Home » Blu-Ray Review: Cult of Chucky is a Mixed Bag

Blu-Ray Review: Cult of Chucky is a Mixed Bag

Cult of Chucky

Cult of Chucky, the latest direct-to-video installment in the Child’s Play series finds Nica (Fiona Dourif) taking up residence in a home for the criminally insane. Nica has come to believe that she was responsible for the murders of her loved ones and that Chucky was merely a manifestation of schizophrenia. But when a Good Guy doll appears in one of her therapy sessions, Nica begins to question all of the ‘progress’ she’s made. And with the body count rising, she must quickly determine what’s real. Her life depends on it.

I know I might be in the minority, here, but I found Cult of Chucky to be a mixed bag. I saw it as a step down from Curse of Chucky. Cult is at times dark and atmospheric but it often devolves into something much more comedic and silly. The scares are few and far between and the attempts at humor just weren’t that funny. There are several meta jokes that feel out of place and also come off as a little dated. Moreover, listening to Chucky argue with himself gets pretty old, pretty quickly.

For me, the most exciting aspect going into Cult of Chucky was that we would get to see Alex Vincent as Andy Barclay. Unfortunately, the character felt shoehorned in and underutilized. The outcome of the film would have been mostly unchanged with or without him. Had Andy and Nica been introduced to one another earlier in the film, it could have led to a much more captivating ride. I was also disappointed that we didn’t see more of Tiffany. For this to be something of a reunion, bridging the various installments, I sure would have liked to have seen more of some of these fan favorite characters.

On the brighter side, there are some pretty gruesome gore effects and the puppeteering is excellent. With the exception of one obviously CGI sequence, the FX are pretty great.  While the film is light on scares, there’s no shortage of stabbing, decapitation, and other inventive acts of violence. It’s amazing to see how far puppeteering and animatronics have come since the first film. Chucky is incredibly lifelike and has arguably never looked better onscreen.
In addition to great gore FX, the film also boasts beautifully rendered set design and nicely executed cinematography. The interior and exterior shots of the asylum are gorgeously photographed and designed. Not to mention, the sterile white provides a perfect backdrop for the buckets of blood that are spilled throughout the feature.
I’m curious to see where writer/director Don Mancini takes things in the next installment, assuming there is one. The ending of this entry left off on a very interesting note and I’m intrigued to see where it goes from there. Cult of Chucky is now available on DVD and Blu from Universal Home Entertainment. For an alternate take on the film, check out Joey Keogh’s review here.

WICKED RATING: 6/10

Director(s): Don Mancini
Writer(s): Don Mancini
Stars: Fiona Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, Alex Vincent
Release: October 3, 2017
Studio/ Production Co: Universal Home Entertainment
Language: English
Length: 91-minutes
Sub-Genre: Killer Toys, Slasher

Liked it? Take a second to support Tyler Doupé on Patreon!
Share This Post
Written by Tyler Doupé
Tyler Doupe' is the managing editor at Wicked Horror. He has previously penned for Fangoria Mag, Rue Morgue Mag, FEARnet, Fandango, ConTV, Ranker, Shock Till You Drop, ChillerTV, ComingSoon, and more. He lives with his husband, his dog, and cat hat(s).
Have your say!
00