Rating: 3.5/5
Hooptober 3.0 | 6/31 | Franchise 6/7
It’s a doll. What’s the worst that could happen, huh?
A delivery truck arrives at a remote Victorian house. Sarah Pierce cuts pieces of paper and drinks a glass of white wine, standing in front of a mixed-media canvas still life. The bell rings, and Sarah calls her daughter, Nica, to answer. A laptop open to a trans-Europe train trip preoccupies Nica, but Sarah insists. So, Nica wheels to the door in her wheelchair.
At the door, the delivery driver hands Nica a box for Sarah with an all-too-familiar shape. They chat over shitty mothers and recognize one another from a psych class at City College (is this in the Community universe??). When the driver leaves, Nica asks her mom if he was hitting on her. Sarah insists he was just being nice — afraid of Nica getting hurt.
Sarah opens the box with no return address. Inside, a Good Guy doll in a bed of packing peanuts. Neither Sarah nor Nica understand, thinking it must be a joke they’re not in on. The doll introduces itself as Chucky. Sarah throws it in the trash.
That night, Sarah’s screams wake Nica up. Nica goes to the bedroom. On the nightstand are crumpled tissues and prescription bottles. The bed, however, is empty. Nica takes the old-school metal elevator downstairs. A pool of blood spreads out of the shadows along the tile floor in the foyer. Nica calls the police. The Chucky doll sits in a nearby rocking chair.
The police rule the death to be a suicide. Barb, Nica’s older sister, visits Nica, bringing her husband, Ian, their daughter Alice, a live-in nanny named Jill, and for some fucking reason, a priest named Father Frank. Alice discovers Chucky and forms a bond with him. Over time, Nica learns of her family’s connection to Charles Lee Ray and the history of Chucky.
This film is a bit of a return to form, eschewing the postmodern turn of Bride of Chucky and Seed of Chucky in favor of conventional scares. The film keeps its fanbase in mind. It offers plenty of nods to where the series has been.
Fiona Dourif, who plays Nica, looks so much like her father. You could convince me she was Brad Dourif with a yassified filter.
With the lowered direct-to-video budget, the gore isn’t as impactful as Seed of Chucky. That doesn’t stop the filmmakers from going all out — this has the most brutal kills thus far.
I like this movie! Despite being formulaic in certain parts, the movie skillfully generates suspense and provides several unexpected moments. This was the right place to take the franchise and solidified my love for it.