Worth: $15.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Cast:
John Waters, Lin Shaye, Marlon Wayans, Brad Dourif, Abigail Breslin, Jennifer Tilly, Alex Vincent
Intro:
… a surprisingly sweet documentary that isn’t the warts and all film you’d imagine it would be.
In Living with Chucky, a new documentary about the Child’s Play franchise, Brad Dourif – seasoned actor and the iconic voice of that little red head psychopath – notes that he’s ‘nowhere near the star that Chucky is.’
Sure, the man who played Billy Bibbit is being deliberately coy about his part in the films, but he’s got a point. Like Feddy, Jason and Michael who came before him, Chucky the possessed doll is infamous; even amongst those who have never even picked up a horror. With his initially sweet, plastic, angelic visage hiding the dark and dirty soul of a serial killer, this is what nightmares are made of.
Directed by Kyra Gardner, Living with Chucky takes us through the making of the original six films – Mark Hamill reboots be damned – with a focus on how much they meant to the cast and crew involved. For the hardcore, there’s probably little here you don’t already know. Whether it be Mancini’s original Blood Buddy concept through to complications arsing when Universal dropped the franchise after reading the script for Seed of Chucky. It’s all here as a little greatest hits package, with the likes of John Waters, Jennifer Tilly and Alex Vincent singing the films’ praises to all.
Part of the reason it’s still going after 35 years, Gardner argues, is down to how its creator Don Mancini has kept moving the goalposts on what actually makes a Child’s Play movie. Starting with the supernatural slasher of the first, the subsequent sequels have blossomed to become more comedic and self-aware. Chucky would eventually get a bride in the shape of Tiffany (Tilly) and then a child in Glen (Billy Boyd). Hell, thanks to body swapping, the TV adaptation of the films, Chucky, sees Tilly playing a version of herself who is possessed by the soul of Tiffany, who she portrayed in the film within a film of Seed of Chucky. Confused? That’s fine. Mancini and co. just want you to enjoy the ride.
What becomes noticeable very quicky with the documentary is the breakneck speed with which Gardner chooses to go through the making of each film. It feels like you’re only just getting comfortable before a hand off camera pulls out another VHS signalling the start of another segment. This leads to times where Gardner appears to have missed opportunities to really have a look at things under the hood. Such as the bizarre UK response to Child’s Play 3, when a tabloid deemed it to be the influence behind a horrendous murder. Too dark a topic? Okay, sure, but when Mancini discloses that the creation of Chucky and Tiffany’s non-binary child was misunderstood by many in the early 2000s, it’s never really explored.
The shoe finally drops an hour into the documentary, when Gardner – as some already know – admits that she is the daughter of esteemed effects artist, Tony Gardner, who has worked on several Chucky movies himself, and the film reveals its real purpose.
Having grown up with the doll, Living with Chucky is an opportunity for Gardner to speak to the people who made up her extended family. It allows her, and several crew members, to talk about the joy of filming and the exasperating time away from your family that comes when budget cuts mean that it’s cheaper to fly and film in Romania. It makes you wonder why Gardner didn’t choose to fold these into the documentary throughout as they certainly bring a more personal touch to the sound bites that have come before.
Overall, Living with Chucky is a surprisingly sweet documentary that isn’t the warts and all film you’d imagine it would be. Instead, it shows how something as simple as a psychotic toy that kills without remorse can bring a group of people closer together than any family. And that’s got to warm the heart, eh?
