Seed Of Chucky
For this, the fifth (and judging by the box office returns, the last) in the venerable Chucky franchise, Don Mancini (who created the character and wrote all the films, and finally gets to direct) chooses to take a page out of the book of Scream 3 (transplanting the action to Hollywood during the filming of a Chucky movie), along with a touch of New Nightmare (having Jennifer Tilly, so sexily slinky in the previous film, play herself along with her alter ego, Tiffany), and filtering it in such a tasteless, campy way that it could have been helmed by the Master Of Filth, John Waters (who appears in a supporting role as a scummy paparazzi). The film starts off by following the life of Chuck and Tiffâs child (voiced by Lord Of The Ringsâ Billy Boyd), who has a penchant for pissing himself, as he escapes from the ventriloquist who found him at birth and heads to Hollywood to find his parents after seeing them profiled on an entertainment tabloid show. Upon bringing them back to life (donât ask), the killer dolly family set about finding human bodies. Fortunately for Tiffany, sheâs a big fan of Jennifer Tilly the famous actress, while Chucky sets his sights on rapper Redman, who is currently getting ready to direct a Biblical epic(?). Obviously, Mancini throws a LOT of stuff at the wall, hoping that it sticks, with some (Chucky âkillingâ Britney Spears, whoâs actually a look-alike) being amusing and other bits (like having the doll baby be sexually confused about his/her gender) not so much, though thankfully they donât skimp on the good gory stuff. Brad Dourif continues to cash in as The Chuck, shouldering his way through scenes like him masturbating to Fangoria magazine, or finally coming to the existential realization that he PREFERS not to be human in favor of being the notorious killer doll. As for Tilly, she still gives Tiffany a lot of her flavor, but as herself, does a particularly ballsy self-parody, even if she sacrifices her dignity at some points (like when sheâs âinjectedâ with Chuckyâs sperm). In other roles, Hannah Sperritt is cute as Tillyâs sarcastic personal assistant, and Nicholas âYoung Sherlock Holmesâ Rowe shows up out of nowhere as her lawyer. The film maintains its bizarre, off-kilter tone right up to the final scene, and while many horror purists may lament that this is a far cry from the genuinely creepy first film, camp horror enthusiasts can revel in the fact that this concept has truly gotten stretched out as far as it can go. Overall, not a real horror film, and like the title character, not really sure what it is either wayâŚ
7/10