Chucky is back with a vengeance in this direct to video effort that proves to be a really fun horror film and a return to form for a franchise that had gone the path of cheesy dialogue and shamelessly bad sequels. Much like Freddy Krueger, Chucky wasn't scary anymore. Over the last few films he had become a caricature of the once evil force to be reckoned with. Surprisingly, Curse of Chucky brings back the tone of the original two films while maintaining the continuity of the franchise as a whole.
Shocked and surprised would be the best way to sum up Curse of Chucky. Unlike most current horror flicks, this one brings it back home with a creative narrative, gory kills, a little bit of humor, and some undoubtedly cool plot twists.
Curse of Chucky has a few minor stumbling points due to its limited budget of $5 million dollars. This means some of the effects are clunky and Chucky often times looks awkward. Yet, the film still looks and feels as good as most theatrical releases. To my absolute surprise, Curse of Chucky takes the cake as one of the best horror sequels of late. The character is finally evil again with the one liners kept to a bare minimum and his killing style back to the 80's hack and slash style. When browsing for Halloween films this month, this is a definite must see for any fan of the original films.
The story is fluid and the directorial style suits the tone of the first two Child's Play movies as they build upon the mythology from the previous films with style and absolute fluidity. Expecting something terrible, Curse of Chucky proves to be one of the horror highlights of 2013. It's not often that a sequel like this comes along. So, grab a copy or stream it online because Chucky is back and he's hungry for blood.
-Review by Chris George