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Child’s Play is one of my favorite horror movies, simply because of Chucky. He’s a smart-ass, he’s twisted, and let’s be honest… who doesn’t root for the little guy? *snicker* But seriously, the Child’s Play/Chucky franchise is a favorite among millions the world over. I’ve been meaning to discuss the latest film in the series for a while now. Curse of Chucky was released on September 24th, 2013, and sadly went straight to DVD and Blu-ray. However, I am shocked this hasn’t gotten more attention despite that.

This movie is a welcome return to the original approach of the series. In the late 1990s there was a shift where they relied more and more on the jokes than on being scary. It’s not the first time this has happened to a horror franchise. As the Nightmare on Elm Street series wore on, each got sillier and sillier and the focus was all on what crack Freddy was going to make next. They got it together just in time for Robert Englund’s swan song (in terms of the Elm Street movie series itself, Freddy vs. Jason is different) in New Nightmare.

With the recent trend of every horror classic being remade in an attempt to out-scare the originals, Chucky decided to be a little rebel and play it differently. Curse of Chucky is no remake, it’s a sequel, set after the events of Seed of Chucky.

A young woman, Nica, who has been confined to a wheelchair all her life, is living with her mother in a giant, creepy old house. One day a package is delivered, and upon opening it they find Chucky, of course. The mother thinks it is a joke, so she takes it outside and tosses it in the trash can. That night, the mother dies. It appears to be a tragic suicide… but we all know better. The young woman’s older sister, her husband, daughter, and babysitter all come to stay for the funeral. The sister is a greedy witch, and pushes for the poor girl to be placed in a home for disabled people and sell the house so they can cash in.

Amongst the tension they all decide to sit together and watch old family movies. The mother is pregnant with Nica at the time, beaming next to her husband while at a picnic. In the background we see a serious weirdo with long hair and sunglasses eyeing the mother. Oh, that’s just Brad Dourif in full creeper status. That’s right, there are direct ties between this family and Charles Lee Ray, which is why Chucky decided to set his sights on them. It adds a very interesting element to the story, and its characters. Boys… there’s even some lesbian action.

As you’d expect, one-by-one people start to drop like flies. Nica begins to wonder more about this doll, as the conversation around the dinner table reminds everyone of a story in the 1980s involving a Good Guy doll. She finds a picture online of Charles Lee Ray and gasps in shock, instantly recognizing him as the man in the home movie. Just then, the power shuts off.. and the real fun begins. This is the perfect kind of movie to watch when it’s dark and there’s a thunderstorm outside. It’s not super inventive or scary. But it’s way more fun than this series has been in years, and definitely a whole lot creepier.

Fun facts courtesy of IMDB:

– Nica is played by Fiona Dourif, the daughter of Brad Dourif. Who, as we all know, has been Charles Lee Ray, and the voice of Chucky, since the first film in 1988.

– Don Mancini, who wrote the script for Child’s Play, directed this film.

– The movie was shot in 30 days, with Brad recording all of his lines in one single day.

Please note, DO NOT turn the movie off during the credits. Let them roll. The scene that follows them is brilliant, and makes every Chucky fan squee with delight.

You can find this movie on its own, or in the AMAZING, complete blu-ray collection that I bought the day it came out. No horror collection is complete without it.

Stay scared,
Dark Princess

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