O Culto de Chucky

Then you will love this movie.

I can't say I liked any of the later movies, but this one brought something back that was missing.

I personally enjoyed this movie way more than I thought I would. I grew up on Chucky and iv'e gotta say that It was nice to see Andy and some of the others. (I don't want to spoil it).

If I had a complaint about this movie it would be the ending wasn't very satisfying. It hints towards another movie.

Perhaps I just was in an exceptionally optimistic and generous mood when I watched it, but I quite liked the previous installment "Curse of Chucky". Especially after the dreadfully awful "Seed of Chucky" in 2004, "Curse of Chucky" felt like a far more mature and good old- fashioned horrific revival of the franchise with the emphasis on suspense and plot rather than on stupid slapstick one-liners. Unfortunately it was a lucky shot, as this direct sequel is once again a largely ludicrous and inept hash. The slayings are still joyously blood-soaked and the mysteriously captivating Fiona Dourif (daughter of) returns as leading lady, but the screenplay is pure nonsense and Chucky is again a sneering jester instead of a menacing killer. The story continues quite logically, with Nica Pierce submitted to a heavily guarded mental institution after the bloody events of the previous film. Her psychiatrist, Dr. Foley, arranges for Nica to be transferred to a less strict clinic and participate in group therapy. Andy Barclay, Charles Lee Ray original target victim, is also still around and keeps the heavily mutilated leftovers of the possessed Chucky doll in a safe at his house. Meanwhile, a number of Good Guy dolls are being sent to the clinic and they ALL appear to be possessed with Chucky's cheerful persona. The explanation for why all the dolls are simultaneously possessed is cheap, imbecilic and downright preposterous. Don Mancini sort of made his life's work out of the "Child's Play / Chucky" series. He wrote all films since the 1988 original and took over directing them since 2004. He'll probably never make anything else, but maybe he should. I think we've seen enough Chucky movies by now, even though the gore & splatter always remains worthwhile. The seventh installment contains, for example, an ingenious decapitation and a delightful head-crushing.

Cult Of Chucky is both a love letter to the fans and a slap in the face to them all rolled into a 90 minute bundle.

Remember when Friday 13th shifted gear and suddenly brought in a psychic girl, then upped the craziness by claiming in Final Friday that Jason could jump from body to body? Basically that's what we have here, they have decided to drop the traditional Chucky and instead shake up the lore altogether and though interesting it doesn't really work.

On the flipside this brings back Curse Of Chucky's Nica and series veteran Andy. Ontop of that we also have a surprise previous character pop up in the post credits scene.

I loved the fact it brought these characters together, even Jennifer Tilly returns as Tiffany Valentine (Despite being killed off in Bride Of Chucky 1998). Thankfully that and everything else is explained, but sadly it just isn't very good and is too much change to the Chucky franchise.

Cult Of Chucky is a watchable effort but the changes made to the franchises lore were all too much for me and can be nothing but damaging in my eyes for future movies.

The Good:

Nice homage to the franchise

One death scene was awesome

The Bad:

Too much change

Story is a bit crap

As a full-throated defender of the remake, I never understood why OG fans were against it. While I still love the thematic fun of the remake, I now understand what their issue is. These two straight-to-VOD, Mancini-helmed sequels are so compellingly weird, funny, scary, & bold that the remake felt like it might overshadow this original storyline, a storyline that keeps getting stranger & cooler. Nica is the best character in the whole franchise & one of the great scream queens in slasher history.

The old adage that "big things come in small packages" has definitely proved to be true for the "Child's Play" films. Somehow, against all odds, this little guy has legs, becoming the most enduring and consistent horror movie franchise in recent memory, spanning and surviving three decades, without retcons or reboots. A big part of that success lies at the feet of writer turned writer- director, Don Mancini, who has been at the helm since the beginning, ensuring consistency throughout each installment. Also along for the ride since the beginning is the indispensable Brad Dourif as killer turned killer-doll, Chucky. Dourif's manic and often hilarious vocal performance combined with Mancini's "anything goes" sensibility makes each film a true pleasure to watch. All of that fan-pleasing, funny-bone teasing goodness is back for the seventh film, "Cult of Chucky."

Picking up where 2013's "Curse of Chucky" left off, "Cult of Chucky" finds Nica (Fiona Dourif) now committed to a mental institution. Nica has been pummeled by electro-shock therapy into believing she killed her whole family, so it's up to Chucky's original nemesis, Andy (played by a now fully-grown Alex Vincent), to come to her rescue and put childish things away, once and for all. Along the way, he has to contend with Chucky's on-again/off-again lover, Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), who has now inhabited the body of Jennifer Tilly. Confused? Well, watch the other movies.

Though it's the second film in the series to be sent direct-to- video, the quality has most certainly not dipped with "Cult of Chucky." Mancini returns to the director's chair for the third time, and his visual style is very much informed by his time spent working on NBC's short-lived "Hannibal." Along for the ride is special effects guy Tony Gardner, who turns in some of his most impressive work to date. The film is riddled with practical effects that are not only convincing, but inspiring. If a DTV sequel can have special effects that put similar theatrical releases to shame, maybe there's hope for the future of the genre after all. On the acting front, Fiona Dourif digs deeper into her character and really seems to relish going slowly mad. The elder Dourif, meanwhile, is as crazy and charming as ever as the voice of everyone's killer doll. Vincent's return to the franchise is definite cause for celebration. His performance is a little wooden, but when you consider he gave up acting some 25 years ago, it's easy to cut him some slack. His presence is enough, as far as this fan is concerned. Speaking of presence, Jennifer Tilly is still an absolute bombshell, and her character feels very lived-in and is now an essential component of the franchise.

The film has a few surprises you won't see coming, and you'll definitely want to stay until the very end, friend. Like "Curse" before it, "Cult of Chucky" plays the fan service game without insulting its audience. There's plenty of fresh ideas stirred among the nostalgia, and Mancini's mythology will probably require an extensive road map going forward. The humor is good, the horror is well-done and the film looks and sounds appropriately cold and crisp (shout out to composer Joe Loduca, of "Evil Dead" fame). It's all in good, gory fun. Fans who have made it this far will find this "Cult" worthy of worship.