Bride of Chucky

If you liked the first three Childsplay movies, you’ll love this. If not, give it a try anyway - it’s just that little bit different. This film builds on the character of Chucky, star of the other Childsplay films, a serial murderer reborn into the body of a doll. It tries to disprove, as did Scream 2, that sequels do not have to be worse than the original(s). And the similarities with Scream do not end there, as this film refuses to take itself seriously: it’s self-referential, and full of in-jokes. It has little plot, but what is there is unique and complemented by good visual effects.

Chucky (Dourif) is stolen from a police evidence compound and reanimated with the help of a book entitled Voodoo for Dummies by Tiffany (Tilly), who was his girlfriend when he was alive. Unfortunately, their relationship remains strained and Chucky ends up imprisoned in a playpen. One day, Tiffany brings Chucky a doll in a wedding dress to be his girlfriend. Chucky decides to seek revenge on Tiffany so, while she is in the bath, Chucky breaks free from his “cell”. He goes into the bathroom and pushes the TV into the tub, electrocuting Tiffany. Afterwards, Chucky transfers Tiffany’s soul into the doll in the wedding dress.

In order to transfer their souls from the dolls back into the bodies of humans, the dolls need an amulet which was hanging around the neck of Charles (Chucky) Lee Ray when he was brutally murdered in a police shoot-out.

The two make their way to New Jersey, hitching a ride with eloping teenagers, leaving a wake of mangled bodies. Of course, their adventure concludes in the mandatory bloodbath.

Bride of Chucky isn’t really a horror movie; the director has concentrated more on making the audience go “euch” rather than “aargh”. A handful of nails is driven into one man’s face, and a lip ring is torn out of a man’s mouth. Also, watch out for the rather absurd but definitely amusing doll sex scene. This film might not be true horror, but it’s still not for the faint hearted.

Bellladonna Took