Cult of Chucky (2017)

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This was another chapter in the series I felt made things a little lukewarm. It felt more like fan service than anything. But still, I can't help but enjoy some of the original ideas behind it that further the lore of Chucky and what he can do. This one picks up where 'Curse' left off, and when all is said and done will make very little sense to viewers who haven't explored this series before. It's clear that this was one made for the fans who have been through this journey over the past few decades.

We reunite with Nica Pierce (Fiona Dourif), who has been committed after being accused of the murders from the previous film, having apparent "delusions" of a Chucky (Brad Dourif) doll doing it the whole time. With plenty of positive progress, she is transferred to a medium security institution. There, in a group session, head doctor Foley (Michael Therriault) brings in a new Good Guy doll (one that came with the name of Chucky) as an attempt to make Nica see reality for what it is since she blames the murders on the doll. While she claims not to fear it, another patient named Madeleine (Elisabeth Rosen) claims the doll is her own baby, bringing some apprehension to Nica in her new setting.

Meanwhile, we meet back up with Andy (Alex Vincent) and find that after the stinger at the end of 'Curse', he's been holding Chucky's head prisoner and takes delight in tormenting him due to losing his entire childhood because of him. However, what Andy doesn't realize is that Chucky did his voodoo homework and found a way to spread himself around, putting Nica and the rest of the hospital's patients in real danger. Besides the doll Madeleine has claimed as her kid, another is brought in by Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) to give to Nica, and another is sent to Doctor Foley by an unknown source. Soon, multiple Chucky dolls are piling up a body count, and Chucky's goal for a human body just might come to pass after all these years.

This one brings back just about everyone we've seen in past movies (except '3'). Andy's here, Tiffany's here, Nica's here, and there's even a special stinger cameo that I won't spoil here. The ending of the film is actually a really cool twist that one might not quite expect - but it's great for a horror movie, and without spoiling anything, I will say that it's not exactly a "happy" one. I further appreciated the various horrific ideas behind this chapter. For instance, there's this idea that this plot takes place in an asylum, and gives us more than one Chucky, lending to the concept of whether or not what these patients are seeing is real. Again, that sort of adds to the "fear factor"... Even if that very concept is used as a joke in the film.

The film also brings something truly terrifying to the screen, when we see an example of a crooked doctor using his patients in nasty ways. For anyone with a mental health problem, that sort of thing can really hit home - the idea of not knowing whether or not you can trust your caretaker. That sort of thing feels scarier than the killer doll(s) present. But with it comes balance. With so many Chucky dolls walking and talking, we get that dark and twisted sense of humour that he comes with. This isn't quite on the level of the horror/comedies that 'Bride' and 'Seed' were, but the humour is still there, although I have to admit that some of the jokes end up falling kind of flat.

My only real criticisms here involve... well, I hate to say it, but Andy. I'm not entirely sure of his purpose here other than providing fan service. He tries to be useful but usually isn't, and he doesn't really do much of anything. His whole secondary story is damn near pointless. You could almost take him out of this completely. I thought it was a shame that the original victim of these films got dealt such a shorthand while Nica becomes the new main. The guy came back after all this time to reprise his role, and I think he should have had more to do.

Criticisms aside, there's still plenty to enjoy here. It's decent for the fans, some of the ideas are interesting and original, you might get a decent laugh here and there, and the kills are pretty damn gruesome and cool (for you gore hounds). In the end, I get the idea that this was mostly made for the fun of it all. For my money, 'Curse' was much better, but this was still decent, despite any gripes I might have. If nothing else, you have a solid performance from Fiona Douriff all the way through, and one of the more interesting endings to the films in the series. It's on par for me with 'Bride' - it's fun, and I could see it being a guilty pleasure.


3/5

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