What if you grew up with a killer doll. For writer and director Kyra Elise Gardner that's exactly what she did.
Her father was the makeup artist and head puppeteer who literally helped bring a killer doll named Chucky to life. The titular Chucky has been starring in his own film franchise for over 30 years so Kyra was curious to see how her Dad has been spending his time. Which led her to create this documentary and was also a great excuse to meet the cast and crew involved in the franchise. Like any good documentary it has a purpose. Kyra has grown up hearing about the crew but has never had a chance to meet them. So, she set out to interview all of the key contributors to find out why Chucky means so much to them. Including the film's creators, crew and stars.
Initially the film brings you up to speed on the premise of the franchise and then takes you on a blow-by-blow journey through each film. Even though there are massive diminishing returns with the Chucky sequels, I'm always fascinated with how bad films are created. It helps you understand the decisions people made and what they were hoping to achieve. These films have been surrounded with some controversy which I would have liked to see explored more but I can understand the reason for leaving some elements out due to their sensitive nature and the fun tone of the film.
You don't necessarily need to be a Horror aficionado to enjoy this doco, although it would definitely help as Horror nuts will lap up all of the backstage secrets and on set stories. If you have an interest in the filmmaking process it offers great insights into the techniques and skills used. Although be warned, if you're more on the squeamish side, there are moments of blood and gore that could be a bit too much for the more discerning viewer.
On the whole this is a solid documentary exploring people's fascination and love for the horror genre, in particular, a little doll named Chucky.
@WatchItWombat.
