After her mother's death, a young girl and her family are hunted down
by the sadistic doll, Chucky, who holds some strange ties to her past. HORROR
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Curse of Chucky (2013)Written and Directed by Don Mancini
Starring Brad Dourif, Fiona Dourif, Danielle Bisutti, Maitland McConnell, Brennan Elliott, Summer Howell Sequel to 2004's Seed of Chucky |
After the bomb that was Seed of Chucky, Universal and Don Mancini decided it was time to go back to the drawing board. Also, the need to work with a smaller budget came due to the franchise being sent to the straight-to-video format, something that is usually a bad sign for any horror franchise. Looking at you, Hellraiser. Fortunately for Child’s Play fans, this was a blessing in disguise. Instead of the over the top antics of Seed, Curse goes back to its roots and strips almost everything away from previous sequels. A step in the right direction that has quickly made this installment a personal favorite of mine. Seriously, why can’t more straight-to-video sequels be this good?
Right off the bat, this film goes the route of the original by bringing the more mystery aspects back. Why is Chucky’s face not scarred up? Why is he targeting this family? Who’s going to eat the poisoned soup? All questions with satisfying solutions. Hell, at least half the film is spent without a single word uttered by Chucky. Other than what the doll is actually programmed to say. For being the sixth installment in a decades long franchise, color me impressed. And as for when Chucky starts talking (not a spoiler, Brad Dourif is listed in the opening credits) and why he is targeting this family, simply put, it works. Especially in regards to the latter, which does a fantastic job with tying into the original film. And as for Dourif, there is no one else who can play the role the way he does. He goes for a darker turn this time and reminds us why Chucky can be so freaking terrifying. I love this movie. I can still remember my trepidation upon renting it. Uncertainty which turned into total joy once the credits rolled. Curse of Chucky is a great, and welcome, return to form for the franchise. Chucky is terrifying once again and Don Mancini knocks it out of the park. As a longtime fan, I couldn’t be happier. Before I forget, stay for the post-credits scene. It’s a nice surprise for those who have stayed along for the ride. |
While some franchises seem to play fast and loose with their continuity (I’m looking at you Halloween), Don Mancini has kept the story pretty linear from the beginning which is an astonishing feat given that, at this point, it’s been 25 years since Child’s Play hit theaters. This time around the tone has shifted back to its horror roots once again reiterating just how terrifying Chucky can be. Brad Dourif also gets some screen time as Charles Lee Ray albeit in flashbacks from home movies that connect the dots to Chucky’s mysterious ties to the family he has come to destroy.
The story centers on Nica Pierce (Brad’s daughter, Fiona Dourif) a paraplegic young woman who has just lost her mother. She has an unknown connection to Chucky which will unearth disturbing truths about Nica’s past. Mancini returns to an established formula with Chucky making himself known to Nica’s niece as he slowly picks off his victims one by one. His real target is Nica though and he succeeds in tormenting her and driving her mad by the end of the film. Paranoia and mistrust run rampant as Barbara, Nica’s older sister, has come to convince her to sell their mother’s house to cover her debts and leave Nica in an assisted living facility but Chucky has come to make sure that none of them escape alive. As the mystery unfolds, we discover that Charles Lee Ray was a seriously fucked up guy who will never allow someone to leave him, even if it means killing them and he always makes good on his promises. At times I heard the theme music and it reminded me of Dario Argento’s Suspiria. Fiona Dourif even bears an uncanny resemblance to Jessica Harper at times. The film had a very gothic feel to it with a huge house in the middle of nowhere on a stormy night as Chucky terrorizes Nica and her family. After coming off the rails in Seed of Chucky, the return to straight up horror is just the kick in the ass this series needed. Mancini hit a home run this time around and there’s even a post-credits scene to look forward to that really brings the franchise full circle. |