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!
