Cult of Chucky (2017)

“You thought I was the only one?”

 I think it's well-established by now that this is possibly the most consistently excellent long-running horror movie franchise, given the high average quality of the seven films. And this film, by the same team as the superb and splendidly back-to-basics Curse of Chucky, is very good indeed, if perhaps slightly eclipsed by its predecessor. What a shame that both films were straight to DVD.

The film, unlike most modern Hollywood horror, looks superb, with the grainy picture quality avoiding the inappropriate glossiness that we so often see these days. The setting, too- a mental institution- is milked for maximum levels of disturbing horror. Mixed to the inherent and very deep darkness of the Catch-22 nature of having to prove your sanity in a world of straitjackets, sedation, electric shock treatment and absolute lack of freedom is the fact that the perverted Dr Foley hypnotises and rapes his horribly vulnerable victims. Even Chucky is not sure which of the two is the more evil, and that's saying something.

The conceit of the film is, of course, that the incanted spell can bring to life any Good Guy doll as Chucky, and on top of this he can now possess people, leading to a gloriously developing and fun slasher which ends up with three Chuckies, a possessed Nica, Andy in considerable trouble and a deliciously warped, silly, sequel-hunting final scene. This franchise is on fire, and is worth seeing for the skylight scene alone.

I have to single out Fiona Dourif for another outstanding performance, but the film as a whole is superb and deserves to be seen by far more people than, sadly, it will be.

Curse of Chucky (2013)

"It's a doll. What's the worst that can happen, eh?"

This film is genuinely bewildering. After two comedy instalments the franchise returns to its roots with an absolutely first class straight-up horror film. So why on earth did this triumph of a film go straight to video? A pen pusher somewhere has some explaining to do.

We are first introduced to the characters trapped inside this particularly large house, none of whom are likeable aside from the wheelchair-using Nica who, according to the grammar of these sorts of horror films is fated to be the only survivor. The snobbish, grasping  and unpleasant Barb, we know from the start, is due a particularly nasty death. She's a bad sort, plotting to put Nica in a home so she gets the house. Still, she's really struggling financially; she and her odious partner Ian may have to send their daughter Alice to state school. Grr! Oh, and Barb is having an affair with Alice's nanny Jill. As the only sexually active couple in the film they obviously have to die. Nice bit of misdirection, though; we're initially led to think it's Ian.

The scene with the rat poison in the food sets the tone nicely; this is how to do Chucky, with humour, yes, but real menace. On top of this, like any good slasher this is grounded in solid characterisation of the potential victims

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The ending is excellent, too, with a flashback connecting things nicely to the first film, and if that's not enough we even get a particularly nice cameo at the end. This is one of the best slashers ever. Really.

Child's Play 2 (1990)

“I hate kids!”

 

You don’t expect much from a sequel to a delightfully fun, but ultimately daft little horror film like Child’s Play. In fact, this is an extraordinary film, in fact one of the most under rated films out there. It works brilliantly as a silly and pleasingly violent outing for Chucky and his usual fun and games, but at the same time it has a very serious and very heartfelt message about how children are treated in 1990’s America.

If you’ll excuse the cliché, this is a film of two halves. The first half, at first glance, seems to closely parallel the previous film, with little Andy settling into a new foster family as Chucky does his thing. The second half is far more exciting, fast-paced and modern than anything in the first film as Andy and his new sister Kyle battle Chucky in an obstacle-filled toy factory in scenes that would make a first-class 1980’s video game.

Look again, though. Both halves of the film parallel each other in depicting cruelty to children. The film has a lot of harsh words to say about the state of fostering in 1990’s America, mainly from the mouth of Kyle. It is tempting to speculate that the writer speaks from bitter personal childhood experience here. The anger in the script is subtle but palpable. The foster father is at most lukewarm about fostering Andy, but the mother, played, bizarrely, by Jenny Agutter of all people is initially a kind, caring and seemingly perfect parent. But as soon as her husband “accidentally” dies, she suddenly rejects Andy in terms which seem even harsher in the light of her apparent previous affection for him. The teacher is also horrible, but gets her just desserts. Why do I get the feeling that the writer was enacting gleeful revenge?

Enough serious, though. Chucky rules. There are some great and delightfully evil deaths, the best of which is, of course, DEATH ON THE PHOTOCOPIER! Chucky’s never ending deaths are increasingly silly and the perfect conclusion to a sublimely and darkly hilarious bit of horror hokum which buries its seriousness deeply and effectively. Don’t be put off by the serious themes, though. This film is a right good laugh.

Child's Play (1988)

“I have to go tinkle.”

It took me ages to remember where I remembered Catherine Hicks from: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. That distraction aside, I rather enjoyed this movie, much as it tended to follow the formulaic course that ‘80s movies often did. The central concept is delicious, though. The 1980s, after all, are the perfect decade for what I assume must be the ultimate satire against the aggressive marketing of crass commercialised toys to kids. And yes, my love of Transformers in no way makes me a hypocrite on that point.

I had to raise an eyebrow, too, at the very ‘80s portrayal of Karen’s blatantly gay boss, with his pink bow tie, but no matter. The only real horror in this film is the 1980s interior décor, but I loved it nonetheless. I suppose the horrors that happen to Karen and her brat in this film all boil down to one single moral: don’t buy knock-off shite.

The design of Chucky is brilliant, of course, and probably the biggest single factor behind the film’s success. There are some great set pieces, too: I love the moment when Karen realises that there are no batteries in Chucky, and the deliciously dramatic irony in the death of the psychiatrist Dr Ardmore, played by the journalist bloke from the 1970s series of The Incredible Hulk. The camerawork from Chucky’s POV is good, too.

You have to wonder about the things that go unmentioned, of course. If I was Charles Earl Ray, reincarnated as a doll, then I’d be rather less sanguine about the sexless existence that would lie before me. No wonder he tries to knife the cop in the balls.

I had to laugh, of course, at the scene where an old dying man reveals Chucky’s weakness with his last words, a trope which is far too well-worn to take seriously and which illustrates the formulaic nature of the film. It’s a good laugh, though, and the ending is pleasingly inconclusive.