Curse of Chucky (2013)

It’s been nine years since Child's Play writer, Don Mancini, last did to his franchise what his malevolent antagonist has been doing to countless victims for years. Since then, Chucky’s had some facial reconstruction to cover up the scars of the past, utilised new hair serum and, with the help of a smattering of CGI, has gotten a lot less robotic. Curse of Chucky could have easily been a sequel that metaphorically captioned the series through its title, but Mancini – who directed the film himself – seemed determined to make sure his red-headed brainchild isn’t treated like a red-headed stepchild anymore.

Metafictional mayhem ensues when wheelchair-bound Nica (Fiona Dourif) receives a Good Guy doll in the post which just happens to be Chucky (voiced by Brad Dourif – Fiona’s father). Not long after, a number of members from her dysfunctional family are massacred, leading to an investigation that quickly implicates the doll in the crimes.

Like a freckle-faced conduit being FedEx-ed to the front door, Curse of Chucky is a new package with recognisable content. Mancini mindfully reworks his original formula, hoping to recapture the acclaim experienced two decades ago while expanding on the mythology of Charles Lee Ray. Though they bear new character names, Fiona plays Karen Barclay; young Summer H. Howell plays Karen’s son, Andy; and the rest play expendables in re-imaginings of the caricaturish kill scenes from the previous films. 

His name is Chucky and he's your friend till the end

Mancini boycotts the postmodern tongue-in-cheek evolution of the series, opting instead for time-honoured gothic suspense in a H.H. Holmes-esque house of horrors that only serves to assist the doe-eyed serial killer’s proficiency for terror.  By the end of the film, you realise that this is either a swansong that is finally respectful to the iconic image of the Hammer Horror-style monster, or the first phase in the reincarnation of the bloodcurdling chiller’s prior greatness. Ade due damballa!

Rating: 3.75/5