Bride of Chucky (Child’s Play 4)

Directed by  Ronny Yu

I believe I’ve made this known several times before, probably in my reviews of Child’s Play 1 and 2 (and also in the third one that I reviewed on twitter that one time), but in case you’re still unaware, I’m a pretty big fan of the Child’s Play franchise. From the shockingly well-executed tension of the first film to the increasingly absurd adventures of Chucky the foul-mouthed killer doll, this series kept me coming back time and time again, and now we must continue this proud tradition with the entries into the series that don’t have numbers because they’re ashamed of how many of these they made! I kid, I kid, if there’s one thing this series doesn’t have, it’s definitely shame. With that, here are my thoughts on the 4th entry in this illustrious franchise!

A Lot Happens In This Movie, Please Bare With Me.

Picking up several years after Child’s Play 3, Bride of Chucky begins, as it is legally obligated to, with someone acquiring the remains of Chucky and stitching him back together. This time it is a bit different because it’s not an evil toy company, but Chucky’s ex-girlfriend, Tiffany, who returns the horror icon to un-life. Also, just to be clear, Tiffany dated Chucky when he was a regular serial killer, not when he was a doll. The earlier movies were weird, but they never went that far. Anyway, after a deadly miscommunication of how they parted ways, Tiffany ends up dead herself with Chucky using his knowledge of magic rituals to transfer her soul into another doll. Both in bodies they don’t want, the two deadly dolls catch a ride with a young couple to get back the mystical amulet that would allow Chucky and Tiffany to transfer their souls into these kids’ bodies and continue their killing spree as real people.

Wait, Am I Giving Genuine Praise For The Writing?

This may seem an odd thing to say about the 4th entry in the Child’s Play franchise, but I really like the story! After the first three films were similarly structured about children needing to prove that Chucky was a real killer and not just a doll, I was relieved to know that the movie was going to take a new direction. And this isn’t a ‘thanks for trying but the result was bad’ thing, the story keeps everything together super well. While the two kids are trying to make their escape, they’re being hounded by the police, for various reasons, and Chucky and Tiffany need to kill everyone in their way to make sure they all arrive at this destination intact. This is a great way to put Chucky in a lot of new situations and set up all the one-liners, references, and weird puppet romance the series would become known for in its later years.

Road Trips and Serial Killers

There is a heavy emphasis on humor in this outing, but elements of horror manage to sneak in every now and then. The kills are as brutal, and even more imaginative, than ever, but more than that, there is a pretty neat black comedy/mild horror plot that picks up about halfway through. As Chucky and Tiffany kill people to ensure that their ride continues undisturbed, the murders they have committed are blamed on the young couple they’re riding with. They learn of this and both start to believe the other person is secretly a serial killer. At times this is played for laughs, at times it is played for drama, and I quite enjoyed both ways that they played it. I also liked the juxtaposition of Chucky and Tiffany’s romance evolving while the young couple’s romance starts to falter, leading to a memorable puppet sex scene. It isn’t graphic, but wow, is it something.

Okay, Fine, It Isn’t Scary.

Now we come to the bad news. No, Bride of Chucky is not scary at all, not in any way that any of the previous Child’s Play movies managed to be. I was a bit bummed that the serious pivoted so heavily into black comedy here, but I guess when you hit number four in a series you may figure that you’ve gotten everything you can get out of a scary killer doll. I would have appreciated a bit more of an attempt to keep that original atmosphere, because as it stands this is more of a wacky road-trip movie than anything else and I imagine that would alienate a lot of people who aren’t interested in a really dumb, silly, slasher movie. Also, there are many references to other horror franchises and meta-humor, which might be groaners for some people but for me, they weren’t super over the top and I enjoyed them for what they were.

But It Is A Lot Of Fun!

Bride of Chucky certainly isn’t for everybody, but if you’re interested in a campy and fun black comedy slasher that does not pull its punches then this may be the film for you! No, it isn’t the smartest movie I’ve ever seen but it has good voice work, good chemistry between Chucky and Tiffany, and some of the most fun kills I’ve seen in a long time. I definitely have a huge soft spot for this franchise but what can I say, I love every movie series that had someone cameo on WCW.