The Saga So Far
In the sixteen years since he first tore across the silver screen (and into his terrified prey) with his shock of red hair (among even nastier shocks), Chucky has become a horror icon. Referenced in everything from hip-hop shout-outs to TV series to talk radio, Chucky is a pop-culture antihero whose appeal extends beyond that of other latter-day movie fiends. Now, the creative team that has been behind this killer doll since the beginning is taking him to the next nefarious level with Seed of Chucky.
Chucky was brought to life in the late 1980s. At that time, screenwriter Don Mancini (who wrote the story and co-wrote the screenplay for the first movie in the Chucky series, Child’s Play) and producer David Kirschner (who created the actual doll itself as part of making that first movie) began a creative collaboration on the Chucky movies that continues to this day. Child’s Play, released in November 1988, was a sleeper boxoffice hit, spawning a successful franchise that has fans all over the world.
In the first movie, Chucky (voiced in all five movies by Brad Dourif) was introduced as a “Good Guy” doll come to life – but gone psychopathic. An amulet-wearing serial killer, Charles Lee Ray (played by Dourif), had been hunted down and shot by Chicago police in a department store. As the murderer lay dying, he summoned the voodoo power of the ancient amulet to cast an incantation transferring his soul into the nearest body – which was that of the two-foot-tall doll.
Chucky went on the attack against unsuspecting and unlucky humans, panicking his new “owner,” young Andy Barclay (played by Alex Vincent and, later, Justin Whalin). Wherever Andy fled to, Chucky pursued him, intent on transferring his soul into Andy’s body to live – and kill – anew as a human being.
Child’s Play 2 (1990) and Child’s Play 3 (1991) further followed the tooth-and-plastic battle between the two “friends to the end,” establishing Chucky’s persona as a unique screen villain – one whose demeanor could turn on a dime from humorous to frightening. Mancini and Kirschner, joined by the latter’s producing partner Corey Sienega, reunited to take the series (and Chucky) in a new direction for Bride of Chucky (1998).
The Direct Approach
When the Child Play series was being revived, reconceived, and retitled with Bride of Chucky, from producer David Kirschner’s concept of a mate for the little maniac, screenwriter Don Mancini recalls, “With Tiffany as Chucky’s girlfriend – and, later, wife – we could show a whole other side of Chucky that had not been seen in the previous movies. I structured Bride in such a way that the relationship between Chucky and Tiffany went through all of the stages of a romance. They courted, they went on a date, they had sex, they got married, they fought, and they killed each other.”
On Bride, Kirschner’s producing partner Corey Sienega joined Team Chucky, and Mancini was afforded the opportunity to direct 2nd unit on the shoot. Kirschner remembers, “I also brought Don in to executive-produce, knowing that he had always wanted to direct. So I told him, ‘Live it, breathe it, and if we get to do [movie #] five, then you can direct.’”
A fifth movie in the hit series was certainly a likely prospect since, as returning star Jennifer Tilly sagely notes, “We know that in successful horror movie franchises the villains never actually die.”
Immersed in all day-to-day aspects of Bride, Mancini rose to every challenge. Kirschner, who had created the dolls’ designs and looks, states, “Don brought so much to that movie. He was part of literally every frame. As creator of the property, he has a strong understanding of the Chucky character’s mythology and a complete passion for the project. So when we were ready to make Seed of Chucky, it was clear that Don would be not only the writer but also the director.”
Mancini reflects, “David has produced all of the Chucky movies. He allowed me to be around on the sets of them all, where I soaked up a lot of experience. It’s something that most writers in Hollywood rarely get the chance to do, and I learned a lot.”
Sienega says, “Nobody knows Chucky better than Don, so he was not just the natural choice to direct Seed of Chucky – he was the only choice. David was planning this. He has believed in Don’s talent for many years; they have a lot in common as far as their fascination with movies, especially genre and horror movies. The three of us are bonded by a sick love for Chucky.”
For the love of Chucky, the series had to evolve in order to continue. Mancini points out, “With Bride of Chucky, we changed the tone. The first three were fairly straightforward horror movies. Previous movies and TV shows had featured the ‘killer doll’ concept, but no one had ever treated the doll as a full-fledged character with dialogue scenes. For a fourth movie, in order to ensure the longevity of the series, we had to reinvent.”
Sienega adds, “It was a big, and conscious, decision we made on Bride of Chucky to embrace the humor. The fans know where the series has been so far, and by combining more humor with horror, we keep everyone a little off-balance. It’s helpful to leave a few years in-between the movies to keep an element of surprise, and with Seed of Chucky we wanted to take everything much further. We intend to deliver what the true fans want, while also expanding our audience to include people who know Chucky as an icon but maybe haven’t seen the previous movies. I think the style of the humor in Seed makes for a movie that will appeal to a wider audience as well as the longtime Chucky fans.”
Seed of Chucky (2004)
Directed by: Don Mancini
Starring: Brad Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, Billy Boyd, Debbie Lee Carrington, Redman, Hannah Spearitt, John Waters, Keith-Lee Castle, Tony Gardner, Stephanie Chambers
Screenplay by: Don Mancini
Cinematography by: Vernon Layton
Film Editing by: Chris Dickens
Costume Design by: Oana Paunescu
Set Decoration by: Dan Toader
Art Direction by: Judy Farr
Music by: Pino Donaggio
MPAA Rating: R for strong horror violence / gore, sexual content and language.
Distributed by: Rogue Pictures
Release Date: November 12, 2004
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