Chucky follows Nica to a mental hospital, where he terrorizes the
patients and concocts a plan to finally get what he's always wanted. HORROR
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Cult of Chucky (2017)Written and Directed by Don Mancini
Starring Brad Dourif, Fiona Dourif, Alex Vincent, Jennifer Tilly, Michael Therriault, Adam Hurtig, Elisabeth Rosen, Zak Santiago, Grace Lynn Kung, Marina Stephenson Kerr Sequel to 2013's Curse of Chucky |
Cult of Chucky is an interesting movie. Coming off the success of Curse, anticipation for this installment was quite high. Once it was released, though, it quickly became one of the most "love it or hate it" entries in the franchise. Some loved the bold new direction Mancini decided to take with this one. Others hated the more bizarre turns this one takes. Personally, I love it. Cult still plays a lot like a traditional film of the franchise while also leaving it in an interesting new direction. Now let’s just hope the upcoming television series continues the good streak they’re currently on.
One thing that has always stood out to me about this installment is the cinematography. Filmed during winter at an asylum, there is a lot of white present. Now, that may sound boring to you. But, this really helps the gorier moments of the film pop. Decapitations, stabbings, and blood spraying all over the place really stand out when you’re setting is mostly white. Also, Fiona Dourif. She continues to prove she wasn’t just cast due to being Brad Dourif’s daughter. Nica is a generally interesting character who takes a few dark turns by film’s end. Speaking of which, that ending. While all the other previous installments had Chucky ultimately being defeated, not this one. For once, Chucky rides off into the sunset. A dark ending which works quite well. I really enjoyed Cult of Chucky. It continues to prove the home video format isn’t bad for this franchise and Don Mancini having a firm grasp on it now is exactly what it needed. I do get where some of the haters are coming from. The film goes into a strange direction by the time the credits roll. But, for me, it was interesting. Again, I’m looking forward to how the upcoming show continues this storyline.
It's been a long time since I watched the Child's Play movies. Years at least. With the release of the Child's Play remake looming this week, I felt it was finally time to sit down and watch the one Chucky flick I didn't see. 2017's Cult of Chucky is a bit of an oddball, but it may just be the best in the franchise. It caps off Chucky's insane story with an appropriate finale, I assume. While Don Mancini insists there will be more Chucky on the horizon, the arrival of the remake makes me doubt that statement. Regardlesss, this film is pure Chucky and continues the darker themes introduced in 2013's Curse of Chucky.
After surviving the events of Curse, Nica Pierce (Fiona Dourif) is committed to a mental hospital where, through intensive therapy, she is convinced that Chucky does not exist and she is the one who murdered her family. Meanwhile, Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent, returning to the franchise) has Chucky locked up securely, or so he thinks. Somehow, Chucky returns to terrorize Nica and enact his plan of vengeance against Nica and Andy. It's exciting to see Chucky finally get his revenge, in his own way. And of course, as always, Brad Dourif steals the show as the voice of Chucky, delivering sarcastic barbs and not-so-veiled threats. I enjoyed Cult of Chucky far more than I expected. For a direct to DVD release, these last two Chucky films have been surprisingly engaging and a good change of pace. If this really is the end of the Mancini era, it's a solid ending that leaves Chucky's future ambiguous. If it's not the end, then I look forward to more. |
With the revelation that Charles Lee Ray knew Nica’s family and was responsible for her paralysis, she took the fall for Chucky’s attack and was sent to a maximum-security mental health facility. The film opens with Andy on a blind date and he has a realization that he will forever be haunted by Chucky. We see Nica receiving shock treatment (apparently they still do that) in order to rid her of the notion that Chucky was responsible for the death of her family. With the help of her psychiatrist, Dr. Foley (who manages to impress Chucky with his creepy approach to therapy), Nica convinces herself that it was her who killed everyone the night Chucky paid a visit to the Pierce home.
I enjoyed this most recent entry in the series as it is characterized with a stark contrast of light and dark (the facility where the film takes place being bathed almost completely in white) that really lets the blood shine. Though it has a stylized presentation, this is a dark film that drags you further down and shows the effects of the last 29 years on Andy and where it’s left him: living alone in a cabin out in the middle of nowhere with a cache of guns and Chucky’s shotgun splattered head in a safe, there to mock him after another failed attempt at normalcy. I give Mancini lots of credit for being able to keep a story going this long and show some logical effects on his characters (both mental and physical in the case of Andy and Chucky, respectively) who have somehow come full circle to be each other’s only friend. Even though we are given a glimpse into Andy’s present this movie is mostly about Nica’s future and she’s in deep shit. Chucky isn’t done with her and the Good Guy doll manages to make his way to the facility where she’s at being hand delivered by none other than Tiffany herself. She gives Nica a bit of unfortunate news about her niece and insinuates that Nica is responsible for what happened, even though she’s been locked up in the loony bin. The facility is the perfect place for Chucky to roam as anyone he runs across will only think he’s a figment of their imagination. Unlucky for them because he is very real, and he gets rid of anyone in his way in brutal fashion. Mancini has added a little twist that sees Chucky learn a new spell to allow his soul to occupy multiple bodies. Brad Dourif has been anchoring this franchise from the beginning and what has been even better to see is how Fiona Dourif has come into this series and managed to take the torch from her father by the end, you’ll see what I mean. A franchise doesn’t last this long without going stale or becoming a parody of itself. Yes, they flirted with that in Seed of Chucky, but I have put in my two cents regarding its significance and quality versus the lackluster sequel at the Kent Military Academy. With his success on Channel Zero, I have no doubt that Don Mancini can handle the television format with his pint- sized killer. |