CHUCKY Comes Out to Play in 4K-UHD

The piece below was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the art being covered in this piece wouldn't exist.

Scream Factory complete the 4K Child’s Play collection with Bride, Seed, Curse, and Cult of Chucky

Last year, Shout! Factory gave one of the stalwarts of American horror a new lease of life, as the original Child’s Play trilogy came to 4K-UHD. Impressive visuals, and a host of extras celebrated these dark chapters in the rise of Chucky, a kids toy possessed by the soul of murderer Charles Lee-Ray (Brad Dourif). Since the originals, the series has ventured into wilder, camper fare, expanding the lore and cast of psychotic dolls through 4 films (not to mention a TV show), Bride, Seed, Curse, and Cult of Chucky. Rejoice as Scream Factory round out the series this month in UHD.

BRIDE OF CHUCKY

The original trilogy stay true to their name, centering proceedings around the kids that Chucky ends up stalking, but that dynamic shifts here with the more adult themes (so long Andy!). The fourth film in the franchise also shakes things up by adding another killer doll, one housing the unhinged soul of Charles Lee Ray’s old flame Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly). Together, it’s double the trouble as they form a killer pairing, and with such a combustible relationship, scope for plenty of doll on doll action, in more ways than one. A love/hate relationship as they concoct a plan to find to restore themselves to human bodies.

Any franchise that makes it this far either stagnates, or shakes things up, and Bride certainly delivers the latter. It shakes off the last remnants of that gritty, dark tone that debuted in the first film, becomes fully aware of it’s own absurdity, and just runs with it. The script from creator Don Mancini pokes plenty of fun at itself, and the horror genre in general. Plenty of grisly moments and gore (nail gun action ahoy), and scenes that tilt toward the more risque, often with a healthy streak of black comedy. Ronny Yu’s direction is playful and lively, adding to the fun of it all. Douriff continues to revel in the vocal role and it met in this by the stellar work of Tilly, who doesn’t just create an instant horror icon in Tiffany, but also gives the franchise a whole new dimension and lease of life.

The Package

The 4K-treatment here is very well done, revitalizing the film over previous transfers. The depth of detail, vibrancy of image (and colors) stands out. Presentation is strong and vivid in both low light and daytime sequences. A nice, cinematic grain is preserved too. A clean, consistent, quality presentation. This release includes the film on 4K-UHD, with associated audio commentaries, as well as on Blu-ray with other assorted extra features:

Audio Commentary with director Ronny Yu: Yu infuses the commentary with the humor and energy he brings to the film, while also conveying his approach to carrying on the franchise
Audio Commentary with actors Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif and screenwriter Don Mancini: A lively commentary, with a nice rapport between the trio, and plenty of personal insights
BRIDE OF CHUCKY Spotlight on Location: Cuts together on set footage with an assortment of short interviews
The Making of BRIDE OF CHUCKY: An EPK style addition that recycles some of the interviews seen in other featurettes here
Additional scenes from the television version: Just under 3 minutes of cut material
Theatrical Trailer and TV Spots

SEED OF CHUCKY

You take a murderous doll, give him a bride, the next logical step is to round out the family unit with a child. A horrific birth is how Bride left off, and Seed runs with that premise in perhaps the most maligned film in the series. Building from Chucky and Tiffany meeting their end in the previous film, we see an orphaned young “Shitface” working as a ventriloquist doll. Eventually, they set out to reconnect with their roots. A meta-setup, reveals a movie being made depicting the murderous actives of his parents sees a journey to Hollywood, and after hijacking some props and a voodoo ritual later, and the family are reunited. The duo once again look to restore their human form with their child, now named Glen/Glenda, in tow.

While Bride tilted into dark comedy with aplomb, Seed is less successful. Writer/director Mancini brings his typically offbeat sensibilities to bear, but a waning budget and a few bad creative choices lumber the film with an angle that fails to connect, and jokes that simply don’t land, no matter how often they’re repeated. The film has a weird meta layer as it transplants the franchise into the “real world”. Things like Tilly appearing as herself, which could be great, and she herself is, but the idea just feels forced and not fully thought out. Shots at Hollywood and the film industry, in jokes, and pop culture nods/quips, permeate proceedings. Seed seems preoccupied with trying to be clever, it not only fails at this, but also forgets to deliver horror, and be more importantly be fun.

The Package

While the film itself is a bit of a letdown, the transfer itself is still quite impressive. Colors are well represented, but natural. Detail is good, even in darker scenes, and image is overall clean, consistent, and preserves a nice grain. Extra features are quite plentiful:

NEW Off With the Head – Tony Gardner on SEED OF CHUCKY: The makeup effects supervisor delves into the process of rebuilding the Chucky and Tiffany dolls for the new film, as well as the puppeteering process
NEW Chucky Be Demented – John Waters on SEED OF CHUCKY: The filmmaker discusses his love of the franchise, and his experience featuring in the film
Audio Commentary with writer/director Don Mancini and special makeup effects artist Tony Gardner
Audio Commentary with writer/director Don Mancini and Jennifer Tilly
Slashed Scene with optional commentary by writer/director Don Mancini and Debbie Carrington
Heeeeer’s Chucky
Family Hell-day Slide Show
Conceiving the Seed of Chucky
Till on The Tonight Show
FuZion Up Close with The Seed of Chucky stars
Storyboard to Final Feature Comparison
Teaser Trailer, Theatrical Trailer and TV Spots

CURSE OF CHUCKY

After the last film, the theme of family has pervaded the franchise, and Curse shakes that up by taking a different approach. A back to basics approach seeing a young paraplegic named Nica (Fiona Dourif, daughter of Brad) dealing with the aftermath of her mother’s mysterious death after a mysterious package containing a doll shows up on their doorstep. A family reunion follows, and they fall one by one to this malevolent doll in their midst, prompting Nica to suspect these accidents are somehow connected to this red headed doll.

The ever decreasing budget for these films really starts to become apparent here, but Mancini makes great use of the (largely) single location. In terms of setting, story, and tone, Curse really harkens back to the first Child’s Play. Time is taken to build suspense and works the emotional element, introducing the characters and their baggage and relationships, getting you to root for them, before letting chaos commence. The wheelchair bound nature of the protagonist is well worked into the story and tension of the tale and some of the kills are incredibly inventive. Complementing the thriller vibe is Chucky himself. A shift from the more bombastic form seen in the past few outings to a more crafty approach, one complemented by the as ever sterling work of Brad Dourif.

The Package

Picture quality is again impressive, solidly consistent with deeply saturated blacks, a good palette range, and good fine detail. This all benefits the dark interiors of the house where the film primarily takes place. As with the other releases, Scream Factory do a terrific job with collating a ton of extra features, some legacy, some all new:

Audio Commentary with writer/director Don Mancini, special makeup effects artist Tony Gardner and actress Fiona Dourif:
NEW Andy’s Secret Return – Alex Vincent of CURSE OF CHUCKY: Offers context as to the planning and filming of the star from the original film
NEW It’s Got A Death Curse – Tony Gardner on CURSE OF CHUCKY: A return to an ongoing issue that plagued the films, the loss or destuction of the Chucky doll. The featurette also gives a little istorical background on the house used in filming
NEW Twist of Jill – Danielle Bisutti on CURSE OF CHUCKY: A perspective on the actor’s character, as well as her take on Mancini’s approach to direction, and collaboration with Fiona Dourif
Playing with Dolls: The Making of CURSE OF CHUCKY:
Living Doll: Bringing Chucky to Life:
Voodoo Doll: The Chucky Legacy:
Storyboard Comparisons:
Deleted Scenes:
Gag Reel:
Trailer and TV Spot:

CULT OF CHUCKY

Each Child’s Play installment finds ways to reinvent or expand the franchise and Cult of Chucky is no different. Its approach involves the evil Charles Lee Ray finding a way to fragment his soul. Why have one murderous Chucky doll when you can have three? The result is a film with bigger scope, not just in terms of threat, but in how scenes can play out with this multi-threat.

The film picks up with Nica (Fiona Dourif), who having been left mentally unstable after the events of the previous film, has been undergoing rehabilitation under the care of Dr. Foley (Michael Therriault). Of course Chucky returns, in the form of a therapy tool at first, before he works his way through the staff and patients before getting to Nica, who finally begins to realize she isn’t crazy after all. It’s another inventive aspect of the film that is used to good effect — the disbelief at Nica’s story about murderous dolls, her treatment, then finally reality sinking in for them all. That said, it’s the films final act when the real carnage is unleashed, which is what most fans will be waiting for. A bonkers stretch that shows some smart plot turns and impressive kills.

Brad Dourif and Jennifer Tilly give the usual amount of gusto in their voice roles, but it’s Fiona Dourif who is the standout. Her range throughout the film is impressive and largely key to making the far fetched premise work. The supporting cast too, notably the patients in the asylum such as Grace Lynn Kung, Adam Hurtig, and Elisabeth Rosen, commit themselves well (pun intended). Mancini & Co. embrace some of the more bizarre and twisted elements of the sequels here, the appeal of which will very greatly depending on the viewer. As you’d expect from a low budget slasher, some of the material is recycled, and there is a suspension of belief needed for some moments, but the end product is entertaining and surprisingly slick and inventive.

The Package

The most recent film in the series was actually shot in 2K, that being used for the 4K upscale/remaster seen here. The film lacks some of the grit and texture seen in the earlier entries, a more sterile looking film. This benefits the institutional setting, but when scrutinized the lack of production value is more noticeable. Still, the transfer itself is clean, showing sharp detail, a good depth of colors and blacks, and an improved level of contrast in darker scenes than the previous Blu-ray release. The package also includes a Blu-ray version of both the unrated, and R-rated versions, only 1 minute of runtime separates them. There is quite a substantial array of extra features included too:

Audio Commentary with writer/director Don Mancini and special effects makeup artist Tony Gardner (Unrated Version): Interesting and frank conversation about the making of the film, as well as how their careers have entwined. Plenty of snippets about the highs and lows of production.
NEW Doll in the Familly – Tony Gardner on CULT OF CHUCKY: More prop insights, largely from the logistical issues of needing multiple Chucky dolls, Mancini’s management, and budget limitations
NEW Do the Chucky Stomp – Alex Vincent on CULT OF CHUCKY: Somewhat of a reflection on the actors history with Chucky, as a character and in the real worls
NEW A look inside Alex Vincent’s Recording Studio
Inside the Insanity of Cult of Chucky: Insights from director-writer Don Mancini, head puppeteer Tony Gardner, production designer Craig Sandells, actors Fiona Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, Alex Vincent, and Michael Therriault. They touch on topics such as production, set design, the story and its characters, as well as how it fits into the franchise.
Good Guy Gone Bad: The incarnations of Chucky: This featurette offers a peek into Alterian’s workshop, the studio behind Chucky’s puppeteering, to see how the magic is created and focuses on how the look of Chucky has evolved over the years.
The Dollhouse: Brad and Fiona Dourif along with puppeteers Tony and Kyra Gardner talk about their collaborative approach to bringing these murderous dolls to life. Also some insights from Don Mancini and producer David Kirschner about the practical effects.
Deleted Scenes with optional commentary by Don Mancini
Trailers and TV Spot

Bride of Chucky, Seed of Chucky, Curse of Chucky, and Cult of Chucky are available via Scream Factory on 4k-UHD now.

InBrad Dourif, Bride of Chucky, Childs Play, Chucky, Cult Of Chucky, Curse of Chucky, Don Mancini, Jennifer Tilly, Scream Factory, Seed of Chucky, Strike

The piece below was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the art being covered in this piece wouldn't exist.

Scream Factory complete the 4K Child’s Play collection with Bride, Seed, Curse, and Cult of Chucky

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