Let’s say that “Curse of Chucky” is “Batman Begins.” “Cult of Chucky,” then, this son of a bitch, is “The Dark Knight.” Chucky is back. Yeah, he’s still short. Yeah he’s still a doll. But the dude’s got one hell of a killer instinct and the work ethic of the miniature monster is nothing short of outstanding. It takes all the great that has come before and finds a way to repackage it in a fun, thrill ride of scares, horror, and some pretty unexpected laughs.
First off, Fiona Dourif, Alex Vincent, and Jennifer Tilly are all back, sharing the screen for the first times together as Nica, Andy, and Tiffany respectively. Can we all give some props to Jennifer Tilly. Name three things you know here from, go! “Child’s Play,” “Liar Liar,” and “World Series of Poker—TV Series.” And she is great in all of them!
Maybe it’s me reminiscing back on the days when I owned Halloween with such killer costumes as Pee Wee Herman, Steve Urkel, or Don Mattingly, but Halloween makes me so nostalgic. Having Andy back in the fold here in more than a cameo—and the real Andy, no less—gives “Cult of Chucky” that extra lightning bolt of glory.
If we’re being honest, the plot is a little thin here. Now, woah, woah, woah. It’s a horror movie for Christ’s sake; and the seventh of the franchise. The plot is allowed to be thin. Hell, even some of the greatest horror movies have the thinnest, nonsensical plots. And sure…I’m down to suspend disbelief all day every day so whatever. I lost my way. Anyway…
What really brings this bad boy home for me is having the Tiffany character back. “Bride of Chucky” initially took the franchise out of the attempted serious horror film regime and instead leaned into some of the specifics that allowed Chucky and the franchise to ascend to cult status. These characters are dumb. They’re fun. And at this point, they’re not super scary. They just kind of exist in this bizarre world where the biggest fear is a thirty-six inch possessed Good Guys doll. And based on 2020 and the current state of the world, we’d be so lucky to also live in that world!
