rustling behind the shower curtain. Pure nightmare fuel for the under 12 set.



Someone is about to get a face lift.

To Alice, the fact that Chucky talks to her doesn't seem odd. After all, she still is just out of the age of imaginary friends and still believes in tea parties and protective blankets. While Chucky is worming his way into her heart he makes sure to stay out of sight of the adults. This is a serial killer who has learned that the brash attacks of the past just makes him a target. First he has to thin out the herd . . .

"Curse of Chucky" is full of stylistic shots and tense confrontations between the people as well as with the doll himself. The movie never drags on because something is always happening to turn people against each other in organic ways. The kills are gruesome but swift. The torture is more psychological than physical but Chucky will take any swipe he can when the moment is right.

The biggest problem with "Curse of Chucky" was it was too steeped in the franchise's mythology. When I saw "Bride Of Chucky" I didn't feel left out because I hadn't seen the first three movies. This movie had 4 different endings and each one was more confusing than the last. The last one actually starts with "Six Months Later." Six months later from what? The end of the movie or the last alternate ending? It seemed like they wanted to wrap up the series and get in as many as cameos as they could in case they couldn't make another one.

That would be unfortunate because "Curse of Chucky" was a return to form, not only for the series but for old school horror movies in general. Written and directed by the original creator of Chucky as well as voiced by the same actor, "Curse of Chucky" is a sequel while injecting the series with the energy of a reboot. It's not a perfect film, but it is perfect for those of a certain age who still fear the sound of little footsteps scuttering in the darkness.

BONUS ROUND!: When searching for the "Seed Of Chucky" poster I found this image. Has the Internet once again broken the lid off the greatest secret of all time?



Look at it! It's a triangle! A TRIANGLE! And an eyeball! I think we know the implications here: The Illuminati the reason that movie was so bad! Damn you!!!!