So many movies and shows have tried to have successful reboots over the years. The 12th film in the 4-decade long franchise, Halloween Kills, was just released. The Scream TV series had little success, which, although having three seasons, has just a 61% on Rotten Tomatoes. Production companies keep trying to bring back the original magic, which is almost impossible to replicate.
All this being said, when the SYFY show Chucky was announced, fans were a bit nervous for the right reasons. The Child’s Play remake came out just a couple of years prior, and the last official film in the franchise Cult of Chucky (2017) wasn’t even released in theaters. Would the world want more Chucky? The answer was an astounding yes, for numerous reasons. For one, the original cast and crew were all attached to the show, and no more CGI, as Chucky went back to his roots with animatronics. This, along with multiple other reasons, is why Chucky had such a successful first season and is already renewed for a second.
With Chucky being such an essential cult franchise among many, the show could’ve gone wrong very quickly. With iconic characters that only OG fans will recognize, like Andy (Alex Vincent), Kyle (Christine Elise), and Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) returning, it could be a slippery slope. On the one hand, too many original actors might make only hard-core fans watch the show, but this was not the case. Both original creator Don Mancini and director Tom Holland did an amazing job having both original characters and adding new ones. The casting was pretty remarkable, and the new kids made a great addition.
The original Child’s Play was about 6-year-old Andy Barcley (Vincent), given a Good Guy doll for his birthday from his struggling single mother Karen (Catherine Hicks). As those around the family begins to die gruesome deaths, Andy keeps saying, “Chucky did it.” No one believes the boy, but he is right. The doll is possessed by the soul of the Lakeshore Strangler, Charles Lee Ray.
Chucky takes place over 30 years later in the same town that Ray grew up in. The show this time around is about 8th grader Jake Wheeler (Zachary Arthur), a young, shy kid living in the quiet town of Hackensack. One day, he finds a Good Guy Doll at an estate sale, and being an artist who does incredible projects out of doll parts, he thought this vintage doll would be perfect for his next project. Of course, the doll is no other than Chucky (Brad Dourif), the pint-sized killer doll who somehow keeps coming back. As several people begin to die brutal deaths, including Jake’s alcoholic and abusive father (Devon Sawa), the town panics. Moving in with his wealthy Aunt Bree (Lexa Doig), Uncle Logan (also played by Sawa), and cousin Junior (Teo Briones), things only begin to get worse.
Chucky forms a unique bond with Jake, as he is his only friend. Being constantly bullied by Junior and his popular and ultra-rude girlfriend Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind), Chucky slowly puts hatred into Jake’s heart, even trying to murder Lexy at one point. He slowly befriends Devon (Bjorgvin Arnarson), the son of Detective Kim Evans (Rachelle Casseus) who is wary of Jake, as those around him seem to die. After more people close to him begin to die, he, along with Lexy and Devon, the only other people who know of Chucky, form an alliance to try to kill him.
The twists and turns of this show, character development, and unique blend of comedy, horror, and teen genre make Chucky truly unique from past films. Mancini did an incredible job keeping the campy, horror fun with Chucky’s dirty mouth and bloody kills, but also adds an element of teen drama, reaching a larger audience. The show sometimes felt like a horror version of teen drama Riverdale. This way, both OG fans and newcomers get something they like.
Something that made the season so successful is even those who haven’t watched any of the previous films can enjoy and comprehend the show. There are moments made just for those original fans, but most of the show is easily accessible for different types of viewers. There are gory kill scenes, the return of original characters, but the real stars of the show are the newcomers. Jake, Lexy, Devon, and Junior are the new generation of Chucky, and they do a great job at it. It can be complicated to find the perfect kid actors to bring back the same nostalgic and campy feeling that so many get from the Child’s Play franchise, and Chucky truly has a similar sentiment.
The show doesn’t have an overly-fake feeling with the doll itself, even going back to its animatronic roots. A show about a killer doll can appear cheesy, but the doll being a robot instead of just CGI brings Chucky to life. When interviewed for Looper, Mancini voiced why he refused to use CGI on the show: “We didn't use any CGI in the series. We use visual effects to erase puppeteers and rods and cables and stuff, but the puppets themselves it's fully 100% animatronic. I think it was in Curse of Chucky, where I did two shots with a CG Chucky, and I really didn't want to. It wasn't my plan, it was just budget and time and desperation. The fans saw them instantly and they go, ‘What the hell is that?’ and it's like, ‘Okay, I'm sorry! I won't do it again!’”
With the first season of Chucky only having eight episodes but killing off more than half of its cast, it will be intriguing to see what Mancini will do with the new season. Will there be more returns of original characters? Will be there be new additions to the tight-knit middle schoolers? Fans will have to wait and see in 2022.