Cult of Chucky review: The possessed Good Guy doll, Chucky, is back to terrorise audiences with the seventh film in the horror franchise.
Cult of Chucky review, Kat Hughes at Frightfest 2017.
Cult of Chucky review
It was almost thirty years ago that cinema audiences were first introduced to Charles Lee Ray, better known as Chucky. Since then, the tale of the possessed Good Guy doll has unfolded over three decades and six films; now it’s time for lucky number seven – Cult of Chucky.
Tonally the films have shifted over the years. The first three films were your typical late eighties / early nineties video nasties. They were creepy as Hell and were the cause of many bouts of Pediophobia (that’s fear of dolls). The trio of terror followed youngster Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) as he tried to keep his body, and soul, away from the voodoo practising Chucky (voiced by Brad Dourif). Then, in the late nineties, around the time that the Scream films were so popular, came Bride of Chucky. This was much more tongue in cheek and played for the laughs. It also gave us a female crazy enough to be Chucky’s beloved – Tiffany (voiced by Jennifer Tilly). Next came Seed of Chucky which was frankly a massive misstep. Seeking to rectify this, things got serious again in 2013 when Curse of Chucky arrived. The film introduced us to Nica (played by Brad Dourif’s actual daughter, Fiona Dourif), a wheelchair-bound young woman whose family had ties with Charles and were soon wiped out by the plastic psycho. Cult of Chucky tries, and mostly succeeds, in striking a balance between the two types of Chucky film.
Cult of Chucky Review
This time around it’s all a little Fast Five as characters from all previously instalments collide. The biggest coup is having Alex Vincent back as Andy. He played Andy in the first two movies, but was too young to play the character in 3. He’s now back, and it’s great to see this character again. This return ties up loose ends that fans of the original three films have always had, and offers a glimpse into what life after Chucky was like for him. Also back is Jennifer Tilly, insane and psychotic as always. Finally, Nica is back as our final girl.
Haunted by the events of Curse, Nica is now living out her days in an asylum; her reputation as a mass murderer causes much unrest amongst her fellow inmates. In a bid to help Nica come to terms with her past, the resident shrink, Dr. Foley (Michael Therriault) orders in a Good Guy doll. Paying extra to get one called Chucky (what could go wrong there?) he starts to use the doll in group therapy sessions, but then members of the group start turning up dead. Then a second doll arrives, is Chucky real after all?
Cult of Chucky opens this year’s Frightfest, and I can’t think of a more perfect film to do so. It has everything that horror fans could possibly want – creepy moments, witty quips, and a host of inventive deaths. This time around Chucky’s playground of murder is the confines of an asylum, but that doesn’t stop him from tormenting people in gruesome ways, the highlight involves a mirror. Our titular character is also as foul-mouthed and charismatic as ever, it’s easy to see how a cult could form.
Cult of Chucky review
The plot is a little thin on the ground, but by the seventh film in a horror franchise, people aren’t watching for the story, they’re watching for the gore and gags, and Cult of Chucky has an abundance of both. After a killer of an opener where we check in with the not so little Andy Barclay, things get a tad predictable and formulaic. That all changes again as we near the end as the final third is when the film is at its strongest.
A strong seventh outing that tonally fits somewhere between Child’s Play and Bride of Chucky, Cult of Chucky is a lot of fun. The all-star gang are back together in a horror Fast Five with added Chucky. Fan of the franchise? Then you’ll definitely wanna play this one.
Cult of Chucky review by Kat Hughes, August 2017.
Cult of Chucky is currently playing as part of the Horror Channel Frighfest 2017 programme.
