Curse of Chucky is a 2013 American slasher film[2][3] and the sixth installment of the Child's Play franchise. The film was written and directed by Don Mancini, who created the franchise and wrote the first six films. It stars Fiona Dourif, Danielle Bisutti, Brennan Elliott, Maitland McConnell, Chantal Quesnelle, Summer Howell, A Martinez, and Brad Dourif. The film grossed $3.8 million in DVD sales.
| Curse of Chucky | |
|---|---|
 Home video release poster | |
| Directed by | Don Mancini |
| Written by | Don Mancini |
| Based on | Characters by Don Mancini |
| Produced by | David Kirschner |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Michael Marshall |
| Edited by | James Coblentz |
| Music by | Joseph LoDuca |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Universal Studios Home Entertainment |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5 million[1] |
Curse of Chucky sees a return to the franchise's source material, bringing back the straightforward horror elements found in the first Child's Play film. The film, which went into production in September 2012, is the first direct-to-video installment of the series. In the U.S., it premiered via VOD on September 24, 2013, followed by a DVD and Blu-ray Disc release on October 8, 2013. The film was also turned into a scare zone for 2013's annual Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood. Though Curse of Chucky was made with a direct-to-video release in mind, it was also seen theatrically in several countries, like Brazil. The film was followed by Cult of Chucky in 2017.
Plot
editA mysterious package arrives at the home of Sarah Pierce and her paraplegic daughter Nica. Inside, they find a Good Guys doll. Confused, Sarah throws the doll away. That night, Nica finds Sarah stabbed to death; the death is ruled a suicide.
Nica is visited by her older sister, Barb, her husband Ian, daughter Alice, live-in nanny Jill (with whom Barb is secretly having an affair), and priest Father Frank. Alice discovers Chucky and bonds with him. That night, Chucky secretly poisons Father Frank. Becoming ill, he leaves and is decapitated in a car accident. Police officer Stratton heads to the Pierce house, knowing Father Frank was visiting.
While the family watches old home movies, Nica notices someone peculiar in the footage. She researches Chucky and learns that he was sent from an evidence depository. She finds news reports online of previous murders linked to him, along with a picture of Charles Lee Ray, Chucky's human form. She recognizes Ray as the peculiar man from their home movie.
Chucky fatally electrocutes Jill. Barb leaves to look for Alice and awakens Ian, who reveals that he placed a hidden camera in Chucky and knows of her affair. In the attic, Barb finds Chucky and discovers he has been concealing stitches and wounds on his face beneath a layer of plastic. He comes to life and stabs her in the eye before chasing Nica.
Nica wakes up Ian, who tries to escape with her. However, when she grabs an axe to defend herself, a frightened Ian accuses her of being the killer. Nica suffers a heart attack and passes out, and then she awakens tied up by Ian. After Chucky kills Ian with the axe, Nica frees herself but is thrown off the balcony in the main hall. She asks why he killed her family and Chucky explains that when he was human, he was a friend of their family and in love with Sarah. In 1988, he murdered Nica's father and kidnapped Sarah, but was found by the police. Believing Sarah led them to him, Charles stabbed the pregnant Sarah in the stomach, resulting in Nica's paraplegia. He then fled, leading to his death.
In an ensuing struggle, Nica gets the upper hand and stabs Chucky. However, he reanimates as Stratton arrives. Nica is arrested, found guilty of the murders, and is institutionalized. Stratton leaves to deliver Chucky to an unknown buyer, only to be murdered by Tiffany Valentine, who mails Chucky to Alice. After smothering Alice's grandmother, Chucky begins to enact a voodoo chant to transfer his soul into Alice's body.
In a post-credits scene, Chucky is mailed to Andy Barclay, now an adult. However, Andy surprises him first and shoots him with a shotgun.
Cast
edit- Fiona Dourif as Nica Pierce
- Brad Dourif as Chucky / Charles Lee Ray
- Debbie Lee Carrington as Chucky (in-suit performer)[4]
- Danielle Bisutti as Barb Pierce
- Brennan Elliott as Ian
- Maitland McConnell as Jill
- Chantal Quesnelle as Sarah Pierce
- Summer Howell as Alice Pierce
- A Martinez as Father Frank
- Jennifer Tilly as Tiffany Valentine
- Adam Hurtig as Officer Stanton
- Jordan Gavaris as Ex-Delivery guy
- Alex Vincent as Andy Barclay
- Catherine Hicks as Karen Barclay (photograph, during post-credits scene)
- Chris Sarandon as Detective Mike Norris (archive footage)
- Christine Elise as Kyle (photograph, during post-credits scene)
Production
editIn an August 2008 interview, Don Mancini and David Kirschner spoke of a planned reboot of the Chucky franchise, to be written and directed by Mancini. They described their choice of a remake over a sequel as a response to the will of the fans, who "want to see a scary Chucky movie again... to go back to the straightforward horror rather than the horror comedy." They indicated that Brad Dourif would return as the voice of Chucky.[5]
In a subsequent interview, Mancini described the remake as a darker and scarier retelling of the original film, but one that, while having new twists and turns, would not stray too far from the original concept.[6] At a 2009 horror convention, Dourif confirmed his role in the remake.[7] At a reunion panel at the Mad Monster Party horror and sci-fi convention, the cast and crew from the original film confirmed that both a remake and a spin-off are in development. Writer Don Mancini and producer David Kirschner worked on a sequel then titled Revenge of Chucky.[8]
A sequel entered the production in 2012, entitled Curse of Chucky, and was intended for a direct-to-video release.
Filming
editThe film began production in early September 2012 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada,[9] and ended in mid-October.[citation needed]
Release
editCurse of Chucky had its world premiere on August 2, 2013, at the Fantasia Festival,[10] in Montreal, and its European premiere at the London FrightFest Film Festival on August 22, accompanied by screenings of the original trilogy of Child's Play films.[11] The DVD/Blu-ray was released on October 8, 2013, and domestically grossed $3,821,602 in the first month.[12]
Reception
editOn Rotten Tomatoes, 78% of 18 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The site's critics consensus states: "The franchise hex of disappointing sequels is broken by going back to basics in this chilling entry, restoring a sense of playfulness to the Chucky saga."[13] According to Metacritic, the film received "mixed or average reviews" based on an average score of 58 out of 100 from 5 critics.[14]
An early review posted on Bloody Disgusting on August 2, 2013, was very favorable of the film. In it, Brad Miska stated, "Curse of Chucky may just be the best home video sequel since Wrong Turn 2. It's alarmingly good, which puts pressure on Universal to answer as to why they didn't let Mancini shoot this for theaters." He continued to say, "Chucky fans should rejoice... Curse of Chucky is clearly going to re-ignite the franchise for years to come."[15] Ryan Larson of Shock Till You Drop also wrote a mostly positive review, saying, "the movie does so much right that it's easy to overlook the very few flaws it has. The pacing and writing coincide to create a fun blood-soaked jaunt that never gets boring or dull." He goes on to praise the director, pointing out that "Mancini (pulling double duty as writer as well as director) does a great job at introducing and ushering off characters in a fashion that doesn't bog the film down with a bunch of characters who get three minutes of film time before getting the axe, or butcher knife in this case. The kills are kitschy, but in the best way possible, waxing nostalgic of the slasher films of the late eighties and early nineties."[2]
In Brazil, Chucky inspired two episodes of the "Hidden Camera" (Câmeras Escondidas) show broadcast by the local SBT channel.[16][17]
Accolades
editAt the film's world premiere at the Montreal Fantasia Festival, it received a Gold Award for Best International Feature.[18]
The film also received a nomination for Best DVD or Blu-ray Release at the 40th Saturn Awards.
Sequels
editThe film was followed by Cult of Chucky in 2017 and the TV series Chucky in 2021.
References
edit- ^ "FrightFest 2013 - Don Mancini & Fiona Dourif Discuss Curse Of Chucky". YouTube. 5 September 2013. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
- ^ a b Larson, Ryan (26 September 2013). "Review: Curse of Chucky". Shock Till You Drop. Archived from the original on 28 September 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Mooney, Darren (14 January 2022). "Chucky Has Always Been Mass-Produced and One of a Kind". The Escapist. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
- ^ "Actress Debbie Lee Carrington, 'Total Recall,' 'Bride of Chucky' Dies at 58". 25 March 2018.
- ^ "Quint chats up Don Mancini, David Kirschner and Michelle Gold about the CHILD'S PLAY REMAKE and the new DVD!!!". Ain't It Cool News. August 19, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ "Child's PlayMancini&Kirschner". ShockTillYouDrop.com. CraveOnline Media. September 8, 2008. Archived from the original on September 1, 2012. Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- ^ "MGM Gets Rolling On A 'Child's Play' Remake". 25 March 2011. Retrieved 25 March 2011.
- ^ "The Cynical Optimist: Child's Play spin-off Revenge of Chucky in the works!". March 28, 2012. Archived from the original on March 31, 2012. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
- ^ "Curse of Chucky Starts Production in Winnipeg". ComingSoon.net. September 5, 2012. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
- ^ "Curse of Chucky". Fantasia Festival. Archived from the original on July 15, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ "2013 Film4 FrightFest-Curse Of Chucky". London FrightFest Film Festival. Archived from the original on July 1, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2013.
- ^ "Curse of Chucky (2013)". The Numbers. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
- ^ "Curse of Chucky (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
- ^ "Curse of Chucky". Metacritic.
- ^ "[Fantasia '13 Review] 'Curse of Chucky' Recalls Old School Wrath of 'Child's Play'! - Bloody Disgusting". bloody-disgusting.com. 3 August 2013.
- ^ "A Maldição de Chucky - Curse of Chucky - Susto no ponto de ônibus". YouTube. 26 November 2013.
- ^ "O Culto de Chucky 2 - Cult Of Chucky Prank 2". YouTube. 10 July 2019.
- ^ fantasia-13-curse-of-chucky-wins-audience-award-big-bad-wolves-for-best-film
External links
edit