Curse of Chucky Blu-ray Review
Mathew Plale
October 19th, 2013
To date, Chuck has been shot, blown up, dropped into a spinning fan, shot (again), and decapitated. Well guess what, Jack? Chucky’s back!
Set four years after the murdering Good Guy doll (voiced by Brad Dourif) mailed his own severed arm to kill his son, Glen, on his birthday, CURSE OF CHUCKY opens with a large rectangular box with no return address being delivered to a house. The contents? Surely you’ve figured that one out.
And so the latest reign of terror by Chucky (aka Charles Lee Ray aka the Lakeshore Strangler) begins. And there are plenty of fresh faces to serve as victims: there’s paraplegic Nica (Fiona Dourif, daughter of Brad and who appeared in season four of TRUE BLOOD), sister Barbie (Danielle Bisutti, TRUE JACKSON, VP), brother-in-law Ian (Brennan Elliott, FLIGHT 93), niece Alice (Summer Howell in her debut), nanny Jill (Maitland McConnell, CHICKS DIG GAY GUYS), and Father Frank (A Martinez, LONGMIRE), a pastor scheduled to officiate Nica’s mother’s funeral. Not long after the gang settles in for their first night together in the house, a storm hits, the power goes out and the blood starts to spill.
CURSE OF CHUCKY may not have the highest body count in the CHILD’S PLAY series (that honor goes to BRIDE OF CHUCKY, with much credit to Tiffany), but fans will appreciate the style and approach. CURSE OF CHUCKY is a return to form and is more horror than horror-comedy, as BRIDE and SEED OF CHUCKY were.
A lot of what made the first two movies so good (CHILD’S PLAY 3, while in the same vein as the original and its first sequel, is rightfully considered a dud) is present in CURSE OF CHUCKY. As always, Chucky is a vengeful little bastard who will stick a knife into anyone who gets in his way of entering an innocent’s body, but he leaves all of the camp that he adopted in BRIDE and SEED behind and calls to mind his persona from the original trilogy.
Some fans were concerned when they heard this sixth installment would go direct-to-video. Such a fate is generally considered an indication of just how stale and unwelcome a series has grown. Fortunately, that’s not the case with CURSE OF CHUCKY. It’s been nine years (the biggest gap between entries) since SEED was released, and while another sequel may not have been necessary, this is a strong one.
It’s directed by Don Mancini, who created the series back in 1988 and served as at least writer on every installment (his first turn as director was for SEED). It’s clear that Mancini wanted to make CURSE OF CHUCKY one that would redeem the franchise. While the movie takes a while to get rolling, through some gory kills, a moody atmosphere and a few cameos that shouldn’t be spoiled in a review, it’s safe to say he succeeded.
Whether or not a seventh installment (CHUCKY: MISSION TO MOSCOW? CHILD’S PLAY: THE WISDOM OF FRIENDS?) is on the way, CURSE OF CHUCKY is a fitting conclusion to the franchise.
CURSE OF CHUCKY BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: 1.78:1 in 1080p with MPEG-4 AVC codec. CURSE OF CHUCKY is given a very nice treatment for its debut. Details in skin (or plastic, in case of Chucky), wounds (whether fresh or stitched up), clothes, and sets are without flaw, and the black levels that are prominent throughout are deep and add a lot to the production.
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; Spanish DTS Digital Surround 5.1; French Dolby Digital 5.1. Subtitles in English, Spanish and French. The audio transfer is also strong, as it brings forth dimensions in the score and sound effects that add so much to Chucky’s terror.
Rated and Unrated Versions of CURSE OF CHUCKY
Feature commentary with director Don Mancini, puppeteer Tony Gardner and star Fiona Dourif: Although Brad Dourif would have been a welcome addition, the three do a fine job of touching on all of the elements that fans would want to know about, including bringing the series back and the throwback style.
Playing with Dolls: The Making of CURSE OF CHUCKY (15:34): This featurette gives a behind-the-scenes look at CURSE OF CHUCKY, complete with interviews (with Don Mancini, star Brad Dourif and more), on-set footage and clips.
Living Doll: Bringing Chucky to Life (8:35) offers a detailed look at the molds, animatronics and costumes of the latest Chucky dolls.
Voodoo Doll: The Chucky Legacy (7:08): Here, Mancini touches on the purpose of Chucky while some of the cast discuss how Chucky had an impact and the various personalities that have appeared in the series.
Storyboard Comparisons (25:18): These comparisons come with comments from Mancini and are divided into four sections: “Electrocution,” “The Attic,” “Ian’s Death,” and “Nica vs. Chucky.”
Deleted Scenes (6:17): There are six brief ones here: “Getting Dressed,” “Taking a Break,” “Looking for Chucky,” “Dad Gets a Ride,” “Burned,” and “Ancient Egypt.”
The Gag Reel (1:27) features various cast members goofing up.
Also included are a DVD and UltraViolet.
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