Movie review: Curse of Chucky

Chucky is back and once again out for some twisted vengeance. In this installment, Nica begins to suspect the cute red-haired doll her niece has been playing with may have killed her mother. Of course, that is just the start of the killing for Chucky.

Chantal Quesnelle (Sarah), Fiona Dourif (Nica), Danielle Bisutti (Barb), A Martinez (Father Frank), Maitland McConnell (Jill), Brennan Elliott (Ian), Summer Howell (Alice), Brad Dourif (Charles Lee Ray/Chucky).

Curse of Chucky has the freaky doll appearing mysteriously once again, only to cause more chaos and bloodshed. This time Chucky is seeking vengeance on the descendants of a family he knew as Charles Lee Ray. Infiltrating their household, it takes a bit before Chucky is discovered to house the soul of Charles by which time it is too late. Toss in a few distractions like a lesbian romance, broken marriage, and a wheelchair, and the story actually has a bit of depth. Just don't expect much more.

Acting was pretty good from Fiona Dourif, with solid delivery and decent emotion. Bisutti did well and fit her role nicely despite the lesbian aspect not fitting well. McConnell was slightly more than window dressing, as was Martinez. The rest of the cast was decent.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are fairly well done though much of the film takes place in the dark, or close to it. Action scenes and animation around Chucky were nicely done with good detail and realistic feel that was disturbing when Chucky was the focus. Dialogue was thin and could have had some depth while contributing more to the plot. Sound and soundtrack were okay.

I enjoyed the Chucky franchise for a while but the novelty of a serial-killer doll quickly wore off when the theme quit evolving. Sadly, Curse of Chucky is a mild variation of the previous films that really adds nothing new. At a minimum you would think Chucky would get smarter, or more creative with his killing.

With some sexuality, violence, gore, foul language and an animated serial-killer doll, save this one for older teens and above.

Released: 2013
Reviewed: 6.3.16
Star rating: 2 out of 5
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Crime Horror, Sequel films

copyright ©2016 Dave Riedel