If there is a Mount Rushmore of slasher killers there is an argument to be made that Chucky deserves to be on it. I've never been a huge fan of the franchise and until this viewing I had not completed the entire film series. I'm not mentioning the recent Child's Play re-imagining that was out a few years ago where Chucky was nothing more than a robot gone wrong. Warning: That is crap on a stick! Last October I began watching the TV series Chucky on the SYFY channel and I really enjoyed that. Coincidentally Curse of Chucky begins the story line that is continued in Cult of Chucky released in 2017 and then is picked up in the new TV series. Got all that? Good, so let's talk about Curse of Chucky then. Curse was written and directed by Don Mancini who wrote all the Child's Play films (except for the remake) and directed Seed of Chucky and Cult of Chucky. He also directed the premier episode and wrote three episodes of the first season.
Curse is known for being different than the previous films as the movie introduces a new family for the demented doll to torture. Besides that it also provides us with some back story on Charles Lee Ray who is again played by Brad Dourif and he also provides his voice for Chucky. The doll is mysteriously delivered to a mother and her daughter Nica who is played by Fiona Dourif, Brad's daughter. Nica is in a wheelchair paralyzed from the waist down. Rounding out the cast is Danielle Bisutti (Insidious Chapter 2 and Get Smart) as Barb, Nica's sister. Brennan Elliott (Flight 93 and countless Hallmark Christmas movies) is Ian, Barb's husband. They bring along Father Frank, played by A. Martinez (Ambulance and She Devil) who feels Nica needs more Jesus in her life after her mother commits "suicide". Of course it's not really suicide but rather the work off that little scamp Chucky. The effects are average at best here with the exception being Chucky himself which is of course very well done.
What is exceptional is the story. With a small turn down a new road an entire new story line begins. One that is continuing today in the new Chucky series. Proving that a film series doesn't need to be remade to branch off into a different story. Mancini does it perfectly here. So much so that it made viewers and critics alike wonder why this film was made for the direct to video market. The film was received so well by fans that it led to Chucky having his own area at Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights in 2013. My only complaint with the film is that it is very dark and at times it was difficult to see what was going on without adjusting the contrast on my TV. Better than 3 but perhaps not good enough to get three and a half however due to the fact that this was the jumping off point for the series I will nudge it to three and a half bowls of chili out of five. A good installment in a series while perhaps not historic it certainly is a classic one.
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