You can't keep a Good Guy down. Writer/creator Don Mancini
is back in the director's chair for only the second time, after his debut on
2004's horror comedy crossover, Seed of Chucky. The first outing for everybody's
favourite demonic doll is still the best of the franchise, even if 1998's
third sequel, Bride of Chucky, runs it a close second. After the
disappointment of 2004's lacklustre entry in the series, Curse of
Chucky finds us back in traditional horror territory, with Don taking his
first stab at the slasher sub-genre.
Brad Dourif reprises his role as both the voice of Chucky
and Charles Lee Ray, in a film that promises to shed more light on the
characters we've grown to love over the years. Brad's real life daughter takes
centre stage, and fans of the Child's Play series can expect a few
surprises thrown in for good measure. Online rumours suggested that the sixth
instalment would take place after the events of part three, but this proved to
be nothing more than a smokescreen. Curse of Chucky takes place after the
events of Seed, furthering the adventures of our vertically challenged friend
to the end. "It's a doll. What's the worst that can happen?"
Nica (Fiona Dourif) is grieving over the apparent suicide of
her mother when her older sister, Barb (Danielle Bisutti), arrives with her
family in tow to settle their mother's affairs. As the sisters butt heads over
Nica's plans for the future, Barb's young daughter comforts herself with a
grinning, red-haired talking doll named Chucky. The doll arrived in the mail a
few days earlier, and as a string of brutal murders begins to terrorize the
house, Nica suspects he may hold the key to the bloodshed. What she doesn't
know is that Chucky has a personal score to settle. He's determined to finish a
job he started more than 20 years ago, and this time he's going to see it through
to the bloody end.
Mancini's budget for Curse of Chucky was a lot lower than
previous instalments, which seems to have worked in the film's favour, because with
Curse he has been forced to streamline the filmmaking process. Curse of Chucky
drops the cross-country adventures of Tiffany and Glenda in favour of a single
location. Fortunately, it's a really creepy one. Nica's family home is both
gothic and eerie, possessing more personality than the entire human contingent
of 2004's muddled misfire. There are only a handful of characters in Curse, but
they're given plenty of room to breathe, and Mancini weaves a dark and delirious
tale of deception around them.
Writing has always been Mancini's strong point, and for all
of Seed's failings, it did remain consistently funny. I still regard Bride of
Chucky as one of the freshest and funniest films I have ever seen. The problem
with the Child's Play series - a common
concern in the world of mainstream horror
- is that somewhere down the line it lost its own identity. Fresh from
the unexpected success of Bride of Chucky, the cast and crew forgot that they
were trying to scare people. As with the majority of 80s horror icons, Chucky had
become a victim of his own success. He was fast becoming a household name, a celebrity
figure if you will, and it soon became clear that only a return to traditional
horror would prevent him from becoming the next Freddy Krueger.
The opening act does take a little while to find its feet,
with Chucky sidelined for the first half of the movie. His presence is always
felt though; lurking in the shadows as he bides his time in the corner of the
frame. Mancini clearly wants to keep his killer contained, and to do so he places
a lot of emphasis on turbulent family dynamics. Chucky orchestrates the madness
from the shadows, setting up a string of - undercooked - set pieces that fail
to engage in the way that they should. We should applaud Mancini for trying to
build a sense of dread, but chances are you'll be wishing the real Chucky had
come to light a little sooner. That
said, Chucky's arrival is well worth the wait. Mixing token CGI with
traditional puppetry, this fresh and fiendish take on Chucky is certainly more
devilish by design.
Just as important to the Child's Play series, Chucky retains
his twisted sense of humour, but it takes a good fifty minutes for his
personality to shine through. Mancini lays the darkness on thick in Curse of
Chucky. Thunderstorms loom overhead, lightning strikes and rain lashes down.
Chucky's revival embraces the conformities of horror cliché, but it does so
with a knowing glance and a spring in its step. Mancini teases us for the first
hour, much like he did with the original entry in the series. Maybe we have the
budgetary restraints to thank for that, or perhaps we should give Mancini a
little credit this time out. Either way, Curse of Chucky takes its time to set up
the characters, convolution and carnage. It's a welcome return to form for all
things Chucky, and the final act delivers on its promise of death and destruction.
There are some neat twists along the way, welcome touches
that leave little doubt as to Curse of Chucky's position in the Child's Play
timeline. A double ending is likely to frustrate casual viewers, and the first
of two cameos might feel like an act of desperation to some. This unexpected
appearance actually makes perfect sense if you're up to date with your Chucky
lineage, and those that stick around will be rewarded by a welcome footnote
that caters for long-term fans of the franchise. Rumours suggest that the next
instalment will cure our completion anxiety, but only time will tell if it
comes to light. One thing's for sure, we haven't seen the last of Chucky.
"Hi, I'm Chucky. Wanna play?" The original Child's
Play is still the best of the bunch, but Curse of Chucky more than makes up for
the mistakes made on Seed. It would seem that Chucky has found a home in horror
again, but for those that remain unconvinced, we'll let Chucky have the last
line. "Go ahead and shoot! I'll be back! I always come back... but dying
is such a bitch!" AW
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