Curse of Chucky (2013)

I wondered, as the latest incarnation of a serial killer in a doll's body played out, whether creator Don Mancini had any idea, some 25 years ago, that his cheesy little slasher flick would go on to become one of the biggest cult horror franchises ever. He must be darn proud of himself. Indeed, generations have now screamed with laughter at Chucky's increasingly wild antics, which have surely been deliberately comical since Child's Play 2. And now, for the first time, a Chucky installment has gone straight to DVD, which I am having trouble working out the reason for. The legendary Brad Dourif yet again reprises his role as Charles Lee 'Chucky' Ray, in voice and in person; original mastermind Mancini writes and directs; we are even treated to a brief re-appearance by the insatiably hot Jennifer Tilly (now into her 50s and still rocking mega cleavage and fishnets) as Tiffany. I can't understand, given Chucky's cult status, and all the creative criteria present here, why Curse didn't show in cinemas. 

Anyhoo, as always, Chucky arrives in the mail from a mystery sender, cooing "Wanna plaaaay?", in the palatial home of a young, wheelchair-bound woman Nica, and the unstable mother who 'cares' for her. When the mother is found dead the next day, Nica's pushy, Bible-bashing sister and her husband and daughter come along to convince her to sell up and go to a care home. The young daughter, naturally disinterested in such adult matters, wanders off and comes across Chucky, who she quickly becomes fond of. But if we've seen any of this movie's predecessors, we know the score: he's found another gullible-and-for-some-reason-not-scared-of-scary-things kid whose body he can possess, so he can live as a human once more. Except this time, the kid is a girl. Good luck with that one, fella!

Of course, mayhem ensues, and Nica spots little clues left in the scattered remains of her family - nothin' a trusty old Google search can't fix! Old news stories involving the previous movies' incidents soon give away the doll's identity, which in the grand scheme of things doesn't really help much. She is still stuck in a house with a doll that's killing people, but at least she knows that the doll is just possessed by a serial killer, rather than there being some maniacal plan by the Good Guy company.

But the point of the movie, as ever, is for our beloved Chucky to spew a load of expletives in his husky drawl and kill people in interesting and hilarious ways. After 'Bride of-' and 'Seed of-', the series seemed to be heading in an increasingly comedic direction, with a flashy, ironic and exaggerated style. But 'Curse of-' takes Chucky back to his roots, with dark spooky mansions, fleeing priests and mysterious shuffling behind curtains.

Performances are about as good as they need to be, with the aforementioned Dourif (Brad, that is, in light of his daughter Fiona starring as Nica) and Tilly roles standing out from the rest, as usual. They make a really great pair, in whatever combination of doll-human-actress form. Plot is noticeably simpler here than previously, with no real action between the credits except as a means to an end. The former movies had more attention to character, detail and creativity. I appreciated, for example, the slimy cop and gay best friend in 'Bride of-', and the interaction of the Doll-Ray family, and weird parallel dimension narrative of 'Seed of-'. Curse of Chucky contains no padding so effortful.

One thing I had a major bone to pick with was Chucky's makeover. He has looked largely the same throughout the series, but here there are drastic, unpleasant facial differences which make Chucky look less doll-like and more child-like. Perhaps this was the intention, but it hits the fans' eyes wrong, and is just too far removed from the doll we've come to know and love.

(Fans: see what I mean?!)

A Chucky fan has to see this movie. A non-fan probably does not. As a horror film, Curse of Chucky does not stand out, but as a part of a beloved series, it is obligatory viewing.