Curse of Chucky (2013) User Reviews (248)

New Life For Old Franchise

[gregsrants · 7/10 · 8 October 2013]

Chucky was always my favorite of the many serial killers that sprouted from the 70's and 80's slasher films. Sure, Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Pinhead, Leatherface and Freddy Krueger were all instrumental in my fascination and divulgence into the horror genre - but the possessed Good Guys doll by the name of Chucky was always my favorite of the tentpole franchises.

It is hard to fathom that it was 25 years ago when Chucky was first launched into our pop culture references with Child's Play. Directed to Tom Holland on a story by Don Mancini, the 1988 horror surprised most everyone with a $35 million box office gross against a paltry $9 million budget.

Sequels ensued with Child's Play 2 (1990), Child's Play 3 (1991), Bride of Chucky (1998) and Seed of Chucky (2004). Through each film, the horror seemed lessened by the increasing use of black humor scattered amongst the bloodshed.

This is not to suggest that the Child's Play franchise lost its way, but it did veer off the original path. This deviation was not lost of creator Don Mancini who takes charge behind the camera for Curse of Chucky now available on VOD.

In this sixth edition of the evil doll's murderous exploits, Chucky is shipped from a police evidence lockup to a home of a young woman, Nica, confined to a wheelchair since birth. Chucky's first victim alienates the young woman and when other family and friends arrive at the house to comfort Nica, it allows for a higher body count and a night of mayhem. Nica is able to put the pieces together to eventually figure the doll at the centre of the bloodshed, but her limited mobility will be both a benefit and a hindrance on her ultimate survival.

We've come a long way since 1988 and Mancini has more digital tricks up his sleeve to bring the doll to life. Some might balk at the idea of a CGI motioned doll, but take our word for it, the added computer detail only adds to Chucky's evil looks. There are a few scenes where our villain gets to show real emotion using his rubber face and it is the technology that a lot of horror enthusiasts despise that is at the root of the improvements.

Mancini did go back to the roots with the story that focuses more on the development of the horror rather than the slapstick funduggery that overly consumed Bride and Seed of Chucky. Replacing much of the pop culture referencing in-jokes are some tense moments of horror and some valued kills that value quality over quantity.

Curse of Chucky goes places unexpected for a fifth sequel and it betters any of the films that preceded it in the series. Chucky is meaner, nastier and more patient which allows for better horror. There are some good scares in Curse and Chucky's evil might never have been better punctuated on screen. A solid story – one with flashback ties that support Chucky's choice of family terrorizing and some after the credit scenes that tie in the rest of the series – compliments the action and sets the stage for what we hope is the continuation of the franchise.

www.killerreviews.com

A Shockingly Efficient Franchise Revival

[Simon_Says_Movies · 7/10 · 14 October 2013]

Often pushed to a second tier among other iconic horror franchises like Friday the 13th, Halloween and Nightmare on Elm Street, the murderous misadventures of Charles Lee "Chucky" Ray have been just as persistent and influential as those other game changing series. But Chucky, so too like Jason, Freddy and Michael, these characters have had their fare share of missteps in terms of quality, and in many cases saw their franchises descend into unintentional self parody.

The Child's Play saga has seen a similar trajectory, with the 1988 original still standing as a horror classic, it's immediate predecessor coming off as passable but more or less a carbon copy and the third as a junky, bland mess. After a seven year hiatus, the surprisingly satirical Bride of Chucky arrived along with a perfect Jennifer Tilly as Chucky's partner in slaughter. Things again took a turn for the worse in Seed of Chucky which aimed to amp up the camp of Bride but it came off as a grating and, ironically, childish.

Almost 25 years on we now get Curse of Chucky, a direct to home video instalment – a rather unceremonious release which certainly did not instil confidence in this horror fan. Well, you can consider my mouth shut as this is not only a strong, well crafted fright flick, it's easily among the franchise's best entries. Curse of Chucky takes the more gruesome elements that worked so well early on, some of the parodic flare of Bride and then even goes on to subvert horror norms and cliché. This is a film that knows firmly where it stands and the expectations of its audience and uses those preconceived notions to surprise in a number of ways.

The biggest and most pleasant realization I made from the onset is how well crafted Curse of Chucky is, from the art direction that brings life to your typical isolated home (at which our bloody events can transpire) the composition of shots which expertly use every angle in the book to bring complexity to the carnage and its generally polished look. It certainly doesn't bare any resemblance to most home video fare that looks as if it were shot in somebody's basement. But the accomplished aesthetics only serve as the launching point for some clever prods at the genre, some fun kills and a thorough grasp on its own franchise roots.

One of the things Curse of Chucky is finally able to figure out is how to present an adult protagonist that would believably be in peril when facing off with a pint sized doll. Our heroine comes in the form of Fiona Dourif, daughter of Chucky's voice, the iconic Brad Dourif (whose cackling laugh still brings a weird smile to my face after all these years). Daughter Dourif's Nica you see is confined to a wheelchair, putting her quite literally on even ground when the climax rolls around. There is a young girl about, who serves as the vessel through which Chucky's evil rumblings are heard, but this is more about Nica, and it all works rather well. In the end, it really comes as no surprise that this entry is penned and directed by Don Mancini who has written every entry in the Child's Play franchise. Even though he is so close to the series and its central character, he has clearly taken the time to step back and re-approach his baby in new ways. It's not something you see too often from someone who has been involved with something for so long.

Then we get the funny, subversive elements to the story which plays against our expectations, such as the role of a promiscuous nanny, who gets the knife and when and fake-out scares and potential deaths. Constructed in the way it is, Curse of Chucky should easily please fans of the franchise but also win over general fans of horror who are tired of seeing cookie cutter productions. There are certainly conventional elements at play, but it's all pulled off with a great deal of flare.

As for Dourif's Chucky, he's as vulgar, funny and creepy as ever, and even when delivering more simplistic lines reminds us why the character has persisted. There will certainly be some who will overlook the more clever elements of Curse of Chucky and hone in on what remains ordinary, but for me it was time well spent and easily introduces a new spark to the franchise and shows there is life yet in everyone's favourite killer doll.

Play with This!

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 14 October 2013]

The depressed Sarah (Chantal Quesnelle) lives with her disabled daughter Nica (Fiona Dourif), who is stuck in a wheelchair since she was born, in an isolated old house. Sarah receives a package with the creepy red- haired doll Chucky and she throws it in the garbage. But during the night she is found dead and Chucky is sat on a chair in the living room.

Nica's sister Barb (Danielle Bisutti) attends the funeral with her estranged husband Ian (Brennan Elliott); their little daughter Alice (Summer Howell); the nanny Jill (Maitland McConnell) and her friend Father Frank (A Martinez). Along the night, there are mysterious deaths and Nica discovers that the package was sent from the evidence depositary. She also researches the Internet and suspects that Chucky might be behind the murders.

"Curse of Chucky" is a great return of the franchise with a sinister history of Chucky. The cinematography and the camera work are top-notch and the plot is well developed. Wait until the end of the credits since the movie continues with a long scene; in the end, "play with this"! My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Maldição de Chucky" ("The Curse of Chucky")

What every Child's Play fan wants, friends till the end.

[amesmonde · 5 October 2013]

A family gather together for a funeral, only a killer doll has an old score to settle; and blood & mayhem ensue.

Opening in a creepy large house (with its own Diamonds are Forever type lift), a mysterious death occurs in the first few minutes after a revamped 'Good Guy' doll is delivered. From the outset there's an updated excellently designed Chucky doll and Joseph Loduca's melodic eerie music score which sets the tone.

There's plenty of atmosphere in this installment from series veteran Don Mancini, with Curse sharing much with the Psycho films in design and pace. Brad Dourif again voices Chucky. The great one liners are fewer, a bit more poignant and cutting. There's a few relationship surprises and story twists. Web-cam moment, stitches reveal and closing are particularly memorable, also there's a great scene after the credits.

Some of the cast are debatably too polished, nevertheless, the horror elements are there and include the original mix of Nanny, young child and a killer doll. The child actor Summer H. Howell is strong and wheelchair bound Fiona Douif (daughter of Brad) is notable as Nica.

Many scenes are effective with inbuilt tension and jump scares, notably the shower encounter and dinner gathering. With lingering camera movements and interesting angles, Mancini also leaves plenty to the imagination as some of the set ups take place off screen, that said there are lots of effects, blood and gore on display - decapitation, an electrocution, an empty eyeball socket and an axe attack to name a few.

There are lots of nice touches that are fitting to the modern Chucky doll, that mirror today's toys, making him all the more menacing when he comes to 'life'. Pupils dilate, his eyes are bloodshot, walking and running - Chucky is back better, creepier and badder than before. For die hard Child's Play fans Dourif appears briefly in his serial killer Charles Lee Ray guise, some old photos and newspaper clippings feature Andy and scene's link direct to the first outing.

What the production has saved on the lack of locations, to it's credit, the money has been put into the excellent special effects. Mancini returns it to its Child's Play roots while making references to the rest of the series including a great cameo from one of it's most colourful characters.

It delivers with its back to horror basics approach, updated effects, Mancini's Hitchcockian execution and links to its previous counterparts. With this in mind Curse of Chucky is less likely to date than some of its predecessors. Recommended.

"Based on the evidence........

[swyd7788 · 1/10 · 20 September 2020]

..........the defendant is declared legally incompetent and remanded indefinitely to a facility for the criminally insane"

And the hours of footage saved on a laptop showing a doll going round murdering everyone, that wasn't used as evidence?

If it's gonna create a plot hole that monumentally massive then write the camera part out of the script.

Good Luck Chuck

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 6/10 · 29 October 2013]

From the first couple of minutes it's easy to tell that Don Mancini is treating Curse more as a horror film than the previous couple of entries in the series. The movie is shot and edited to build suspense and is a world apart from the sitcom trappings of Seed.

A girl in a wheelchair (Brad Dourif's hot daughter Fiona) living in a rural home with her troubled mother receives a mysterious package one afternoon. It's Chucky, and he's somehow managed to get himself in the mail again. He's arrived to settle a score, and soon enough he has brainwashed a child into keeping his secret and is sneaking about in the shadows offing unsuspecting victims.

Many people are saying that this movie is a return to form, and that it retcons Bride and Seed out of existence. Er...no, the film very much DOES acknowledge the events of Bride and Seed. Even if you paid the bare minimum of attention it would be hard to not to realize this. But I guess that expecting the movie to go in a different direction only led to further surprises when it eventually did tie in to the previous movies as well as giving us more back-story to Charles Lee Ray.

I was worried that Chucky would be all CGI as Kevin Yagher has not been involved with the series since Bride, and while there IS some CGI, he's anamatronic for the most part. Instead of hogging the camera though he keeps quiet watches the humans interact for about half the movie before unleashing toy terror. Horror composer Joseph LoDuca delivers a pastiche of the Renzetti, Revell, and Donaggio's efforts without giving Curse a signature sound of its own. Not really a complaint, but more of a missed chance.

It's certainly a worthy sequel and a can be viewed as a genuine horror film without any of the guilty pleasure of Seed. Keep watching to the end of the credits for a further surprise that ties the series together even more (though it does contradict the closing scene before the credits actually roll).

Worst movie of the franchise

[m-haan11 · 1/10 · 3 October 2013]

This latest installment in the series is the worst of them all. Basically this is a movie that is just unnecessary. The story is pretty bad, boring and lame. Also the pace is very slow, making for a unpleasant viewing experience. Chucky behaves downright idiotic and gone are the moments of humor. The kills are not very original and CGI is obvious. We even see Chucky running and walking, all thanks to the help of some bad CGI. The plot is full of holes. Chucky has his sights set on a little girl, but at some point in the movie she just disappears. He has her hidden somewhere we are left to wonder, but hey there she is at the end all of a sudden, but in a totally different location. Chucky takes over her body, but a scene after the credits shows him, in his doll body, trying to kill Andy. So I guess he didn't take over her body.....I'm confused. I wish I didn't watch this movie, one and a half hours of my life I can't get back. Avoid this and watch one of the older movies.

Return to formula, in the best sense

[cornflakeboy20 · 6/10 · 27 September 2013]

Curse of Chucky is better than most horror movies that get a theatrical run. The staging is rather small, with a small unknown cast and a limited location, but they make the absolute best of everything they have. Brad Dourif, the original director, and another important cast member from parts 4 and 5 appear; and this movie actually seems like a return to the formula of the original movies, using some of the surprise and humor of the last two. A woman caring for a disabled daughter, and living in a lovely Gothic mansion, receives the Chucky doll anonymously. After being quickly dispatched, the rest of the family arrives to take over the estate from the daughter. Among them is a little girl, who adopts the Chucky doll. The parents of the girl seem to have ulterior motives and a strange relationship with their babysitter, which is later revealed as a pleasant and humorous twist. Chucky begins killing off the victims, using the creepy mansion as a great backdrop. The camera work is great. The suspense is good. There are some great kills. This movie does not look cheap. Its only VOD concession seems to be that it sticks to the same location over the same night, and changes settings only rarely. The last entry seems to largely avoid parts 4 and 5, although it does not erase them completely. Often, horror movies that deviate from formula come out disastrous, but Chucky reinvented itself as a series with Bride and Seed of. Fans of those movies may be disappointed this doesn't pick right up where they left off. Still, it's a nice surprise to go back to the pure cheesy formula horror of the first three movies. The ending, of course, leaves room for a sequel that could play off the theme of the movie, and revisit dangling threads from the earlier series. Well worth renting, streaming, buying.

What a piece of....Trash

[DustinRahksi · 5/10 · 2 October 2013]

When I first heard this was coming out, I got a little excited. I love Chucky, and the more Chucky, the more better. These films have always been bad, mostly on purpose. But this film is just plain bad. It tries to actually be a horror film straight up, but that also is the down fall of the whole film. Bride and seed were the height of the character, you wanted him to succeed. But here, I actually didn't like him, wow these writers ****ed up hard. Chucky is my favourite horror character, but I hate him here. He's is not funny, he is certainly not scary. It's a travesty.

The plot sets up a big house with a lot of people in it. You'd think it would have a cozy Friday the 13ish feeling, but no, the characters are all seem to hate each other, and there is little development or interaction. They are lifeless, and don't say they are like that because of the dead mother, she never comes up again after the opening, no one seems to care. The film for the most part is relatively boring, and when Chucky finally does come out to play, he is never likable. The kills are few and far between, they are never worth the wait. Considering I bought the unrated version, I thought it was going to be pretty violent, but no. I don't know, maybe it was for the better, considering horror films these days going over board with the violence. This felt tame like the first three films.

The plot twist, this was another huge gripe with the film. I know Charles Lee Ray was a psychopath, but him wanting to be a family man, what? What about Tiffany, considering how much she liked him, why would he be going after some random middle class family. These flashback scenes really disturb me for some reason, I don't approve of them at all.

The dual endings. The ending for Nica was idiotic. The police believe that a woman in a wheelchair could possible do the things she was charged with, is just stretching the BS to unbelievable lengths. What about Alice, she could vouch for Nika. The fact that they even have the same Chucky doll that has caused so much carnage over the years sitting in the courtroom, and nobody, not one person believes Nika, yeah okay. Then there is the after credits ending for Andy. More of a fan service considering it doesn't make any sense. Before the credits rolled Chucky was transferring his soul into Alice, without the pendant I may add. So did he transfer or not, why was he still a doll when Andy took care of him with a shotgun. Why is Tiffany still working with him, where is Glen during all of this, why doesn't Chucky bleed when he gets hurt. Why? WHY? WHYYY? It's a very bitter disappointment to the franchise. I still recommend viewing it for yourself, to form your own opinion.

Home of fear

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 1 January 2019]

Having been on a roll watching and reviewing gradually over time films belonging in horror film franchises, the Chucky/'Child's Play' films were the most recent to get this treatment. Part of my want to see them was my fascination to see if killer doll Chucky deserved his horror icon status. My conclusion seeing the films is that he does deserve it and a hugely entertaining and creepy character, that is quite a bit better than the films.

The 'Child's Play'/Chucky films vary in quality, some decent to good, others not so good. Don't consider any of them unwatchable though. 'Curse of Chucky' is one of the good ones despite its faults, not a film that blew me away and will never be a favourite but it both scared and entertained me, as the main objective for the franchise that is a very good thing. As far as the 'Child's Play'/Chucky films go, the best will always be the first one. 'Curse of Chucky', for me and quite a number of others, is though one of the best of the series. Would go as far to say that it beats 'Bride of Chucky' as the best since the first and it vastly improves on the disappointing 'Seed of Chucky' which along with 'Child's Play 3' is my least favourite.

Really appreciated that 'Curse of Chucky' returned to its roots and the closest of the sequels to capture the tone of the first film. Although there may not be an awful lot of surprises in the surprises, this return gave the sense that the franchise had been revived and been brought new overdue life. There is far more of a reliance on horror, and genuinely scary and suspenseful horror film, than the comedic approach adopted by most of the sequels, which varied greatly. The opening sequence is truly foreboding and the kills are imaginative, gloriously gory and freaky, without veering on being too tasteless.

Yet 'Curse of Chucky' doesn't take itself too seriously as a result, the wickedly funny one-liners and dialogue remain still. Chucky is as frightening and entertaining as ever, plus used much more and better than he was in 'Seed of Chucky' and Nica is a likeable protagonist that one roots for. Brad Dourif continues to voice Chucky with relish and his daughter Fiona is both cute and spirited. The film looks great, very stylish and haunting with terrific effects, even in the lesser films the production values were always among the good things. The music is suitably eerie and the direction is skilful.

Not that 'Curse of Chucky' is perfect, but the good things far outweigh the cons. The rest of the cast are on the bland side. There are pacing issues here and there, momentum does sag.

The ending felt anti-climactic and rushed.

Otherwise, pretty good and one of the best in the series. 7/10 Bethany Cox

why did i even hope that this was gonna be a decent sequel?

[koensysmans · 2/10 · 26 September 2013]

no words are good enough to describe how bad this 6th part of the series is, if you thought seed of chucky was bad, don't come near this one...

I hate these kind of modern horror movies where you can predict how the movie is going to go, all characters have a common IQ of 90, so every one of those dumb asses is gonna do what any rationally thinking human would not do...

Also i miss the dark humor in this chapter, even in the first chapter there were signs of it, but here it's just awful...

it could've been a much better movie if there was the same effort put in the script as in camera, lighting and special effects...

sad to say this chapter only gets a 2 out of 10....

He is Back and is Coming for YOU!

[bphussar-773-53986 · 10/10 · 24 August 2013]

Do NOT underestimate this movie. Just because it's going straight-to-DVD does not mean it will be "another terrible sequel". This movie contains twists, gore, and so much scare, you will most likely jump out of your seat more than once. AND not only will this movie have you begging for another, this movie will PROMISE you another. Chucky has been around since the 80's but now it's time for a revamp. And while some of the Chucky models especially in this movie might look a tad awkward, this doll will eventually evolve into one of the most horrifying icons that has startled people for decades. Chucky is back, better than ever, and one hell of a killer doll!

Better than Expected Installment into Series

[Reviews_of_the_Dead · 7/10 · 16 July 2021]

This was a movie that I'll be honest; I didn't have high hopes for when I took it home as a pre-street from Family Video. I grew up mostly on the third movie in the series as it was always on the movie challenges. I also liked the second one quite a bit. Outside of that, Bride of Chucky was interesting in its way, but Seed I've seen once and didn't care for it. This one worked for me though after that first viewing. The synopsis here is after her mother's mysterious death, Nica (Fiona Dourif) begins to suspect that the talking, red-haired doll her visiting niece has been playing with may be the key to recent bloodshed and chaos.

We start this movie off getting to meet Sarah (Chantel Quesnelle) who is the mother to Nica. Nica is wheelchair bound and it seems to be from birth. Nica was going to college but dropped out and her mother is protecting her. She isn't very nice about it though. A package is delivered and it is addressed to Sarah. She opens it to find a Good Guy doll. That night, a scream wakes up Nica and she goes to check to find her mother murdered.

To help out with the funeral, Nica's sister shows up with her family. The sister is Barb (Danielle Bisutti). She is married to Ian (Brennan Elliott), who is struggling work wise currently. There is also their live-in nanny of Jill (Maitland McConnell). Ian can't seem to keep his eyes off her. There is also their daughter of Alice (Summer H. Howell). Joining them is Father Frank (A Martinez). We learn that Sarah and Nica left the church some time ago, but Frank is there if she needs him.

It is around this time that Nica notices that the Good Guy doll is missing. Alice finds it and where she does is a cause of confusion for Nica. Alice learns his name is Chucky. We soon see that Chucky is alive. He poisons one of the bowls of chili for dinner and that is just the beginning of the mayhem.

That is where I'm going to leave my recap for this movie and what I find enjoyable about this movie is that it is getting back to form of the Child's Play series. What is interesting is that this plays like a reboot for a good part of it. We know this is a sequel from research that Nica does that confirms events of the past happened. This movie plays with the idea that only Nica and Alice know the doll is alive. It takes the former a bit to realize it and Alice being a kid, no one will believe her. This is taking it back more to the slasher roots as well.

Something I found interesting is how many of the characters are unlikeable. The movie also plays with troupes of this as well. Nica is handicapped but doesn't want to be treated that way. Barb is convinced that her sister cannot do anything to help herself and wants her to move into an assisted living facility. This is in part that her family is struggling monetarily so she wants to sell the house. She is mean to her husband, so it makes you think that he's interested in Jill. I'll say, this young woman is attractive. There was an interesting reveal there that makes a lot of sense as well.

I want to shift the focus next to Chucky. Now the last two films we saw him, he has the stitched-up face. This movie here has a more traditional look, which made me think reboot. I did like a reveal later in this movie to in fact confirm, every movie leading up to this happened. There is a shift in Chucky as well that he might not necessarily being trying to get out of the body and embracing what being inside of the doll means. Having seen the next movie in line, I know something there that I won't spoil, but we get a bit of that here. Chucky is quite brutal with some things that happen in the unrated cut here.

Since I've delved into the character, I'll go next to the acting. Brad Dourif is back as the voice of Chucky. He's a great actor in general and he owns this character for me. That isn't to say the remake isn't good, but it is hard to top an actor who has taken it on for as long as he has. I liked that his real-life daughter of Fiona taking on the role of Nica here. She does a good job and it is this movie that I find her the most attractive. Bisutti, Elliott and McConnell are all solid. They are flawed. Bisutti doesn't have any redeemable qualities, but the other two show a bit. McConnell is also quite attractive. I'd say the acting on the whole is solid.

Then the last thing that I wanted to go into here would be the effects. It looks to be like they did as much with Chucky as they could practically. There are a few times where there is something off about the face and I'm assuming it was because they were going to have it move in a certain way. That took me out of the movie, I'll be honest. Aside from that, I think most of the kills look good. There is a bit of CGI that didn't hold up, but not as much as I thought. There is some solid cinematography here as well.

So then in conclusion, this movie surprised me the first time I saw it and I think it is still solid. I like them going back more to their roots from where the series was going. The voice acting of Dourif as Chucky is on point. Fiona Dourif is solid as our lead and the rest of the cast is solid. I'm middle of the road when it comes to the effects while the soundtrack fit for what was needed. There are some decisions made in this movie that don't make sense. Some of it can be chalked up to a slasher movie, but I want a bit more from this series. For me, this is movie is over average, but just coming up short to go higher.

My Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

WTF with spoilers

[sucraf · 1/10 · 3 October 2013]

is this the same universe as all the other child's play movies? i thought chucky can get hurt? that is why he has scars. in the last movie if anyone remembers he got really "hurt". haha. also there were only 2 good scenes of death and one was caused by the after effect of chucky. also, when chucky "about a size of a 2 year old" attacks no one tried to defend or fight him except the female lead? Also when u get poisoned, make sure u leave eruptly and drive away? also poison only makes u sweat? only the priest remembers old chucky stories? really? a doll maybe involved in killings and a lot of people died. also there was a laptop with video of chucky alive? i guess the police who collected all the evidence missed the laptop? and what is with the little girl and chucky? he tried to possess her? and then nothing. also the girl wasn't that young, so when a doll talks, u don't have a problem with that? and the very end after the credits was really stupid. chucky was delivered to andy. then chucky started to cut himself out of the box. how did chuck know andy wasn't looking at the box? also andy could of opened the package right away? chucky could risk all that? stupid. why didn't chucky just attack andy at night when he was sleeping?

Stylish and sophisticated fun Gothic glamour horror.

[darkness_visible · 26 September 2013]

It kind of annoys me that such a modest, but brilliantly executed, film like this goes STDVD when pretentious piffle like Baz Luhrman's The Great Gatsby gets sharted over every screen in America.

I got the sense that everyone involved in this movie committed 100% to making an exciting piece of clever and entertaining genre filmmaking. The lighting, production design and music were fantastic and the cast equally superb. Fiona Dourif is an impressive new scream-queen/final-girl and Danielle Bisutti did a wonderful job as the somewhat-sympathetic bitch.

I very much doubt that Don Mancini will be winning a Director's Oscar any time soon, but IMHO he ranks higher than many of the past winners because I feel he believes in value-for-money entertainment - and some of those fancy directors could learn a lesson from him.

How are Chucky fans a fan of this trash?

[nagertap315 · 1/10 · 24 April 2021]

This movie sucks. The doll looks hilarious and awful. You would think that it wouldn't take a lot to surpass movie effects from 1988. The kills were bland, the acting was bad, and the writing was cringe-inducing.

Curse is a Blessing

[Minus_The_Beer · 7/10 · 13 October 2013]

Curse Of Chucky (2013), directed by Don Mancini. 95 minutes (unrated cut: 97 minutes)

Plot:

Proving that you just can't keep a Good Guy down, everyone's favorite homicidal maniac-trapped-inside-of-a-doll, Chucky (voiced by the indispensable Brad Dourif), has returned for more shenanigans in "Curse Of Chucky." This time he's landed in the lap of wheelchair-bound Nica (Fiona Dourif), herself hosting a houseful of grief-stricken family members. In an all-too-familiar fashion, members of her family start mysteriously dying in a variety of grisly ways, casting suspicion on the little red-headed chunk of plastic in the corner with a vacant stare and an inexplicable grin splashed across his face. As the clock winds down and the body count rises, Nica is in for a number of surprises, as are fans of the "Child's Play" franchise. Friends 'til the end indeed.

Writing and Directing:

In the wake of 2004's ultra-meta "Seed Of Chucky," writer/director Don Mancini keeps the plot clean and clutter-free with "Curse," letting the tension and bloodshed do most of the speaking. To that end, the film is more horror than comedy, calling back to the Tom Holland-helmed cult-classic that made us all so paranoid of Cabbage Patch Kids and their ilk 25 years ago (!). Mancini, who has written every single on of these films to date (and directed "Seed"), has his finger firmly on the pulse of what his fanbase wants and delivers in spades. You want a more stripped-down flick where Chucky returns to his patented brand of sneaky slaughter? You got it. Do you want references and call-backs to film's past that will put a smile on your face? You get that too. Just make sure you watch the WHOLE feature. Franchise politics aside, Mancini does an excellent job of squeezing as much atmosphere out of his set-pieces as possible with a limited budget. The film looks and feels like a theatrical release, when it was clearly intended as a direct-to-video affair from the get-go.

Cast:

Fiona Dourif is a revelation as Nica. A regular chip off the old block, Fiona resembles her dad not only on the surface, but also in her ability to effortlessly pull off a complex character with limited means. Hopefully we will be seeing more of her in the future. The man himself, Brad Dourif, gets a significant amount of screen-time not as Chucky (who barely utters a line until half-way through the movie) but as Charles Lee Ray, the notorious Lakeshore Strangler from way-back. We are treated to a great deal of flashbacks that wrap around nicely with the franchise's origins, and not only does Dourif still look the part, he gleefully embodies the role with all the necessary venom and vigor. The rest of the cast is serviceable if forgettable by comparison, barring a few 11th hour cameos that will have any fanboy (or girl) clamoring for more.

Music:

Joseph LoDuca's score works well for the most part, but can get a bit cumbersome in its final act. It's a far cry from the Graeme Revell and Pino Dinaggio works of yesteryear (or even the heavy metal assault of "Bride Of Chucky"), but it gets the job done.

The Bottom Line(s):

"Curse Of Chucky" is, in many ways, everything a fan could want from a sixth "Child's Play" flick. Mancini knows this franchise better than anyone else, so trust that you are in good hands. Relax, close your blinds and put your toys away. Chucky's back.

Lesson Learned:

Never accept large parcels with no return-address, lest you be supplied with a shotgun and plenty of ammunition.

.... meh

[white_blizzard13 · 4/10 · 29 September 2013]

I give it 4 for the background story and the come back of Andy kinda getting the last laugh (but who knows, I'm sure we'll see another horrible Chucky movie soon enough, that will surely cut away from everything we've seen here in this movie)

The Evil doll you could tell apart from the default doll between shots when they were going to use it for a creepy scene. Takes away the scare factor purely because you know it looked nothing like the "Good Guy" doll on default. The only thing scary about the Evil doll is that it looked like a doped up Edward Furlong.

Big fan of the first three known as Child's Play. Bride of Chucky and on- wards was all pure garbage. In my opinion anyway.

The best of both worlds

[JontheLobsterLover · 7/10 · 25 September 2013]

Being afraid of Child's Play as a child, I grew up loving and being a big fan of the franchise. This movie feels like it's played in two different parts.

The first half is for the people who love the original three films. You get the non scarred Chucky. Always hiding behind corners and running across doorways. The face isn't of the doll isn't exactly what remembered but it all makes sense later in the movie. The suspense is good. The kills are nice. It really makes you feel like you're watching the originals. When Alice is first under the sheets with Chucky and he speaks, I had to go back and watch it again I love it so much.

The second half of the movie feels like it's playing more for the Bride and Seed fans. It reveals that Chucky had a mask over his scarred face (which makes sense why the face looks different in the beginning the other other films). I have to agree with everyone else that when he walks down the stairs in that first scene as scarred it looked pretty bad. But with a straight to DVD release you have to look past stuff like that. It has a few one liners, nothing near like Bride or Seed.

I loved the flashbacks and connecting the original with this film. I love when they give you a little more information on something you already know. The flashbacks alone made me a happy Chucky fan.

The music also played a huge part in why I enjoyed this film. The opening music as it circles Chucky on the chair, amazing. If you listen closely you can even catch glimpses of the original Child's Play music in there.

Jennifer Tilly's cameo is more on the Bride and Seed vibe, but that makes sense because that's the two she was in. You definitely get homages to Bride in these last scenes.

The last scene with Alice kind of leaves things up for your own speculation which I like. I have my own thoughts of what actually happened.

The acting was great except for Danielle Bisutti. I understand you're supposed to hate the character, but I was hating the actress playing the character. I thought she was horrible. Fiona Dourif was great. Like father like daughter. Some of the shots were a bit over acted, and some of the dialogue have you rolling your eyes a little. But over all great acting on everybody's part.

Finally the very very last scene, post credits. I found that to be the ultimate nod to the fans. Besides the flashback this is the only other thing that really connects the first and last film. Yes Alex Vincent isn't amazing, but who cares. It's the fact that he's playing Andy. Plus you have his mom on the phone and he asks about Mike. Pictures of Kyle, and the original picture of him and his mom. The line he delivers to Chucky wasn't the best, but who cares.

A good Chucky film for true Chucky fans. Great job Don.

Terrible

[jaynetelfer · 1/10 · 19 October 2014]

While I enjoyed the original Chucky films, I found this one to be in poor taste. The whole thing is just terrible. Firstly, it does not tie in to any of the original films at all, it's like they are just trying to remake the films, secondly, the doll doesn't even look anything like Chucky as you can see from the films posters, and thirdly...CHUCKY NEVER LOOKED CUTE! This film has made Chucky look cute, in the original films, he never looked cute, he looked a bit odd, but not cute. I gave this a 1 star rating, and that was being generous, I found this particular version of Chucky, to be absolutely dreadful. Even the Bride of Chucky, which people count as the worst of the franchise, was better than this film, at least the bride of Chucky actually fit into the story, along with the seed of Chucky (fair enough that one was a bit weird. Even Child's Play were better films than this, even though they got a bit far fetched, I mean, there are only so many times your soul can die before its actually just poof, you are now permanently dead. This was just such a dreadful film, my partner and I never even watched the end of it, thats how bad it is, the least they could have done with this film is made it tie in somehow, or still had Chucky, looking like Chucky! I just absolutely hated this film, and I don't think they should even attempt to make another.

No more Mr. Slapstick Doll

[Coventry · 6/10 · 29 October 2013]

Depending how you liked the previous installments in the "Child's Play" (Chucky) franchise, you will either consider it one of the best … or one of the worst of the series. Personally, I found "Curse of Chucky" the second best out of six movies. That still doesn't mean it's a great horror movie, but most definitely a step up the ladder for Don Mancini & Company and an enjoyable flick. Back in 1988, the original "Child's Play" was a reasonably creepy flick and it deservedly gained a modest classic status. Parts two and three were prototypic sequels, meaning more of the same in order generate quick cash. Ten years after the original, some enlightened spirits decided it would be a great idea to turn the franchise into slapstick with "Bride of Chucky". It was a Hollywood choice, you either love or hate hit. The series hit absolute rock-bottom in 2004 with "Seed of Chucky", a completely unendurable stinker with a lousy film-within-film structure and tasteless humor. Strangely enough, it was Don Mancini himself who ridiculed his own creation, but now – and again nearly a decade later – he corrects his mistake with the more traditional and old-fashioned "Curse of Chucky".

For nearly the entire movie, the script pretends that the previous two movies never existed. Serial killer Charles Lee Ray's persona is trapped in the ginger Good Guys doll named Chucky and he arrives, in a parcel, at the doorstep of the wheelchair-bound Nica and her mother. The next morning, Nica finds her mother dead in a pool of blood and Chucky inexplicably pops up at various places around the house. While Nica's family gathers together, and her young niece Alice falls in love with the Chucky doll, we slowly discover Charles Lee Ray's connection to these people and his diabolical plan to return in human shape. "Curse of Chucky" is never really innovative or even surprising, but that doesn't matter because it's efficient. In spite of being a straight-to-video production, it's much more suspenseful and atmospheric than any of its predecessors. Chucky spits out a lot less comical monologues (but more often reverts to this classic Good Guys quotes like "I like to be hugged" and "I'll be your friend till the end") and the murders are more brutal and horrific than before. The script is quite incoherent near the end, but it was definitely courageous and satisfying (for the fans of the very first film) to clear up a few enigmas around Charles Lee Ray's persona. And plus, it was the ideal occasion to bring Brad Dourif back on the screen entirely rather than just his voice. Moreover, the film also stars his talented and ravishing daughter Fiona in one of her first lead roles. Chucky is a horror symbol again, so even if imperfect, I recommend this flick!

Worst Sequel Ever!

[proud-to-be-lame · 1/10 · 18 October 2013]

This is the worst of all "Chucky" movies ever.

Seriously I was looking forward to another Chucky movie when we found his hand in the present in the last movie. But this.. really.. THIS movie is such a pain in the *** to watch if you watched previous Chucky - Child's Play movies before. It's the same awful thing they did with Nightmare on Elm Street - turn a masterpiece of horror into a ROFL-DE-bop movie. OMG! You really deserve a kick into a magic circle for this one. Stop wasting our time! Stop doing sequels that nobody likes!

And because I have to fill this 10 lines of text I just wanted to suggest: Don't watch it if you're a fan or familiar with the previous Chucky movies.

Back to it's roots!

[b_d_D_2003 · 10/10 · 29 September 2013]

This is my first review on IMDb so I hope you like it. I thoroughly enjoyed Curse of Chucky. It shied away from the slapstick goofiness of the last two Chucky titles. It doesn't take itself too seriously either though. There are a few good laughs but nothing that takes away from the horror aspect of the film. I rated it a 10/10 because I think a 5.9 rating is a little low and I'd like to see this film get the recognition it deserves because I for one would love to see at least one more Chucky film like this one. It was refreshing and the best one since the first two. If I have anything to complain over it might have been to have Chucky speak a little more speaking parts in it. But I still really enjoyed how they did it. Long live Chucky! Long live 80's horror flicks.

Curse of Chucky

[HorrorFan1984 · 7/10 · 29 March 2022]

The Child's Play series takes a turn to horror over comedy in 'Curse of Chucky', the sixth entry to the long running franchise following a killer doll and his thirst for blood.

The film begins with wheelchair bound Nica living with her mom Sarah. One day, they get a package delivered to their house - a Good-Guy doll named Chucky. That night, Chucky comes to life killing Sarah. The death, ruled a suicide, prompts Nica's sister Barb and her family (plus a priest) to come home and support her. We soon learn that Barb is a terrible sister to Nica, wanting to send her away to an assisted living center and sell their mothers house in order to pay for her expensive lifestyle.

At dinner that night, Chucky poisons one plate of food (cleverly the viewer doesn't know which one it is that he tampered with). We eventually discover it was the priests food as he drives off the road and dies. Meanwhile, Chucky roams around the house terrorizing Nica and her family being disappearing and appearing randomly without anyone moving him. After a couple more murders, we get an Charles Lee Ray backstory. Tiffany wasn't his only love before his death at the toy store in 1988. It turns out he was obsessed with Sarah before that and plans to take revenge on her entire family. It'll be up to Nica to save everyone from the killer doll.

'Curse of Chucky' was way more enjoyable to me compared to its predecessor. After mixed reviews and a poor box office showing with "Seed of Chucky", the filmmakers decided to take the series back to it's roots and lay off of the campy comedy. Despite the change in direction, this one still managed to tie in both the original three and Bride/Seed very nicely. The Good-Guy doll itself looks just as it did in the first film, and even says its infamous catchphrases like "I'm your friend to the end" and "I like to be hugged". The relationship Chucky builds with Barb's 9-year old daughter Alice felt similar to him and Andy Barclay.

I thought the backstory of Chucky and Sarah was a smart touch, along with bringing in Andy Barclay and Tiffany (in Jennifer Tiley's body) with cameo appearances. The one thing the "Child's Play" series has always done is stick to the series timeline very well. A major downside for me was that we didn't get to hear Brad Dourif until the middle of the movie as Chucky keeps a low profile early on. The ending was OK for me, it obviously done with the mindset that there would be another sequel.

Acting wise, Brad Dourif voiced Chucky yet again with brilliance although very little to work with in terms of script. The real star of this one was Brad's daughter Fiona Dourif who played the final girl Nica. She brought a lot of fight and energy to the role, and had to do it all in a wheelchair. The rest of the cast held their own as well, along with cutesy cameos from Jennifer Tiley as Tiffany and Alex Vincent as Andy Barclay.

Overall, 'Curse of Chucky' was a refreshing sequel to a series running out of steam at that time. It tied into the original films which had success, and also brought horror back into the franchise. It's a shame it didn't go to theatres, easily tied with 'Child's Play 2' as the best sequel in the series.

7/10.

WHO in the right mind would produce this film....

[headbanger_leet · 1/10 · 2 November 2014]

Chucky is an iconic figure in the horror genre it's as if someone just wanted money and had never seen a chucky movie made this. I agree the film before this was not all that great either to be honest childs play is the best and my personal favorite is the Bride of Chucky because you really got to see chuckys side way more. That's one reason this movie I believe failed is because of the fact the doll looks terrible only time it looks good is when its talking the old first film had a better doll than this movie. Chucky didn't really get much screen time at least as a talking psychopathic doll. This film was below a 1 to me I felt for its time it should have been 100x better.