Depending on who you ask, the 1980s was either great or terrible for horror. Having watched through the entire franchise, I think it’s safe to say Child’s Play fits both of these descriptions. From the mind of Don Mancini, Child’s Play follows Charles Lee Ray (AKA Chucky), a serial killer who used voodoo to put his soul into a Good Guy Doll (an in-universe analog to My Buddy dolls) in an attempt to save his life.
The seven films that comprise the franchise range from honest attempts at horror to self-aware horror comedy, and everything in between. What follows is an attempt at ranking the franchise, which turns out to be terribly subjective based on what you want from the series, horror or comedy.
7. Seed of Chucky
The fifth film in the series, Seed of Chucky is painfully self-aware, a comedy that happens to have murder and mayhem in it. The movie focuses on the child born at the end of Bride of Chucky and the dolls attempting something that resembles family life while also trying to transfer their souls into Jennifer Tilly and Redman. It’s just tonally a bit too far from the core of the series for me.
6. Cult of Chucky
The latest effort in the Child’s Play franchise follows Nica (Chucky’s new enemy from Curse of Chucky) as she is placed in a mental health facility after the events of Curse. It takes itself seriously in a similar vein to Curse but ultimately is just a bit too much. The kills are fun and over the top, but the movie fails where it tries the hardest: expanding the lore. Chucky can now, in some way, possess multiple dolls despite Andy Barclay having his head. It was an alright effort, but it didn’t pull together as well as it could have.
5. Child’s Play 3
Written shortly on the heels of Child’s Play 2, the franchise was clearly low on ideas here. Chucky follows Andy to a military academy and the typical “I need a body to store my soul” shenanigans ensue. What disappoints here most is the lack of imagination in leveraging the unique locale. The war games scenario of the third act helps, but things ultimately end in a carnival and it just doesn’t make much sense. Again, it was written too close on the heels of its predecessor and could’ve benefited from more time.
4. Curse of Chucky
Curse of Chucky is a return to form after the insanity that was Seed. A new protagonist is introduced, Nica, and she has ties to Charles Lee Ray’s life before dollhood. It’s got plenty of haunted house vibes, some genuinely tense moments, and ultimately was a breath of fresh air for this franchise. While its follow up left something to be desired, this at least felt like a step in a new and interesting direction.
3. Child’s Play 2
Child’s Play 2 is just different enough to not be a total rehash of the first, which is great and honestly a little unexpected with a premise as ridiculous as “serial killer doll.” The foster home angle works nicely, as well as the skepticism of the adults. And while most films in the franchise end with Chucky being destroyed in one way or another, the multi-limbed, molten plastic monstrosity at the finish here is by far the most gruesome.
2. Bride of Chucky
Bride of Chucky is the bridge between worlds. It’s a tightly written story that pumps up the comedy while only slightly letting off the horror. Introducing Tiffany may have felt akin to a sitcom family having another baby, but ultimately it worked. The relationship between Chucky and Tiffany drives things along nicely and the scenes never really stray from the point. The animation effects on the dolls are about as good as they’ll ever be, and it’s a fun ride that’s just the right kind of self-aware.
1. Child’s Play
You just can’t top the original. The franchise it spawned has some highs and lows, but the original Child’s Play is a real treat. It’s campy, over the top, and the adults are painfully dumb about things, but it’s just really fun to watch. The story is simple, easy to follow, and really not that scary as a movie, but there’s a weird bit of nostalgia in this one. It’s a movie that is very comfortable with itself while not taking things too seriously either.
