Doc of Chucky

This was a documentary that I put on while working since I could treat it like a podcast. What is funny is that I just recently watched the other doc, Living with Chucky, and in my review over there, I wanted it to be more like Crystal Lake Memories or Never Sleep Again where they deep dive more into the franchise. I had no idea this was coming out, but this falls in the same vein as those, which is good.

What I like here is getting Don Mancini, who is the brainchild behind the franchise. He was the original writer and now the director of the final three feature films. Also including Brad Dourif who has been right there with him as well as David Kirschner. They truly have made this series into what it is. What impressed me though was having Jennifer Tilley, Alex Vincent, Christine Elise, Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, John Waters, Fiona Dourif, Perrey Reeves, Gerrit Graham, Beth Grant, Tom Holland and I mean countless other people who have come into the franchise at different times. Hearing behind the scenes and what went into making each film was great.

Now I did hear a gripe in another review about how this is more about the production of each movie and a bit of how they did after coming out. They neglected to talk about the cultural impact. I can see the argument there. It doesn't bother me personally, since it does fall in line with those other documentaries on the major franchises. I'd say that this is well-made in production, editing and being able to compile everyone that they did. I'd highly recommend to fans of this franchise as the amount of information and the care put into this is amazing.

My Rating: 8 out of 10.

Just before the 2010s, horror fans began being treated to loving retrospective documentaries on horror franchises, with 2010's "Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy" being the gold standard. That doc's writer, Thommy Hutson, pulls double-duty here as writer and director, and it's difficult not to compare them because they're structured in the same manner -- but the result is almost as a good.

The first film gets the most luxurious treatment, with a full 90 minutes of the running time devoted to it. We're treated to never-before-seen behind-the scenes photos (including the film's deleted opening sequence with Chris Sarandon in drag), a rehearsal video, and a fascinating array of production memos and other materials. From there, we get roughly 45 minutes devoted to each of the sequels.

While they did get many of the surviving cast and crew members to discuss the films, there are quite a few missing people. These include Jenny Agutter, Grace Zabriskie and Greg Germann (part 2), Justin Whalin and Andrew Robinson (part 3), Katherine Heigl (Bride), Billy Boyd, Redman and Hannah Spearritt (Seed), and Maitland McConnell (Curse). I can't exactly fault the filmmakers for not getting everyone on board, but it does make it feel a little less rounded than it could've been.

I do have a few criticisms. They included several commentators who had nothing to do with the films, and don't really add anything of significance. At the end of each segment, everyone says how honored they were to be in a Chucky movie, which becomes annoyingly redundant (they could've saved that for the end). And there's not even a passing mention of the comic series, the reboot, or the spinoff TV show (which could probably sustain its own 5-hour documentary). Pretty minor criticisms, with the exception of the latter. Also, it's also a little offputting how Don Mancini and producer David Kirschner credit director Tom Holland for reshaping the original script and hiring Brad Douriff to portray Chucky, but then they bash him for having the audacity to try to take credit for his contributions. Without Holland, the doll would've had no personality, and in an effort to paint him as a control freak, it sorta makes Mancini look like a bigger one. I can't say the doc benefitted from this nearly 40-year-old squabble, which Holland himself barely acknowledged.

Currently, this doc's only available to stream on Shudder, but I sincerely hope it gets a home media release, because it deserves to be preserved and seen by all of the franchise's fans. Highly recommended for anyone who loves Chucky.