“The family that slays together stays together” finishes this blow-by-blow retrospective of the Child’s Play/Chucky franchise, and it’s certainly impossible to contest that. Not only does the homicide-happy doll gain his own family during the course of the seven films, but actor Brad Dourif – who voiced him – has been succeeded by daughter Fiona as the head of proceedings, and this documentary is directed by Kyra Elise Gardner, daughter of current head puppeteer Tony Gardner. The close-knit ethos might well explain the franchise’s gleefully perverse sense of fun, but the truth is this love-in features too much filler.
Gardner charts Chucky’s progress from straight-up malefic totem through camp horror icon to revitalised golden-age bogeykid, all under the supervision of creator and series writer Don Mancini (who also directed the last three). As well as spotting a gap in the market that no evil doll had apparently been the star of a movie, Mancini’s great lightbulb moment was amplifying the inherent campness and comedy. In 1998’s pivotal fourth instalment, Bride of Chucky, the formidable Jennifer Tilly was introduced as Chucky’s other half, Tiffany; the actor is on hand here to discuss the shift, summed up even more pertly by John Waters. Why horror’s unshakeable gay following? “They’re drama queens.”
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