I'm hijacking my own blog about my writing to add my review of this blistering new horror film about one of my favourite horror icons. Forgive me; it's such a good film!
When we last met Chucky (the now iconic two foot tall doll possessed
with the spirit of serial killer, Charles Lee Ray, voiced by acting legend,
Brad Dourif), he’d murdered Britney Spears by running her off a road,
masturbated to a copy of horror magazine, Fangoria, helped his equally
murderous partner, Tiffany (voiced by Jenifer Tilly) artificially inseminate,
err…..actress Jennifer Tilly (playing, one hopes, a very exaggerated version of
herself) and fought his son/daughter, Glen/Glenda (Billy Boyd) in a
Matrix-style bout that left him strewn about the shop in bloody pieces.
Yes, I think it’s fair to say Seed Of Chucky, the Good Guy’s last outing, may have ‘jumped the
shark’ a tad.
Not that its quirky sensibilities came completely out of
left field, of course. Its predecessor, Bride
Of Chucky, can be held solely responsible for taking the franchise’s
straight horror roots and leading them down a uniquely black comedic path, but
let’s not forget; there WAS no franchise left to speak of when Bride was released.
Child’s Play 3, having
not only failed to set the box office alight was caught up in the controversy
surrounding UK toddler Jamie Bulger’s horrific abduction and murder amidst
claims the movie had incited the killers to such acts upon viewing. The film
was immediately pulled from all video stockists and became the British media’s
scapegoat as they de-cried the ‘video nasties’ plague that had apparently
befallen our shores – and so it seemed that this would be the last time the
homicidal, foul mouthed Chucky would be gracing our screens, theatrical or
otherwise.
Fast forward a few years and thanks to a wonderfully re-inventive
script by Chucky scribe, Don Mancini, and a very talented Chinese director
named Ronny Yu, the powers that be decided audiences deserved another slice of
ginger mayhem, cleverly deducing that modern audiences should find much to
laugh at given the premise of a killer doll who mouthed off. Thus, Chucky was
re-born for modern audiences, twice as funny and (if we’re being truthful)
twice as brutal. (Not to mention Bride Of
Chucky made a shedload of cash at the box office).
So our stitched up Chuck
(love him or loathe him) is to thank for keeping the name ‘out there’ – and
this is coming from a lifelong fan! Many hard core Chuckaholics now claim to
detest these funny entries in the franchise (I love BOTH incarnations, they
both have their place) and took to the forums in their droves, hoping someone,
anyone, would listen to pleas of a much quieter back-to-basics-don’t-fuck-with-the-Chuck
treatment of Lee Ray and it seems someone was listening; that someone was, no
less, the creator of said character and screenwriter of ALL the ‘Chucky’
movies; Mr Don Mancini.
Make no mistake, Curse
Of Chucky marks not only a return to the franchise’s purer horror
sensibilities but also a reinvigoration of what made the concept so terrifying
to begin with. As much as this movie will impress fans with its imagination and
wit, so too will it with its restraint and subtlety.
The movie (forgoing the franchise’s tradition of a resurrection
scene) begins immediately with the doll being delivered to the (creepy) house
of paraplegic, Nica (Fiona Dourif) and her controlling mother, Sarah (Chantal
Quesnelle) with no note and no explanation as to why it was sent there. Cue one
very suspicious death later and Nica’s surviving relatives descend upon the
house swiftly, each with their own apparent (and ulterior) motives.
To its
credit, Curse Of Chucky, right off
the bat, makes it clear this will be a story interested in human interaction
first and foremost as we are acutely made aware of the many different ways Nica
responds to each one of her uninvited guests, admirable given the fact that the
majority of the characters, as with all ‘slashers,’ exist purely as fodder for
the killer. (Note; this is NOT standard ‘slasher’ fare; it’s far classier than
that). We meet Barb (Danielle Bisutti), Nica’s domineering older sister, Ian
(Brennan Elliot), Barb’s easy going husband, Alice (Summer H Howell), Barb’s
young daughter, Jill (Maitland McConnell), the sexy young nanny and Father
Frank (A Martinez), a close friend of the family. The dialogue immediately
convinces that long standing relationships exist between the characters as quips
and observations allow each actor to paint their character in, either with
subtle tones or wide brushstrokes.
Showing remarkable restraint with a character twenty five theatrical
years old, Mancini plays beautifully with the tension building trickery of
having Chucky disappear at random moments in the beginning portion of the film.
The characters become quite naturally unnerved at the doll’s innate ability to
seemingly vanish into thin air. (There’s a beautiful little moment in a
bathroom that starts almost clichéd and ends in a genuinely funny and charming
fashion). It’s a long wait before Chucky finally reveals his true nature (to
the expected character if you’re at all familiar with Chucky’s modus operandi) and it’s done in typical
foul mouthed Chucky fashion, however once the cat is out of the bag, so to
speak, the inevitable body count begins; yet, as with most ingredients
regarding Curse of Chucky, it’s a
deftly controlled rampage that our favourite ginger embarks upon. There are no
excesses here, no wildly inventive kills. This is how a real killer doll would
kill. Recall the hammer to the eye that caused poor Maggie to fall to her death
in the original Child’s Play and you
wouldn’t be far off. That’s not to say the film is bloodless, far from it. It finally
received an 18 certificate, a rating that had me rather perplexed until two
very specific EXTREME close-up shots. If you view the UNCUT version (I’m led to
believe two different versions will appear on the DVD and Blu-Ray), be
forewarned. The supporting cast dwindles till finally Nica, heartbreakingly
vulnerable yet courageously formidable, faces off against Chucky in a tour de
force of necessary franchise continuity flashbacks, fan boy orgasmic exposition
and brutal explosive violence.
Curse Of Chucky
is, in a nutshell, a slick and necessary addition to Chucky’s already
established canon. One critic called it ‘Hitchcock Does Chucky’ and I couldn’t
agree more. Mancini’s direction is polished, suspense savvy and very self-assured.
The cinematography is breath-taking, taking full advantage of the ‘haunted
house’ locale as well as impressing with bravado camera moves (the title
sequence alone, shot in one smooth steadicam shot, had me in awe). The sound
direction is first rate, taking a page from Dario Argento’s bowel loosening
score from the classic Suspira and
infusing it with an off kilter ‘Good Guys’ tinkle toy piano that genuinely
unsettles, not to mention the sound effects themselves. (Did they use a sample
of Brad Dourif’s laughter as popping flames as a fire bubbles under a pan in
one scene? It certainly sounded like it or, as in all good horror films, was my
brain concocting things that simply weren’t there?) The acting across the board
was noteworthy yet singular praise must be bestowed upon Fiona Dourif who
undoubtedly had not only the toughest role in the movie but the most cynically
critiqued. Her father, after all, voices the antagonist and helped the
franchise become what it is today. Nepotism surely then is the reason a Dourif
was cast in a leading role in Chucky’s return to the screen? After screening
the film, you’ll be left in no doubt that Don Mancini cast Fiona Dourif for her
acting skills and those alone. The girl is a revelation in a VERY tough break
out role. Her sensitivity is apparent from the very first scene and her
toughness, once it comes to the fore, is cheer worthy. This is a character you
WANT to survive, you NEED to survive, because as a foil to Chucky, Nica is
exemplary.
I found only two real flaws with Curse Of Chucky that grated with me but I think they are worth
mentioning. First off is the implement of what the Chuckaholics online call
‘the CGI Asian hooker look’ for Chucky. I found this completely unnecessary and
very jarring in my perception of the movie. I saw this ‘look’ in two separate
scenes in the film (in his first reveal as ‘alive’ and the first death scene)
and I cannot for the life of me understand why it was utilised at all. Why
couldn’t the animatronic doll handle these shots? I couldn’t connect these
shots of Chucky with anything of how he appears further on in the movie and I
found it very disconcerting. I feel they could have not appeared at all and the
movie would have been stronger. My second gripe I cannot describe in detail without
spoiling the film for hard core fans, but I will say only this; actors get old.
Putting a wig and glasses on them does not conceal the passing of time.
In short (yep, this review has kind of gotten away from me a
bit), Curse Of Chucky is a riot. I was privileged enough to see it at the UK premiere, blessed to
have met director, Don Mancini (classy) and lead actress, Fiona Dourif
(adorable), and I am PROUD as a Chucky fan that we now have a flagship movie to
stand by, to show Hollywood there’s still life in the little fucker.
