Listening To: Nothing : No-One

I was a bit bored yesterday, and IG was busy, so I decided to check out what was showing at the movies. I’m looking down the list, not feeling particularly inspired, when my eyes chance upon a title that brings an instant smile to my face. Seed of Chucky … “fŨckin A !”

Now, I’ve been a B-Grade Horror fan for a long, long time. And the Child’s Play franchise is certainly one of my faves, right up there with the zombie-splatter flicks of George Romero. I looove the Chuck, because “you don’t fŨck with the Chuck” … he’s one nasty little mother ! The previous installment in the series (Bride of Chucky) totally rocked, so it was with a definite sense of excitement that I handed over my $14.50 to see the latest sequel.

OK … so the first thing I should say is that I’m not sure whether our society isn’t slowly producing a generation of touchy-feely, tofu-eating (never mind that I’ve been having a vegetarian week this week), little WOOSIE BOYS & GIRLS, who would rather go see Somersby or The Lady & The Tramp than a good old-fashioned slasher movie … because I was completely alone in the cinema during the entire screening !!! What is wrong with you people ? We’re talking Child’s Play sequel here folks. Litres and litres of glorious technicolour stage blood, a demented killer doll or three, and some of the best one-liners you’re likely to hear this side of a Kevin Smith film - all these are virtually guaranteed.

That little rant aside, the film itself is an absolute beauty. We have Jennifer Tilly reprising her role as Tiffany (the eponimous ‘Bride of Chucky’ of the title) from the last movie, and simultaneously playing herself - which makes for some hilarious moments e.g. Tiffany saying “look at Jennifer Tilly … she’s so fŨcking fat !” and “what a slut“. Yes the plot is a little convoluted, but half of this is actually due to the complex, nay even ‘ambitious’ route the filmakers have embarked on.

What do I mean by the latter ? Seed of Chucky is not only highly self-reflexive (there is the whole ‘play-within-the-play’ aspect of Jennifer Tilly starring in a Chucky movie as part of the plot), but also an exploration of various aspects of (shizoid)-psychology. The ‘Seed of Chucky’ refers to Tiffany & Chucky’s bastard child, whom we saw being born very briefly in the closing shots of the last movie. Now the ’seed’ is all grown up, and is basically a conflicted transvestite named ‘Glenn/Glenda’ by hir quarrelsome parents. I won’t spoil the suspense and tell you if Glenn/Glenda turns out to be a chip off the old block … suffice to say finding out is half the fun !

Speaking of ‘Glenn/Glenda’ and its implicit Ed Wood reference, this movie, like the previous one in the series, is peppered with funky pop-culture allusions, both visual and spoken. There’s an ongoing joke about Jennifer Tilly being typecast since her role in Bound for example, and a little sequence in which Chucky and Glenn ram Brittany Spears off the road to a fiery death after she overtakes them and gives them the finger. These, and other moments I probably missed on first viewing make this movie a treat for pop-culture nerds & academics alike.

Naturally, no Child’s Play review would be complete without a mention of the undisputed star of the show, the ole’ Chuckster himself. The question on everyone’s lips : is Chucky still the bad-ass we know and love this time round ? I’ll let him answer that - “I’m a fŨcking killer, Tiff. I don’t have a ‘problem’ with that, and I’m not ashamed. It’s something I love doing, and it’s not something I’m gonna hide in the closet” … in other words … you bet your arse ! :)
Voiced as always by Brad Dourif, the Chuckster gets the juiciest one-liners and plenty of chances to use that demented, creepy, trademark laugh. Pushing the boundaries as usual - we saw killer doll sex in the last film, this time we get to see (in silhoutte only, thankgod) the Chuckster ‘pullin the pud’ during a sequence in which he has to provide Tiffany with more of his ’seed’ for an ‘artificial insemination’. The lead-up is hilarious … Tifanny leaves him alone in the room with a selection of nudie mags, and Chuck flicks through the covers “Hmm … done her …. hmm too thin … hmm” etc. until he comes upon the Dawn of the Dead issue of Fangoria “Aaaahh, now we’re talkin … come to daddy … heheheheheeee”

Overall then, I would give this movie 3¾ bloody daggers … it loses a quarter dagger because there should be more T&A, and Ms. Tilly (as herself) actually plays far less of a sex-pot than she did in Bride of Chucky. It’s definitely worth seeing though, especially if you’re a B-Grade horror fan like I am !