Chucky 4K Collector Editions review by Bobby Blakey
Ever since Chucky slashed his way onto the big screen in 1988s Child’s Play he has become a horror icon. The film spawned six sequels throughout the years as well as a TV series continuing the story currently on its second season. Earlier this year Scream Factory debuted the original trilogy on 4K and now with new season of Chucky currently wreaking havoc on the small screen and the Halloween season upon us what better time to revisit the rest of the original franchise.
After the original trilogy of Andy’s story was finished the franchise took a new direction for Chucky and brought some new icons and a rebranding with the films Bride of Chucky (1998), Seed of Chucky (2004), Curse of Chucky (2013) and Cult of Chucky (2017). Much like the previous films Shout Factory is bringing all four films to 4K through their Scream Factory brand.
Bride of Chucky follows Tiffany Valentine, a former lover and accomplice of serial killer Charles Lee Ray, who bribes a police officer into giving her the dismembered parts of a children's doll-which Ray's soul inhabited-from an evidence locker before murdering him. Believing that Ray's soul still inhabits
still inhabits the doll, Tiffany stitches and staples Chucky back together and reenacts the voodoo ritual which had instilled Ray's soul inside the doll ten years prior.
After the original trilogy the series took a new turn with this film and introduced us to Tiffany played and voiced by Jennifer Tilly who has since become as iconic as Chucky himself. The over the top tone takes things in a new direction that actually gives the characters some new direction and changes the course of this franchise to this day. I am so glad they went into this direction because for all its goofiness it is just all kinds of awesome and gives us even more fun kills to enjoy. The final scene in this film further slaps you in the face that the insanity is just getting started in the best way possible.
Seed of Chucky follows Glen, the orphan doll offspring of the irrepressible devilish-doll-come-to-life Chucky and his equally twisted bride Tiffany. When production starts on a movie detailing the urban legend of his parents' lethal exploits, Glen heads for Hollywood where he brings his bloodthirsty parents back from the dead. Although Glen - or is it Glenda? - is immediately accepted, the family dynamics are far from perfect. Chucky and Tiffany go Hollywood and get rolling on a new spree of murderous mayhem, much to gentle Glen's dismay. Chucky can't believe that his son doesn't want to walk in his murdering footsteps, while star-struck Tiffany can't believe that the movie will star her favorite actress, Jennifer Tilly, who soon becomes an unwitting hostess to this new family in more ways than one.
While this might be the weakest in the franchise I still love it for the simple cheese of it all. It goes all in with building the Chucky family and officially introducing us to the insanity of Glen. The play on the Ed Wood film infused with the slasher franchise is both ridiculous and genius. Billy Boyd dives right into the role creating a whole new addition to the family and one that is creepier than anything Chucky or Tiffany ever did outside of making this thing.
It plays up the family dynamic in a fun crazy way while also taking the routes to bring the real Jennifer Tilly into the mix that is still playing out in the current TV series today. This served as what we thought at the time was the end of the current franchise and what a way to go out. While most may think it doesn’t work, but the importance of it and its context really brings more fun to the series we wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.
Curse of Chucky follows Nica, a young woman forced to a wheelchair since birth, has to regroup her sister, Barb and her brother-in-law, Ian for a funeral after the death of her mother. While dealing with Barb, Ian, along with their 5-year-old daughter, Alice; Nica receives an odd package - a creepy doll. After people start showing up dead, the fearless Nica soon suspects that the creepy doll is much more than just a doll.
This new entry took the films back to more of its horror roots and appeared on the surface to be some sort of reboot to the franchise. As it plays out it clearly shifts directions and reminds us that there is no other timeline and it is all still pushing forward just with a new person. This is another big change that plays heavily into the new TV series and all its players.
One of the coolest elements is the addition of Fiona Douriff as Nica who is the real life daughter of Chucky voice icon Brad Douriff. It felt like a cool nod to his legacy while bringing here in to create her own. This film refreshed the franchise and got some of its missteps back on track and really knocked it out of the park. Fiona is so good here and the evolution of her character from here to the next film and into the TV series has become one of my favorites.
Cult of Chucky follows Nica Pierce, now confined to an asylum for the criminally insane for the past four years, who is erroneously convinced that she, not Chucky, murdered her entire family. But when her psychiatrist introduces a new therapeutic “tool” to facilitate his patients’ group sessions — an all-too-familiar “Good Guy” doll with an innocently smiling face — a string of grisly deaths begins to plague the asylum, and Nica starts to wonder if maybe she isn’t crazy after all. Andy Barclay, Chucky’s now-grown-up nemesis from the original Child’s Play, races to Nica’s aid. But to save her he’ll have to get past Tiffany, Chucky’s long-ago bride, who will do anything, no matter how deadly or depraved, to help her beloved devil doll.
This new chapter of terror features returning cast Fiona Dourif from Curse of Chucky, Alex Vincent reprising his role from the original film as Andy, Jennifer Tilly back as Tiffany and of course Brad Dourif back to provide his unnerving voice for Chucky himself. You know from the first time you see Andy this time around that this is going to be an interesting direction for the franchise and they do not disappoint. The reason these last two films work at all is thanks to both the brilliant use of practical effects and going all in on every aspect of this ridiculously awesome entry.