The Child’s Play series shifted toward horror-comedy in its later installments, a stark departure in tone from the first few films. The dark original, a surprise box office hit in 1988, spawned six sequels (so far), a reboot and television series now in development.
Taking a grounded approach to the “killer doll” subgenre, Child’s Play revolved around serial killer Charles “Chucky” Lee Ray, played by Brad Dourif, who uses a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into a child-size doll just before he dies. The doll, from a popular line called Good Guys, is given to young Andy (Alex Vincent) as a birthday gift. Chucky begins to use the child to help him to seek revenge on the people who wronged him. He also learns that he needs to transfer his soul into Andy before he becomes permanently stuck inside the doll he inhabits.
Directed by Tom Holland (Fright Night) from a story by Don Mancini, who co-wrote the screenplay with Holland and John Lafia, the film went on to gross over $33 million domestically, creating an instant franchise. Two years later Child’s Play 2 was released, following the resurrection of Chucky inside a new Good Guys doll and his pursuit of Andy, who is now in foster care. The sequel’s success led to a third installment, again pitting the killer doll against unfortunate target Andy, this time played by Justin Whalin. While the first three films featured different directors, each installment was either co-written or written by Mancini. His involvement would continue throughout the run of the franchise.
Why The Child’s Play Franchise Shifted Into Horror-Comedy
Mancini was responsible for shifting the storyline into a more comedic framework. While the original film had a streak of dark humor, each continuing installment began to focus more on Chucky and his sardonic approach to the mayhem. By the time Bride of Chucky, the fourth film, was released upon an unsuspecting public, any pretense of seriousness had been jettisoned. Director Ronny Yu’s campy comedy turned Chucky into a full-fledged anti-hero similar to Freddy Krueger in the later A Nightmare on Elm Street sequels. Mancini’s reasoning for the tonal shift was partly to subvert audience expectation. His reasoning was that follow-ups to horror films usually play it safe – offering the audience more of the same.
Mancini wanted to keep fans of the franchise surprised, changing the tone and motivation of Chucky as his journey progressed. Introducing Charles Lee Ray’s psychotic girlfriend Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) and injecting a dysfunctional love story into the narrative helped Bride of Chucky become the most successful installment worldwide. Mancini’s instincts helped to turn the franchise into a genuine cult phenomenon by taking the doll into fatherhood (Seed of Chucky) and even more self-referential territory with Cult of Chucky. While a slick reboot of the original Child’s Play failed to find an appreciative audience, Mancini is set to continue his version of the franchise with a new Chucky TV show premiering on SyFy this year.
Next: What To Expect From Chucky, The Child’s Play TV Show
