Child’s Play: What It Gets Right That Other Horror Movies Don’t – Screen Rant

TheChild's Playfranchiseis a near-perfect blend of horror and comedy about a cursed killer doll, Chucky, who has effectively secured a spot within the horror genre and gets a lot more right than some might expect.

With two recent movieson VOD as well as a reboot of the franchise itself, Chucky is as relevant as ever after hitting the snooze button. During this time, horror audiences were treated to reboots of other beloved 80s franchises, such asFriday the 13thandA Nightmare on Elm Street, butChild'sPlayshould have never gone out of style.

Related: All Child's Play Movies Ranked, Worst To Best

Despite its ridiculous premise,Child's Play(1988)was a hit, grossing $44 million at the box office.Child's Play 2 (1990) was less successful and the franchise suffered over time, steadily declining.However, with the fourth entryBride of Chucky (1998),the franchise stopped taking itself seriously and became more self-aware, lacing horror with dark humor and risqu jokes, causing a surge at the box office once again. It also included the life-saving addition of a romantic foil for Chucky, Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly).

AfterBride of Chucky, the franchise leaned heavily on humorous elements alongside gorykills. The character of Chucky, a doll who is given life through the spirit of murderer Charles Lee Ray, is a smooth-talking, foul-mouthed hellion. He is unlike other killers in horror movie franchises; the only similar one is Freddy Krueger fromA Nightmare on Elm Street. In many ways, it was this which set it apart from other successful franchises, and elements of meta humor in this new era of Child's Playwas akin to what many audiences considered to be a primary element of success in films likeScream (1996).

Another factor that contributed to the success of these movies lies within how the curse was handled. The Haitian voodoo curse that trapped the spirit of Charles Lee Ray into a Good Guy doll is different than the standard demonic and supernatural possession commonly found in horror - and is handled rather fairly. Furthermore, it wasless complicated thanks toCharles Lee Raynot beinga victim; he was trapped by a self-inflicted curse toget revenge on cops who gunned him down.

AfterSeed of Chucky(2004), the franchise seemed to skid to a halt. Almost a decade later, though, fans got a new installment. Not just a surprise return, this newChild's Play would be going straight-to-video, playing not in theaters but on DVDs and streaming services.Curse of Chuckyreturned to more traditional horror elements, bringing back Brad Dourif as Chuckyto terrorize real-world daughterFiona. The next film, Cult of Chucky, went a step further and returnedhumorous gags, ultra-violence, and Tiffany to the franchise. This smartrelease strategy targeted the fans directly and limited the "over-hyping" which iscommonplace with traditional film releases. This duology reinvigorated the franchisewitha back to basics reboot that was a shocking success.

Despite the reimagining of Chucky for the 21st century inChild's Play(2019), original director/writer Don Mancini still plans to continue his version of the franchise with movies and a TV seriesthat is bound to be full ofhis blend of horror-comedy that has always made the franchise so refreshing. While others are experiencing a similar reboot treatment, the fact thatChild's Playcontinues to reinvent itself when competitors can't make themselves relevant to a modern audience is a sure sign of a bright future.

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Child's Play: What It Gets Right That Other Horror Movies Don't - Screen Rant