This year marks Child's Play's 25th anniversary and the franchise's newest installment, Curse of Chucky.  Don Mancini, creator of Chucky's lore, was on board to write and direct this feature, which was the series' first direct-to-video film.  It's unfortunate that Curse of Chucky didn't get a theatrical release because it actually does quite well at getting back to the horror roots of the serial-killing doll.  It's a perfect film for newcomers to the franchise and long-time fans alike, since its clever writing plays like a reboot but actually works in the history of every film that came before it.  If you were a fan of the original but were turned off by the series' turn into comedic horror, you'll want to give Curse of Chucky a chance.  Hit the jump for my review, and be sure to read my review of Chucky: The Complete Collection on Blu-ray.

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Curse of Chucky

Feature (Rated and Unrated Versions) [This is a re-post from my review of Chucky: The Complete Collection on Blu-ray, which has the same bonus features.]

Centering on a disabled young woman, Nica (Fiona Dourif), who lives with her over-protective mother (Chantal Quesnelle) and longs to escape the house and explore the world.  Everything changes when a Chucky doll is delivered to their doorstep and Nica’s mother dies that very evening.

From there, the movie moves squarely into the horror realm as the family gathers in the house after the funeral, each of them dying off one by one.  This new Chucky doll, who arrives brand new and sports longer hair, is clearly behind the murders, but everyone is so far removed from the events of the previous films that they can only barely recollect the string of Good Guys murders.

Curse of Chucky acts as a new start to the Child’s Play series while staying true to the previous films.  Chucky’s clearly been overhauled, but his puppetry isn’t overused, heightening the tension and increasing the realism for scenes where he does come to life.  While the film features every horror trope in the book, it does a nice job at bringing the scares back.  A clever bit of writing ties the film nicely into the franchise and keeps both fans and newcomers guessing.  Make sure to stick around through to the end of not just the movie, but the credits as well, as there’s a rewarding post-credits scene.

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Extras

  • Deleted Scenes (6)
  • Gag Reel
  • Playing with Dolls: The Making of Curse of Chucky (~15 minutes) – Behind-the-scenes featurette with the cast and crew, featuring writer-director Don Mancini talking about the fans’ desire to see Chucky return to horror.
  • Living Doll: Bringing Chucky to Life (~10 minutes) – A featurette on bringing Chucky up to date with modern technology and basing him on the old doll, while masking his scars.
  • Voodoo Doll: The Chucky Legacy (~15 minutes) – A retrospective look at Chucky throughout the Child’s Play movies.
  • Storyboard Comparisons (4 Scenes) – Don Mancini takes viewers through the storyboard sequence.
  • Feature Commentary with Director Don Mancini, Puppet Master Tony Gardner and Fiona Dourif