{{Short description|2013 film by Don Mancini}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Infobox film | name = Curse of Chucky | image = Curse of Chucky.jpg | alt = | caption = Home video release poster | native_name = | director = [[Don Mancini]] | producer = [[David Kirschner]] | writer = Don Mancini | based_on = {{based on|[[Child's Play (1988 film)|Characters]]|Don Mancini}} | narrator = | starring = {{plainlist| * [[Fiona Dourif]] * [[Danielle Bisutti]] * [[Brennan Elliott]] * Maitland McConnell * [[Chantal Quesnel]]le * [[Summer H. Howell]] * [[A Martinez]] * [[Brad Dourif]] }} | music = [[Joseph LoDuca]] | cinematography = Michael Marshall | editing = [[James Coblentz]] | studio = [[Universal Pictures|Universal 1440 Entertainment]] | distributor = [[Universal Studios Home Entertainment]] | released = {{Film date|2013|08|02|[[Fantasia Festival]]|2013|09|24|[[Video on demand|VOD]]|2013|10|08|DVD/Blu-ray}} | runtime = 96 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = $5 million<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hX6CFt1QiM4 |title= FrightFest 2013 - Don Mancini & Fiona Dourif Discuss Curse Of Chucky |work=[[YouTube]]|date= 5 September 2013 |access-date=September 25, 2022}}</ref> | gross = }}
'''''Curse of Chucky''''' is a 2013 American [[Supernatural horror film|supernatural]] [[slasher film]]<ref name="std" /><ref>{{cite web|first= Darren |last= Mooney |title= Chucky Has Always Been Mass-Produced and One of a Kind |website= [[The Escapist (magazine)|The Escapist]] |date= 14 January 2022 |access-date= 17 August 2023 |url= https://www.escapistmagazine.com/chucky-franchise-singular-vision-don-mancini/}}</ref> written and directed by [[Don Mancini]], who created the franchise and wrote every previous entry. It is the sixth, and the first direct-to-video, mainline installment of the [[Child's Play (franchise)|''Child's Play'' franchise]]. The film stars [[Fiona Dourif]], [[Danielle Bisutti]], [[Brennan Elliott]], Maitland McConnell, [[Chantal Quesnel]]le, [[Summer H. Howell]], and [[A Martinez]], with [[Brad Dourif]] as the voice of [[Chucky (Child's Play)|Chucky]].
''Curse of Chucky'' sees a return to the franchise's source material, bringing back the straightforward [[Horror film|horror]] elements found in the first ''Child's Play'' film. In the United States, it premiered via [[Video on demand|VOD]] on September 24, 2013, followed by a DVD and Blu-ray Disc release on October 8, 2013. It received generally positive reviews from critics and was also turned into a scare zone for 2013's annual [[Halloween Horror Nights]] at [[Universal Studios Hollywood]]. Though ''Curse of Chucky'' was made with a direct-to-video release in mind, it was also seen theatrically in several countries, like Brazil. The film was followed by ''[[Cult of Chucky]]'' in 2017.
==Plot== A mysterious package arrives at the home of Sarah Pierce and her [[Paraplegia|paraplegic]] daughter [[Nica Pierce|Nica]]. Inside, they find a "Good Guys" doll. Confused, Sarah throws the doll away. That night, Nica is awakened by Sarah screaming and encounters her corpse; the death is ruled a suicide.
Nica is visited by her older sister, Barb, her husband Ian, daughter Alice, live-in [[nanny]] Jill (with whom Barb is secretly having an [[affair]]), and [[priest]] Father Frank. Alice discovers [[Chucky (Child's Play)|Chucky]] and bonds with him. That night, Chucky secretly poisons Father Frank. Becoming sick, he leaves and is decapitated in a [[traffic collision|car accident]]. Police officer Stanton heads to the Pierce house, knowing Father Frank was visiting.
While the family watches old [[home movies]], Nica notices someone peculiar in the footage. She researches Chucky and learns that he was sent from an evidence depository. She finds news reports online of previous murders linked to him, along with a picture of Charles Lee Ray, Chucky's human form. She recognizes Ray as the peculiar man from their home movie.
Chucky fatally electrocutes Jill. Barb leaves to look for Alice and awakens Ian, who reveals that he placed a [[hidden camera]] in Chucky and knows of her affair. In the attic, Barb finds Chucky and discovers he has been concealing [[Bride of Chucky|stitches and wounds on his face]] beneath a layer of plastic. He comes to life and stabs her in the eye before chasing Nica.
Nica wakes up Ian, who tries to escape with her. However, when she grabs an axe to defend herself, Ian accuses her of being the killer. Nica suffers a [[heart attack]] and passes out, and then she awakens taped up by Ian. After Chucky murders Ian with the axe, Nica frees herself but is thrown off the [[balcony]] in the main hall. She asks why he murdered her family and Chucky explains that when he was human, he was a friend of their family and in love with Sarah. In 1988, he murdered Nica's father and kidnapped Sarah, but was found by the police. Believing Sarah led them to him, Charles stabbed her in the stomach, resulting in Nica's paraplegia. He then fled, [[Child's Play (1988 film)|leading to his death]].
In an ensuing struggle, Nica gets the upper hand and stabs Chucky. However, he reanimates as Stanton arrives. Nica is arrested, found guilty of the murders, and is [[mental institution|institutionalized]]. Stanton leaves to deliver Chucky to an unknown buyer, only to be murdered by [[Tiffany Valentine]], who mails Chucky to Alice. After smothering Alice's grandmother, Chucky begins to enact a voodoo chant to transfer his soul into Alice's body.
In a post-credits scene, Chucky is mailed to [[Andy Barclay]], now an adult. However, Andy surprises him first and shoots him with a [[shotgun]].
==Cast== {{Main|List of Child's Play characters}} {{castlist| * [[Fiona Dourif]] as [[Nica Pierce]] * [[Brad Dourif]] as the voice of [[Chucky (character)|Chucky]] ** [[Debbie Lee Carrington]] as Chucky (in-suit performer)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://movieweb.com/debbie-lee-carrington-dead-58-years-old/|title=Actress Debbie Lee Carrington, 'Total Recall,' 'Bride of Chucky' Dies at 58|date=25 March 2018}}</ref> * [[Danielle Bisutti]] as Barb Pierce * [[Brennan Elliott]] as Ian * Maitland McConnell as Jill * [[Chantal Quesnel]]le as Sarah Pierce * [[Summer H. Howell]] as Alice Pierce * [[A Martinez]] as Father Frank * [[Jennifer Tilly]] as [[Tiffany Valentine]] * Adam Hurtig as Officer Stanton * [[Jordan Gavaris]] as Ex-Delivery guy *[[Alex Vincent (actor)|Alex Vincent]] as [[Andy Barclay (Child's Play)|Andy Barclay]] * [[Catherine Hicks]] as Karen Barclay (photograph, during post-credits scene) * [[Chris Sarandon]] as Detective Mike Norris (archive footage) * [[Christine Elise]] as [[Kyle (Child's Play)|Kyle]] (photograph, during post-credits scene) }}
==Production== In an August 2008 interview, [[Don Mancini]] and [[David Kirschner]] spoke of a planned [[Reboot (fiction)|reboot]] of the [[Chucky (franchise)|''Chucky'' franchise]], to be written and directed by Mancini. They described their choice of a [[remake]] over a sequel as a response to the will of the fans, who "want to see a scary Chucky movie again... to go back to the straightforward horror rather than the horror comedy." They indicated that [[Brad Dourif]] would return as the voice of Chucky.<ref name="AICN">{{cite web|url=http://www.aintitcool.com/node/37997|title= Quint chats up Don Mancini, David Kirschner and Michelle Gold about the CHILD'S PLAY REMAKE and the new DVD!!!|publisher=[[Ain't It Cool News]]|date=August 19, 2008|access-date=July 16, 2013}}</ref>
In a subsequent interview, Mancini described the [[remake]] as a darker and scarier retelling of the [[Child's Play (1988 film)|original film]], but one that, while having new twists and turns, would not stray too far from the original concept.<ref name="STYD">{{cite web|url=http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=7637|title=''Child's Play''Mancini&Kirschner|date=September 8, 2008|work=ShockTillYouDrop.com|publisher=CraveOnline Media|access-date=October 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120901100630/http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=7637|archive-date=September 1, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> At a 2009 horror convention, Dourif confirmed his role in the remake.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slashfilm.com/mgm-rolling-childs-play-remake/|title=MGM Gets Rolling On A 'Child's Play' Remake|date=25 March 2011|access-date=25 March 2011}}</ref> At a reunion panel at the Mad Monster Party horror and sci-fi convention, the cast and crew from the original film confirmed that both a remake and a [[Spin-off (media)|spin-off]] are in development. Writer Don Mancini and producer David Kirschner worked on a sequel then titled ''Revenge of Chucky''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.moviehole.net/201253637-the-cynical-optimist-childs-play-spin-off-revenge-of-chucky-in-the-works|title=The Cynical Optimist: Child's Play spin-off Revenge of Chucky in the works!|date=March 28, 2012|access-date=March 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331000324/http://www.moviehole.net/201253637-the-cynical-optimist-childs-play-spin-off-revenge-of-chucky-in-the-works|archive-date=March 31, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The sequel entered the production in 2012, entitled ''Curse of Chucky'', and was intended for a [[direct-to-video]] release.
===Filming=== The film began production in early September 2012 in [[Winnipeg|Winnipeg, Manitoba]], Canada,<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 5, 2012 |title=Curse of Chucky Starts Production in Winnipeg |url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=94393 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020151336/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=94393 |archive-date=October 20, 2012 |access-date=January 18, 2023 |website=[[ComingSoon.net]]}}</ref> and ended in mid-October.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}}
Brad Dourif portrayed Charles Lee Ray in his human form for the first time since ''[[Child's Play (1988 film)|Child's Play]]'' (1988), in flashback scenes set before the first film. Makeup, lighting and strategic camera angles were used to make Dourif appear younger.<ref>{{cite web | title=Brad Dourif Talks CURSE OF CHUCKY | website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] | date=29 September 2013 | url=https://collider.com/brad-dourif-talks-performing-adr-death-scenes-how-he-keeps-chucky-from-feeling-repetitive-and-more-on-the-set-of-curse-of-chucky/ }}</ref>
==Release== ''Curse of Chucky'' had its world premiere on August 2, 2013, at the [[Fantasia Festival]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2013/en/films-schedule/235/curse-of-chucky|title=Curse of Chucky|publisher=[[Fantasia Festival]]|access-date=July 16, 2013|archive-date=July 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130715005848/http://www.fantasiafestival.com/2013/en/films-schedule/235/curse-of-chucky|url-status=dead}}</ref> in [[Montreal]], and its European premiere at the [[London FrightFest Film Festival]] on August 22, accompanied by screenings of the original trilogy of [[Child's Play (franchise)|''Child's Play'' films]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.frightfest.co.uk/films/2013frightfest/2013films/2013film4fright1.html|title=2013 Film4 FrightFest-Curse Of Chucky|publisher=[[London FrightFest Film Festival]]|access-date=July 16, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130701042213/http://www.frightfest.co.uk/films/2013frightfest/2013films/2013film4fright1.html|archive-date=July 1, 2013}}</ref> In the U.S., the film premiered via [[Video on demand|VOD]] on September 24, 2013. The DVD/Blu-ray was released on October 8, 2013, and domestically grossed $3,821,602 in the first month.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://the-numbers.com/movie/Curse-of-Chucky#tab=summary|title=Curse of Chucky (2013)|work=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]]|access-date=February 27, 2020}}</ref>
==Reception== On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], 78% of 18 critics have given the film a positive review, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The site's critics consensus states: "The franchise hex of disappointing sequels is broken by going back to basics in this chilling entry, restoring a sense of playfulness to the Chucky saga."<ref name="rottentomatoes.com">{{cite web|url=https://rottentomatoes.com/m/curse_of_chucky/|title=Curse of Chucky (2013) |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=March 28, 2020}}</ref> According to [[Metacritic]], the film received "mixed or average" reviews based on an average score of 58 out of 100 from 5 critics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/curse-of-chucky|title=Curse of Chucky|website=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref>
An early review posted on ''[[Bloody Disgusting]]'' on August 2, 2013, was very favorable of the film. In it, [[Brad Miska]] stated, "''Curse of Chucky'' may just be the best home video sequel since ''[[Wrong Turn 2: Dead End|Wrong Turn 2]]''. It's alarmingly good, which puts pressure on Universal to answer as to why they didn't let Mancini shoot this for theaters." He continued to say, "Chucky fans should rejoice... ''Curse of Chucky'' is clearly going to re-ignite the franchise for years to come."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3246893/fantasia-13-review-curse-of-chucky-brings-the-old-school-wrath-of-childs-play/|title=[Fantasia '13 Review] 'Curse of Chucky' Recalls Old School Wrath of 'Child's Play'! - Bloody Disgusting|website=bloody-disgusting.com|date=3 August 2013}}</ref> Ryan Larson of [[Shock Till You Drop]] also wrote a mostly positive review, saying, "the movie does so much right that it's easy to overlook the very few flaws it has. The pacing and writing coincide to create a fun blood-soaked jaunt that never gets boring or dull." He goes on to praise the director, pointing out that "Mancini (pulling double duty as writer as well as director) does a great job at introducing and ushering off characters in a fashion that doesn't bog the film down with a bunch of characters who get three minutes of film time before getting the axe, or butcher knife in this case. The kills are kitschy, but in the best way possible, waxing nostalgic of the slasher films of the late eighties and early nineties."<ref name="std">{{cite web|url=http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/reviews/176329-review-curse-of-chucky/|title=Review: Curse of Chucky|date=26 September 2013|access-date=17 August 2023|first=Ryan|last=Larson|website=[[Shock Till You Drop]]|archive-date=28 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928053529/http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/reviews/176329-review-curse-of-chucky/|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref>
In Brazil, Chucky inspired two episodes of the "Hidden Camera" (Câmeras Escondidas) show broadcast by the local SBT channel.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1eUF__1hY0&ab_channel=C%C3%A2merasEscondidasProgramaSilvioSantos|title=A Maldição de Chucky - Curse of Chucky - Susto no ponto de ônibus|website=[[YouTube]] |date=26 November 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7gx51NBtpo&ab_channel=C%C3%A2merasEscondidasProgramaSilvioSantos|title=O Culto de Chucky 2 - Cult Of Chucky Prank 2|website=[[YouTube]] |date=10 July 2019}}</ref>
==Accolades== At the film's world premiere at the [[Montreal]] [[Fantasia Festival]], it received a Gold Award for Best International Feature.<ref>fantasia-13-curse-of-chucky-wins-audience-award-big-bad-wolves-for-best-film</ref>
The film also received a nomination for [[Saturn Award for Best DVD or Blu-ray Release|Best DVD or Blu-ray Release]] at the [[40th Saturn Awards]].
==Sequels== The film was followed by ''[[Cult of Chucky]]'' in 2017 and the TV series [[Chucky (TV series)|Chucky]] in 2021.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb title|2230358|Curse of Chucky}} * {{Rotten Tomatoes|curse_of_chucky}}
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{{Child's Play}} {{David Kirschner}}
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