Cult of Chucky picks up a few years after the events of Curse
of Chucky. Now, the wheelchair-bound Nica
(Fiona Dourif), who was blamed for Chucky’s last rampage, is being moved into a
sterile psych ward in the middle of nowhere.
Predictably, her shrink brings in a Chucky doll as part of some
half-assed therapy session and it doesn’t take long before Chucky is roaming
the halls and killing patients.
The seventh Child’s Play film isn’t so lucky for Chucky. Even though director Don Mancini did a fine
job on the past two entries, this one just feels uneven and slapdash. While he introduces some OK concepts into the
Chucky mythos, they don’t really make a whole lot of sense. Like when Chucky puts his spirit into multiple
Chucky dolls and they all start running around killing people and making
wisecracks. Sadly, more Chuckys doesn’t
equal more fun.
Another problem is that it all seems to be leading up to
something that never happens. Just when
the movie starts to kind of come together, it ends abruptly, leaving things
wide open for yet another sequel. I
guess it’s the Marvel Cinematic Universe effect. Why deliver the goods in this one when you can
promise even more stuff in the next installment?
When in doubt, Mancini piles on the gore. There are set pieces revolving around severed
heads, ripped-out tongues, and a power drill, among others. They’re juicy and all, but without a strong
narrative to go along with it, they lack the punch of the series’ best kills.
Alex Vincent makes a welcome return as Chucky’s original
owner, Andy. In fact, the subplot about
him keeping Chucky’s head in a box and taking out his frustrations on it is a
lot more interesting than the stuff in the nuthouse. Jennifer Tilly is also back as Chucky’s love
Tiffany, but they never really figure out what to do with her or her
character.
Naturally, Brad Dourif gets all the best lines as
Chucky. The funniest one references one
of his earliest roles. I won’t spoil it
for you because it’s one of the best lines in the movie.
So, if you’re just in it for the wisecracks and gore, Cult of
Chucky may be up your alley. Sadly, it
left this die-hard Child’s Play fan cold.
It’s easily the weakest installment of the series. That probably won’t stop me from watching the
next one though.
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