Chucky is Back!!! (applause)

CURSE OF CHUCKY (2013)

So as promised, in the wake of my very first (and rather awesome if I do say so myself... and um... I do) retrospective, the Chucky films, here we are with a brand spanking new killer doll who just wants a body for his soul flick. Are you excited? I'm freaking excited.

Plot? Hey there is one. So a woman paralyzed from birth lives with her damaged Mother. One lovely fall evening, a Box shows up at their door - its a good guy doll, from an anonymous source (scooby-doo says Ruh Roh). Chucky has arrived, and her Mother is dead shortly after. Her sister and her fam show up to grieve, and convince the wheelchair bound home owner to sell the house. Drop in a young girl to be a new friend for Chucky, and a sexy Nanny, and well... we are Good 2 Go!

As I mentioned in my retro, how scary could a movie about a killer doll really be? As long as it's fun, and violent, hey, it's still a damned good time. Well, it seems longtime Chucky writer and now director, Don Mancini, read my thoughts... and said F you Boonsweet, I'm gunna do everything in my power to make Chucky Scary again... even in the sixth installment. And you know what... punk pulls it off.

Donny M pulls out every trick in the book to create a rather satisfying slow burn... you, the audience knows Chucky is alive and killing, and dammit it you are waiting for him to start swearing and slashing... and Don makes you work for it. I would say the influences for his film style, at least the first half is straight from Dario Argento's golden Gaillo years. And I loved it. Some genuine dread and creeps, in the sixth entry in a series from the 80s about a killer doll. Who knew.

I'll be your friend to the end!

Now, to the point is this a remake, a sequel, a re-quel. Hahaha my term - Trademarked bitches! Well I can't really define it without giving some of the cool away... so I'll type this. It does a great job of being a little of all three. On the one hand it is a self contained, entirely new take on the Chucky Mythos... on the other side... at about the half way point... shit goes off, and you have Chucky in all his glory pleasing the fans of his R -rated ways.

I had alotta... alottalotta fun with this flick. More than I had any business having perhaps. I really liked that they tried hard to make Chucky scary again. It was a great choice, and a nice shift from the (albeit fun as hell) Bride of Chucky and (not so much fun) Seed of Chucky. Then after they've had their fill of that its onnnnnnnn! Blood, guts, and a hot blonde.

So, let's address the elephant in the room... the doll effects. Well, it goes from good to bad in a hurry, and back, and back. There really is no consistency here, and with the number of affordable puppetteers out there... CGI rears its ugly head. One scene in particular - Chucky walking down stairs is just painful. However they do work in a few cool overhead shots that I thought were very creative, and if not a Vidiot (TM) like myself... maybe not so noticeable. Another scene that had me shaking my head... Chucky sliding from side to side in a car, while only the top half of his body is visible... kinda like a furry puppet you'd see on sesame street... and really... how'd his little doll foot reach the pedal? His face is different... but it works to really up the creepy... so I'll let that slide.

Creepy enough?

Howsboutnow?

But I digress.

I mean this is a cheap indie horror flick that is a fun as hell ride. To fans of the series especially, but really I think most fans of slasher cinema will enjoy. Director Don, obviously feeling this could be his last shot at the Chuckster, goes above and beyond to please fans of the series at the end... the last five minutes is just one shout out, after another... and well, some work better than others. I don't want to give them away... but... it gets confusing.

After the court scene, to me... the story is over... everything else is just to put a smile on faces like mine... just accept it or don't...

And for the love of all things covered in awesome... the after credit scene... I actually raised my hands... I was damned happy. Did it make sense... no. Am I watching a movie about a two and half foot doll that kills peeps? Yes. So screw sense... I want awesome!

One big head shake... Why does Chucky not bleed? Strange. But ok. Whatever.

Movie scale 3 out 5 stars
Horror movie scale 3.5 out of 5 stars

Fun to be had, and a great trip down memory lane... the Chucky Retro officially ends in style... and as someone that watched them all, and then finished off with Curse... that is the way to do it folks!

-Charles Bartholomew Boonsweet is off to further Horrorventures.