2) Bride Of Chucky
As everyone could tell the Chucky franchise was growing stale, seven years passed before anyone thought of reviving the iconic killer, but after enough rest, Don Mancini got the itch to reinvent Chucky, and boy did his gamble pay off. Bride Of Chucky is easily my second favorite film in the Child’s Play franchise, and might even be one of my favorite ’90s horror movies. Where past films had hinted at Chucky’s comedic possibilities, Mancini completely embraced the humor for his fourth sequel – but didn’t go too over the top. We still got the Chucky we know and love, albeit with a Frankenstein makeover, but Bride Of Chucky works just as well as an homage to the slasher genre, as horror genre references can be found anywhere.
The introduction of Jennifer Tilly’s character Tiffany provided a much needed change of pace, setting up hilarious exchanges between a killer doll and his equally murderous wife, hitting on a Bonnie and Clyde vibe – but with a lot more cursing, mutilating, and John Ritter death scenes. Chucky had a partner in crime, but Mancini was able to present Tiffany in a way that wasn’t too inconceivable – for a Child’s Play movie.
The differences between Bride Of Chucky and Seed Of Chucky are very significant, even though both attempt to wrangle in dark comedy. Bride Of Chucky does so with the correct atmosphere, as Ronny Yu’s film stays maniacal, dark, ominous, full of scares, and loaded with strange twists that work on a highly comedic level. When Chucky proposes after Tiffany slaughters a couple during sex, this prompts one of the funniest sex scenes ever, but the act isn’t overdone like it would be in Seed Of Chucky. While completely ridiculous, Yu merely shows shadows against a wall, and Mancini’s condom joke makes the moment unforgettable – but the joke ends there. After that, we’re right back to the horror, and Chucky turns back into the hellspawn he is.
Mancini’s fresh take was all about the little things, such as Chucky telling the newly dolled-up Tiffany to “act natural,” and instead of just sitting there like a doll would, we see the Tiffany doll laying back with her arm on her forehead like a damsel in distress. It’s quick, doesn’t really grab your attention, but when you actually catch moments like this, you realize the new territory a sinisterly hilarious Chucky movie can explore.
Bride Of Chucky was the invigorating kick Mancini’s franchise needed, displaying hilarious horror comedy and a new side of Chucky that fans absolutely adored, rocketing the killer doll into an all new level of cult worship. It’s a damn shame Seed Of Chucky took such a nosedive, because it looked like Mancini was really on to something special here.