Curse of Chucky Review

Disclaimer: Contains spoilers!

Plot Summary: After receiving a mysterious package in the mail, a woman and her family are tormented by Chucky.

Review: You may recall back to my "Seed of Chucky" review--I HATED it! Well, thankfully this newest entry is a step in the right direction and a huge improvement over all the sequels in general. I'm still kind of baffled this movie was released as direct to DVD rather than theatrically, because it would have done well considering it was the fans that requested the change of pace. I know this film was rumored to be a reboot, side story, or was going to selectively ignore some of the sequels (ala "Halloween: H20"), but, for the most part, it is a genuine followup to part 5 except that it changes the tone back to being serious. We finally see a return to form with an attempt to make the events of the film scary again; whether it succeeds in this regard is up to you to decide, but I thought it was effective. Now this doesn't mean Chucky isn't acting like his typical self, because he is, it just means it won't be as off the charts stupid as parts 4 and 5. At the same time, those expecting to see more of Glen and Glenda will be disappointed, although, is there really someone out there that wanted to see that storyline continued? If so, please punch yourself in the face for me...thanks.

First I'll go over all the improvements that brought the story back on track. The best aspect is that they were still able to maintain continuity while altering the comedic tone back to being serious. This transition wasn't flawless, by any means, but nothing felt lost in the process and, in fact, added more room for the mythos to expand. Every entry has a moment that is referenced in some way, or is outright continued, with special attention to Andy, who makes a wonderful cameo...played by Alex Vincent no less. Obviously Chucky's reversion to the doll form helped increase his creepiness. Granted, the audience knows Chucky will come to life, so to speak, at one point, but the anticipation of when keeps you engaged. And, in all honesty, there are a few scary setups that make use of how part 1 approached things. The look, feel, and tone of the film is a return to classic horror albeit cliched at times. Chucky's kills are once again stealthy since that is when he's most effective; people seem to forget he's not Jason or Michael Myers here...he can't just overpower a grown adult despite what the retarded sequels want you to believe. There is a mystery as to why Chucky chose to attack this particular family that keeps things intriguing and was a major factor absent from every entry except part 1--which kept you wondering whether the killer was Chucky or Andy. Speaking of which, we eventually learn what led to the opening of part 1 with Chucky fleeing from the police. I usually don't like altering established storylines, but this revelation doesn't hinder or take anything away from part 1 so I'm okay with it. In case you're wondering, the mom was the seemingly last victim from Chucky's "Lakeshore strangler" days--you know, that title he never once lived up to--and he wants to finish the job. And finally, it was nice to see Brad Dourif in the flesh again as Charles Lee Ray rather than "Chucky" per se. I have been waiting for this entry to express that Mr. Dourif has done a fantastic job bringing the character to life throughout the series and putting up with the increasingly asinine situations the character has experienced.

Okay, so on to the negatives and some aspects I'm sure will annoy others. I've read many complain about Chucky's appearance, but I'm not seeing a problem necessarily, or, at least, it may be explained later. Chucky is wearing various prostheses to cover up the stitches from parts 4 and 5, but, when, most or all, are peeled away, his look continues to be off. I simply assumed not all of the prosthetics had been removed since there hadn't been a reason to take them all off, or maybe we will get an explanation in another entry. I'm more concerned with how Chucky was resurrected after part 5. Perhaps the two problems can reconcile together, but I hate it when one of these horror icons are killed and no explanation is given to how they come back. The possibility Chucky has a new body is apparent by the fact that he has stuffing in his body and that his head can come off and it not kill him. But if Chucky has a new body that hasn't turned "human" yet, then why would he still have the stitching? Right now these are continuity errors and/or plot holes, but they are clearly eager to make new entries with this serious tone again so I will be hopeful for an explanation. Anyway, there are some pointless characters added for the sake of bolstering the body count, again, but it's more annoying because it appeared they would have a more significant role to play. Why does no one find it suspicious that a mysterious doll is delivered the same day the mom appears to commit suicide? I'm not saying they should suspect the doll to be alive, but no one thinks to make a connection? Like maybe it meant something traumatic to the mom driving her to suicide? Eh, I'd find it suspicious as hell. I'm okay with Tiffany somehow possessing Jennifer Tilly, but why would she continue to help Chucky? Is she bipolar? It's also wonderful that we never hear mention of Glen, Glenda, or that stupid little amulet, but those plotlines continue as loose ends one way or another. Why would you end your movie with Chucky finally possessing some little girl only for him to be shown 6 months later back in the doll? Is that another plotline that will be dealt with in an upcoming sequel--what happened in those 6 months? And my last gripe is toward the absolute ineptness of the police in this franchise. Don Mancini must really hate the police or something, because they're always doing something deliberately stupid.

My best way to interpret this entry is that it's as loyal to the original as part 2 was, but it fails to truly capture the awesomeness of the original. There are certainly flaws present, but, for the most part, this is the Chucky movie we've been waiting for since part 3 came out. The main reason why I rated this movie higher than part 2 was because the nods to previous entries provides a certain level of entertainment that slightly makes it cooler. Overall, this movie greatly impressed me since I had zero expectations going into this. I was under the impression this was going to be a standalone entry involving Chucky, so I was pleasantly surprised they were able to include as many aspects from the other entries as they did while going back to a proper representation of the character. As for the franchise as a whole, it is weaker than other icons, as I expressed in the review for the first film, but at least it has ended stronger than most. At the same time, I commend the creators for not resorting to a remake yet since that's the point you're officially all out of ideas. A part 7 has been announced, and with all the room now open for expansion, I look forward to the next entry for the first time since part 2.

Notable Moment: The scene after the credits with Andy of course. Even though it contradicts the ending of the movie itself, it was a nice little bonus nonetheless.

Final Rating: 6/10