Cult of Chucky

Unlike all other slasher franchises from the 70s and 80s that have rebooted "for a new generation," this one keeps moving forward and manages to stay utterly creative. The Chucky movies are one big, continuing story since 1988. Don Mancini has had a hand in every one of them. He wrote parts 1-4 and then, for parts 5-7, he took over as director as well. His latest, Cult of Chucky, adds something completely new and unexpected to the saga but does not forget the past. Heck, there's even a reference to Kent Military Academy (the location for part 3). I really enjoyed this movie! Brad Dourif returns again as the voice of Chucky and has some fun dialog to spout. His daughter reprises the role of "Nica" and continues to impress. The memorable music is by Joseph Loduca who got his start with The Evil Dead in 1981. Cult of Chucky is fresh but faithful to the franchise.

The old adage that "big things come in small packages" has definitely proved to be true for the "Child's Play" films. Somehow, against all odds, this little guy has legs, becoming the most enduring and consistent horror movie franchise in recent memory, spanning and surviving three decades, without retcons or reboots. A big part of that success lies at the feet of writer turned writer- director, Don Mancini, who has been at the helm since the beginning, ensuring consistency throughout each installment. Also along for the ride since the beginning is the indispensable Brad Dourif as killer turned killer-doll, Chucky. Dourif's manic and often hilarious vocal performance combined with Mancini's "anything goes" sensibility makes each film a true pleasure to watch. All of that fan-pleasing, funny-bone teasing goodness is back for the seventh film, "Cult of Chucky."

Picking up where 2013's "Curse of Chucky" left off, "Cult of Chucky" finds Nica (Fiona Dourif) now committed to a mental institution. Nica has been pummeled by electro-shock therapy into believing she killed her whole family, so it's up to Chucky's original nemesis, Andy (played by a now fully-grown Alex Vincent), to come to her rescue and put childish things away, once and for all. Along the way, he has to contend with Chucky's on-again/off-again lover, Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), who has now inhabited the body of Jennifer Tilly. Confused? Well, watch the other movies.

Though it's the second film in the series to be sent direct-to- video, the quality has most certainly not dipped with "Cult of Chucky." Mancini returns to the director's chair for the third time, and his visual style is very much informed by his time spent working on NBC's short-lived "Hannibal." Along for the ride is special effects guy Tony Gardner, who turns in some of his most impressive work to date. The film is riddled with practical effects that are not only convincing, but inspiring. If a DTV sequel can have special effects that put similar theatrical releases to shame, maybe there's hope for the future of the genre after all. On the acting front, Fiona Dourif digs deeper into her character and really seems to relish going slowly mad. The elder Dourif, meanwhile, is as crazy and charming as ever as the voice of everyone's killer doll. Vincent's return to the franchise is definite cause for celebration. His performance is a little wooden, but when you consider he gave up acting some 25 years ago, it's easy to cut him some slack. His presence is enough, as far as this fan is concerned. Speaking of presence, Jennifer Tilly is still an absolute bombshell, and her character feels very lived-in and is now an essential component of the franchise.

The film has a few surprises you won't see coming, and you'll definitely want to stay until the very end, friend. Like "Curse" before it, "Cult of Chucky" plays the fan service game without insulting its audience. There's plenty of fresh ideas stirred among the nostalgia, and Mancini's mythology will probably require an extensive road map going forward. The humor is good, the horror is well-done and the film looks and sounds appropriately cold and crisp (shout out to composer Joe Loduca, of "Evil Dead" fame). It's all in good, gory fun. Fans who have made it this far will find this "Cult" worthy of worship.

Cult of Chucky (2017)

** (out of 4)

After the events from the previous film, Nica (Fiona Dourif) is now in a low-risk mental hospital where her doctor decides to really cure her by bringing in a Good Guy doll. This here sets off some strange events and elsewhere Andy (Alex Vincent) is trying to find a plan to defeat Chucky once and for all.

There's no question that the first CHILD'S PLAY was a very good and entertaining horror film. The sequels that followed were all of mixed quality but the last film, CURSE OF CHUCKY, was in my opinion the best of the bunch and it gave me real hope for this one. Sadly, CULT OF CHUCKY comes as a major disappointment as there's really not too much entertainment to be had. They might have added more Chucky dolls but they didn't add much else.

The film started off fairly good as we catch up with Alex and see how Chucky is still having an impact on his life. All is well when we're re-introduced to the Nica character and we see her trying to move on from her "crimes" of the previous film. Once we hit the mental hospital we get a ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST joke and it's pretty much downhill from here. It seems the screenplay was trying to tie too many things together and in the end none of it worked too well. You got the continuation of CURSE OF CHUCKY as well as the connection to the Alex character and the first three films. You've also got Jennifer Tilly showing back up so you've got the connection to BRIDE OF CHUCKY and SEED OF CHUCKY.

You've got all of these connections to previous films but it just makes for a mess of a film. The movie really doesn't know if it wants to be a straight horror film or if it wants to take Chucky back to his comedian days. There are a lot of really lame jokes here that aren't funny and there are also a lot of pop culture references and these here are really lame. The film does go for some extreme gore during its death scenes and if you're watching the unrated version then you'll see some pretty graphic stuff.

I thought Dourif, Vincent, Tilly and Adan Hurtig are all good in their roles. Brad Dourif returns to the role of Chucky's voice and he too is quite good. I'm not going to spoil the ending but it makes me interesting to see where future installments go but lets hope the screenplays are a tad bit more clear and not trying to do so much.

Then you will love this movie.

I can't say I liked any of the later movies, but this one brought something back that was missing.

I personally enjoyed this movie way more than I thought I would. I grew up on Chucky and iv'e gotta say that It was nice to see Andy and some of the others. (I don't want to spoil it).

If I had a complaint about this movie it would be the ending wasn't very satisfying. It hints towards another movie.

Perhaps I just was in an exceptionally optimistic and generous mood when I watched it, but I quite liked the previous installment "Curse of Chucky". Especially after the dreadfully awful "Seed of Chucky" in 2004, "Curse of Chucky" felt like a far more mature and good old- fashioned horrific revival of the franchise with the emphasis on suspense and plot rather than on stupid slapstick one-liners. Unfortunately it was a lucky shot, as this direct sequel is once again a largely ludicrous and inept hash. The slayings are still joyously blood-soaked and the mysteriously captivating Fiona Dourif (daughter of) returns as leading lady, but the screenplay is pure nonsense and Chucky is again a sneering jester instead of a menacing killer. The story continues quite logically, with Nica Pierce submitted to a heavily guarded mental institution after the bloody events of the previous film. Her psychiatrist, Dr. Foley, arranges for Nica to be transferred to a less strict clinic and participate in group therapy. Andy Barclay, Charles Lee Ray original target victim, is also still around and keeps the heavily mutilated leftovers of the possessed Chucky doll in a safe at his house. Meanwhile, a number of Good Guy dolls are being sent to the clinic and they ALL appear to be possessed with Chucky's cheerful persona. The explanation for why all the dolls are simultaneously possessed is cheap, imbecilic and downright preposterous. Don Mancini sort of made his life's work out of the "Child's Play / Chucky" series. He wrote all films since the 1988 original and took over directing them since 2004. He'll probably never make anything else, but maybe he should. I think we've seen enough Chucky movies by now, even though the gore & splatter always remains worthwhile. The seventh installment contains, for example, an ingenious decapitation and a delightful head-crushing.