Chucky (2021) - A Lot to Talk About

There's a lot to talk about with Chucky, so this is a long one:

Some people were excited at the new Chucky T.V series bringing back the old Chucky design (complete with Dourif voicing once more) and others were excited at the hinted LGBT+ themes and almost all, it seemed, were happy with how the end result came out. (Including me, and I thought, from the first trailer, that it was just going to be another reboot on old ground.)

The Chucky series follows Jake Wheeler (Zachary Arthur), who gets more than he bargained for when he buys a vintage (not antique) doll at a garage sale. However, we also begin to follow Nica (Fiona Dourif), from Curse/Cult of Chucky, as things generally go from worse to even worse for her. Oh, and we get Chucky's backstory too. The show is ambitious, and for the most part, handles these three lines easily. Each episode has no room for filler, keeping the writing tight and fast-paced.

First off, its incredibly cool to have such a queer horror series; to have Jake be out and comfortable with that (even if his dad isn't), and to have such a sweet relationship between him and Devon (Bjorgvin Arnarson). Its an authentic, tender first-love with some beautiful cinematography, particularly in that first kiss scene. It would have been even better for a few more snapshots before this - it wasn't entirely clear how close Jake and Devon were as friends before this and the fast-pace of the show did make it feel like there was a scene or two missing.

It's also kind of awesome to get the flip-side of that, and have an extremely toxic relationship between Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) and Nica/Chucky. (Because even with Chucky, their relationship is volatile.) Tilly's giving it her all, as always, and her scenes are a delight. Her obsessive love is fanfic-fuel and as always, have some of the best one liners:

"My mother always said 'never let a man cockblock you from what makes you happy,' and eating makes me happy."

It was all in good fun until that final scene. It's sparked many a strong emotion online, with a lot of people turning on Tiffany completely. Considering Netflix's Ratched and American Horror Story have already trodden similar ground, I can't say I found it "a step too far" or "too horrible for TV." (These are just quotes that stuck in my mind, I'm not linking to them.) But I was intrigued as to where Nica's character could go next. It makes an interesting challenge for both the writing team and Fiona Dourif, but not impossible. (And frankly, thinking Nica's "better off dead" is kind of ableist.) Many fans seem to theorize we'll see Nica in a doll of her own, and frankly, that would be pretty cool.

So whilst Tiffany/Nica isn't a happy, healthy relationship, it is fun and intriguing, similar to Hannibal. Because, yes, we should have complicated, messy queer relationships as well as happy ones.

Fiona Dourif also had the job of playing both a Chucky-possessed-Nica, in completely changing her voice and body language, and is just as fun to watch with Tiffany. As well as playing a young Charles Lee Ray, and is startlingly similar. (Yes, he's her dad, but still. We're saved from Disney's uncanny valley de-aging.)

Unfortunately, Chucky's backstory isn't all that interesting. This was something heavily promoted before the shows release, but takes up barely any screen time. It's a rather run-of-the-mill, he was always a 'psycho,' one and doesn't flesh out the character at all. The most interesting thing about Charles Lee Ray is probably that, as a white man, he's talented enough in voodoo to transfer his soul into a doll. This is explained with a throw-away joke, and I still can't decide if that's funny or frustrating. I'm not that bothered about the strange ret-cons in the backstory, since it all just feels like it was thrown in as an afterthought.

But I meant to talk about the kids more. Like Stranger Things, Chucky focuses on its teen protagonists, including walking stereotype Lexi (Alyvia Alyn Lind). Our blonde bully torments Jake at school for...well, not being gay, which is nice. Just...being strange, I suppose. It all comes to a head at Halloween, with Chucky pushing Jake to just kill her off, which is the catalyst to her redemption arc.

And actually, Lexi's redemption arc is one of the better ones I've seen since Avatar:The Last Airbender. She becomes rather likeable and bad-ass whilst staying feminine and has good chemistry with Jake and Devon. Again, it felt like there was just a scene or two missing to really cement this - she never did, genuinely, apologize for Halloween. That, for me, still niggles.

Junior, then, is the least interesting. With the least screen time too, his arc feels like they had an idea for the rest of the plot, and he worked well enough into it. He's fine, if forgettable. Overall, whilst easy to say they're jumping on the horror bandwagon of making it all about the kids, these kids are likeable, compelling protagonists. They're fully realised and authentic, which is more than can be said for the cast of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark.

There are more returning characters from the series in Andy (Alex Vincent) and Kyle (Christine Elise), on a mission to destroy the cult of Chucky. They work best when they're together, as alone Andy's a just a little bland. The hint at his darker side, of enjoying torturing Chucky, is a facet that would be more interesting to see. Kyle was definitely my favourite in Child's Play 2, so it was awesome to see her all grown up...whilst it lasted. (That gloved hand at the end had better be her, otherwise, what a waste!)

Then there's the man (doll?) himself. Chucky. He's still the same wise-cracking killer, delivering creatively gruesome kills the whole way through the series. The little guy looks fantastic, with fluid motion and great facial expressions that really bring him to life. There's not a lot to say - it's Chucky. It's what you'd expect from Chucky. That's a very good thing. Even if his plan isn't well-explained, it's just entertaining to see him back.

This show hasn't pulled its punches with its kill counts, emotional beats or breadth of the story. It's unapologetic, strongly written and has left lots of room for another series. The Tiffany doll is back! Will we see Glen? What's next for our doll-killing heroes?

At just 9 episodes, Chucky tells a compelling, tight-narrative that's knows when to enter and leave, and is definitely worth a watch. It's handling its complicated many sequelled history with enough humour to excuse the convolution, and is definitely worth a watch.

(And how cool is it that we're getting queer horror like this?!)