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Chucky returns to terrorize his human victim, Nica. Meanwhile, the killer doll has some scores to settle with his old enemies, with the help of his former wife.
I really like the “Child’s Play” franchise. You might also know them as “the Chucky movies.” (On that note, between this series and “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” which many people referred to as the “Freddy” movies,” I hope that horror filmmakers take the note that if you’re shooting for a franchise, name the films after the main characters).
I grew up in a fairly sheltered home environment by modern standards so by the point in time that I was able to watch horror films, I had to get away with the ones that were palpable and popular enough to slip by my parents or babysitters. In 1994, this meant I saw the first few Chucky movies dozens of times. For some reason, they’re not very scary to me. This is particularly strange because I had one of the dolls that inspired the Chucky dolls. These dolls were called the “My Buddy” dolls and came in overalls and a striped shirt just like Chucky. The movies aren’t great. Even in the throes of adolescence when I had no other comparable films with which to make a comparison, I knew they were cheesy, over the top, and not capable of being assessed in terms of regular movies. They’re schlock. But as Roger Ebert always promoted, you have to approach movies with their genre and type in consideration.
“Cult of Chucky” is the newest release in the series. It’s been on my radar since early 2017. I was glad to sit down and spend some time with the films. If you’ve seen the others, there are enough nods and references to various moments throughout the series as to be enjoyable but not so many as to be annoying. The film also makes various references to media focal points including Mark Zuckerberg and the tv show, “Hannibal.” These references feel out of place and play more like a desperate attempt by the film to seem hip. They become annoying each time they pop up.
There’s a joke running rampant on the internet that “Cult of Chucky” is to the “Child’s Play” series what “Fast Five” was to “The Fast and the Furious” series because both films twist the series on its head. Now that I’ve seen “Cult of Chucky,” I can confirm that’s true. The movie takes many of the dynamics and plot elements to fuel the motivations of the characters in this film. The thrust lies in Andy (Alex Vincent), from the first few films in the series having becoming a homicidal maniac. That’s the type of throw down the doors, wake you up plot note that gets people paying attention to the 7th film in a series. After an unusual pre-credits sequence, the plot shifts to a mental hospital and the rest of the film occurs there. I made a comparison to “A Nightmare on Elm Street” earlier and I’ll make one again, “Cult of Chucky” is comparable in structure to “A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.” The story inside the mental hospital focuses on Nica (Fiona Dourif) who was framed for the murder of her family by Chucky. Nica has been so beaten down by treatment that even she believes she has killed her family. The first half of this film, however, is largely devoid of bloodshed and the plot that is fleshed out has no effect on the events of the second half of the movie. That’s okay in a horror film and it happens a lot, but it always leaves me wondering why the screenwriters just didn’t find a way to connect things better.
Ultimately, “Cult of Chucky” doesn’t reinvent the wheel. It’s a low-budget slasher set in a mental hospital. There’s plenty of the talking Chucky doll, but that’s nothing I bet you haven’t seen before. There are some memorable deaths, but nothing that will make you hit the rewind or pause button. Unless a brilliant concept is created, the first “Child’s Play” is far and away the best film in the series and will always be. It’ll be interesting to see if “Cult of Chucky” spawns future films or if this very different entry in the series marks the end of “Child’s Play.” If you’re a fan of “Child’s Play,” have seen other “Child’s Play” films, or like schlocky horror movies, I wholeheartedly recommend watching “Cult of Chucky.”
Available on Blu-ray & DVD Tuesday, October 3rd
