Mutant Reviewers from Hell do
"If this were a movie, it would take three or four sequels to do it justice."

1998 R / Horror Comedy Directed by: Ronny Yu Starring: Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, Katherine Heigl

Tagline

Chucky Gets Lucky.

Summary Capsule

Evil doll returns to life, marries another evil dolls, and basically makes us worried for the doll industry in general

Mutant Meter

Movie Store [proceeds go toward monthly MRFH upkeep]

DVD | Soundtrack (Score)

Justin's Rating: Chu-chu-chu-chu-CHUUUUUUCKY!
Justin's Review: Do you ever wonder, as I have, why horror movies are incredibly notorious for spawning numerous sequels, regardless of the critical success or even the box office? I mean, you get some smash comedy, and it's deeply lucky if it gets even one sequel. But you take some horror film that maybe three people have seen — your Trolls, your C.H.U.D.s, your Leprechauns — and movie studios are just lining up to continue cranking them out. What is UP with that?

"It would almost be a delightful picnic for the fam and kids, except for the RAMPANT DOLL SEX."

I'm sure a large part of it has to do with the relatively low cost of making a horror film (although it strikes me that comedies would be cheaper, lacking the special effects budget), and the practically assured box office/video rental return that will make a million or two in profit. There might not be a huge fan base for slasher films, but what is out there is faithful. Yet, I think another reason for the horror genre sequel phenomenon is simply for notoriety. The more sequels a horror film has, the more people notice the franchise. A Nightmare On Elm Street was a fine scare flick, but would Freddy have truly been as popular and famous had he only the one movie to his name? Sure, people might complain about seven sequels, but you better bet they know the claws now!

The Chucky franchise is a horror movie underdog. It's not quite at the same A-list quality of the bigger bad boys (who at least have one well-done film among their lessers), but it's also not just a lame straight-to-video knockoff. It carves its nitch (ack) with that old bedfellow of horror: just a splash of comedy around the eyes. On one hand, a movie about a killing DOLL is plain ridiculous. On the other hand, it's also kinda sinister when the lights go down. Like a midget Freddy, Chucky is famous for his one-liners and inventive (yet always gory) kills. The Chucky series ran its course in the late 80s and early 90s, and lay dormant for almost a decade as most people considered him dead, buried and forgotten.

Not quite. In a slightly bold move, Chucky caught wind of the slasher movie revival to sneak in a third sequel for the cause. Bride of Chucky steps away from a Roman numeral behind the title, and shifts significantly over into comedy. It would almost be a delightful picnic for the fam and kids, except for the RAMPANT DOLL SEX. As if the world didn't have enough problems.

Chucky's long-suffering girlfriend steals his corpse (not melted into a puddle of goo, of course) from a police station, does a bit of the ol' voodoo that she do, and Jack Nicholson's alter ego is back in doll form (yes, I know that Jack doesn't do the voice, but it sounds about one shade shy of The Shining). Not content to lead a single life, Chucky returns the favor on girlfriend Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), electrocuting her and transferring her soul over into a female doll. You see where we're going with this. You recognize the pathway on the road to RAMPANT DOLL SEX. As long as we're in this together, buddy, we can make it through.

I wish I could say that Bride of Chucky has 100% originality going for it, but it doesn't completely escape the cliché minefield without a few casualties. Chucky and Tiffany hijack a pair of teenagers, both of which are so painfully stereotyped and quite dumb. Trust me, after about the third or fourth scene where they continually declare their love for each other while refusing to go to the police for help, you won't have any problem siding with the dolls. Then there are a few jokes that fall flat, namely any that have to do with voodoo or references to other dollmakers. Finally, the ending doesn't give an impression that this movie was trying to be anything more than a thrills and spills ride. The story advances just a tiny bit, then stops cold.

However, I'm slightly partial to this flick, mostly due to it's tongue-in-cheek attitude. It's completely self-referential, it has animatronics that look way better than the previous films, and it's about impossible not to laugh at the ultra-wimpy goth guy at the beginning of the film. It was a step above some of the other drivel that sequels preach, and may even some day cause me to forgive the

RAMPANT DOLL SEX. Okay, let's deal with this and go home. There's no nudity or sex in this film, other than a scene where Chucky and Tiffany consummate their marriage. Now, it's not too explicit, but I think I speak for the free world when I say that even a little implied doll sex is way more than ever need be. If you think about this subject for more than a minute, then your brain starts raising truly disturbing questions about the hows and whys and whatevers, and then therapy is needed.

It's okay, Justin. It's over. It's over. It's OH MY SWEET CANDYLAND MY BRAIN IS ON FIRE!!!

Voodoo for Dummies. No, that's not a clever caption — it's the name of the book, there. He's seen slightly better days, but that is some durable doll! Two can be as bad as one

Didja Notice? [some sources: IMDb]

• Police evidence room holds Jason's mask, Michael Meyer's mask, a chainsaw, and Freddy's claws
• This girl likes dolls... a little TOO much
• David knows a little TOO much about flower care
• Voodoo for Dummies? Not as funny as they think
• The wimpiest goth guy in the world
• Charlie the tarantula
• French lessons about sex from a goth nerd... it's a relief when he gets smothered
• Stood up by a doll, that's a new low
• Damien's real name and photo
• Why is she crying over Bride of Frankenstein? That's just weird.
• Chucky takes revenge on the black goldfish... hehe
• When trying to escape your tyrannical uncle, might as well loiter outside his front door working out a marriage proposal instead of driving away
• Chucky flipping the stoned guy the bird
• Why not take a brief pause from running away from a murder scene to get married at an all-nite chapel?
• Ladies and gents, doll sex. You can die now, you've seen everything.
• In the opening scene Michael Myers' and Jason's masks (from the Halloween and Friday the 13th movies), Leatherface's chain saw (from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies), and Freddy Kruger's glove (from the Nightmare on Elm Street movies) are visible.
• There is a character in the film named Damien Baylock. In The Omen, the satanic child is called Damien, while his evil nanny is called Mrs. Baylock.
• A character killed in a fashion that looks like Pinhead from the Hellraiser flicks
• The date on Tiffany's newspaper clippings at the beginning of the movie and the date of death on Charles Lee Ray's tombstone is 9 November 1988, the release date of the first Child's Play movie.
• In the opening shot, when the policeman is walking through the evidence locker room, several dolls appear. These resemble, or may actually be, from the movie series Puppet Master. They appear in the first storage case shown, on the left side of the screen.

Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits?

At one point during the credits, you can hear Tiffany say "We belong dead", and at the very end, after a rock'n roll song is played, Chucky says "That's more like it", followed by his evil laughter.

Groovy Quotes

Tiffany: F**k Martha Stewart! Martha Stewart can kiss my shiny plastic butt!

Tiffany: Oh, Chucky, have you got a rubber?
Chucky: Tiff?
Tiffany: Yes, Chucky?
Chucky: Look at me! I'm all rubber!
Tiffany: Oh. I thought you were plastic.

Chief Warren Kincaid: So, I've heard a lot about you, David. I understand you're off to Princetown next fall.
David: Yes, sir.
Chief Warren Kincaid: What are you gonna study?
David: Theatre arts.
Chief Warren Kincaid: But on an athletic scholarship, right? Playing hockey?
David: Figure skating.

Chucky: I give them six months, three if she gains weight.

Chucky: If this were a movie, it would take three or four sequels to do it justice.

Tiffany: Were you born with that knife superglued to your hand or what?

Tiffany: I wouldn't marry you if you had the body of G.I. Joe.

Tiffany: What are we gonna do?
Chucky: I don't know, what would Martha Stewart do?

Damien: You know what the French call an orgasm? La petite morte. "The Little Death." Come on, Tiffany. Let's die a little.

Tiffany: Barbie, eat your heart out.

If you liked this movie, try these:

• Child's Play series
• Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn
• Freddy vs. Jason