In RFMC’s “All Dolled Up” series, I’m taking my first journey through the seven original films, one reboot film and one TV series of the “Child’s Play/Chucky” franchise. Spoilers follow.
Overall impressions
The post-“Scream” era offered a bargain to moribund franchises: You can make another film, but it has to be good, and it has to be made with a smart audience in mind rather than for an ephemeral dumb audience. “Bride of Chucky” (1998) writer Don Mancini and director Ronny Yu (“Freddy vs. Jason”) understand the assignment.
The difference is a fine one, but essentially the 1988 film teaches us about the killer-doll genre (and repeats the formula two times) and “Bride” knows that we know the genre. By this time, “Buffy” had done its “Puppet Show” episode, with a possessed dummy, for instance. In a mere decade, killer dolls had become nostalgic.
“Bride of Chucky” (1998)
Director: Ronny Yu
Writer: Don Mancini
Stars: Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, Katherine Heigl
In the saga’s best film up to this point, Brad Dourif’s Chucky plays off of Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly in human form, then voice form) in amusing couple’s spats and twisted horror humor. Despite both being serial killers, they are kind of cute. Throw in some game supporting players like John Ritter, essentially reprising his role as “Buffy’s” Ted (ironically a robot), and a pre-“Roswell” Katherine Heigl, and you have a fast-paced romp. “Bride of Chucky” is the pride of “Chucky.”
Outsider status
LGBTQ people. David (Gordon Michael Woolvett), the friend of couple Jade (Heigl) and Jesse (Nick Stabile), is gay. He’s the Hughesian “gay best friend” trope but with a tinge of progress and clarity in that he’s openly gay rather than coded.
Underage lovebirds. Jade (Heigl) is under the thumb of her uncle (Ritter), who even abuses his power as sheriff to make sure she lives a vice-free life till she’s 18.
Comedy quotient
50 percent horror, 50 percent comedy. Though the “Child’s Play” trilogy was nominally horror-comedy, that’s only because a killer doll is intrinsically goofy. Now Chucky – and his girlfriend Tiffany, also a serial killer – wear a perpetual smirk. I wore a perpetual grin. “Chucky” finally draws chuckles.
Magic and the dolls
Mancini does a little retcon. The reason Chucky’s spell to transfer into a human vessel never worked was because he didn’t possess the amulet, which was buried with his body in New Jersey. Tiffany seems to resurrect Chucky (as a doll) in an early scene, but it’s possible he simple wakes up in doll form on his own after she has stitched him back together from the scraps of police evidence.
On the other hand, the spell sans amulet does something, since Chucky uses it to transfer Tiffany’s soul into the Tiffany doll. It’s unclear if that was his intent or if he was hoping to transfer his own soul into Tiffany’s human form and that failed due to his lack of the amulet.
Special effects
I think they’ve moved to some CGI now, but regardless of how they do it, Tiffany and stitched-up Chucky look great. The doll facial expressions have never been better – though, granted, they are usually scowling or smirking.
Best kill
The dolls dispatch the crooked sheriff with a face full of nails.
Best one-liner
A couple of thieves invade our main characters’ honeymoon suite and Diane notices the dolls. Chucky stays in Good Guy character.
Diane: “This one has a face only a mother could love.”
Chucky: “Hi, I’m Chucky, and I wouldn’t talk if I were you! Hidey-ho.”
References and meta commentary
Tiffany’s transference from human to doll, via electrocution in a bathtub, happens right after she’s watching “Bride of Frankenstein” on the TV. Chucky comments that the sheriff’s nail-peppered face looks familiar, perhaps a reference to Pinhead in the “Hellraiser” films, four of which were out at this point.
Chucky comments that the story of his and Tiffany’s existence is a long one: “In fact, if it was a movie, it would take three or four sequels just to do it justice.” Mancini predicted the future: Three films and a TV show followed this one.
Chucky openly says “I always come back!” even as he’s cornered, acknowledging this saga and all slasher franchises.
Continuity and predictions
In the saga’s first “one last scare” and first case of sequel-baiting, “Bride” ends with Tiffany giving birth to a child. The next film is called “Seed of Chucky,” so the events are pretty easy to predict. I look forward to more Chucky-Tiffany interplay, now as a couple with a child. Since the human characters now seem less important to continuity (with Alex not even mentioned in this entry), I’ll have to hope the sequels keep coming up with good new heroes, victims and villains.