Bride of Chucky was the fourth installment in the Child's Play franchise. It was directed by Ronny Yu and written by Don Mancini. Many fans and critics have noted this is where the series took a more comedic turn. And while some still debate about its scare factor it has been praised as one of the series' better sequels if not the best.
Inspired by Bride of Frankenstein, Chucky (Brad Dourif) is resurrected by his old flame Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), and shortly after she finds herself in the same predicament as her beau. In honor of its approaching 22nd anniversary (October 16th), here are 10 behind-the-scenes facts about Bride of Chucky.
Recycled Death Scene
As the case with filmmaking, characters and scenes can end up on the cutting room floor due to a variety of reasons. However, it is not often they are later reimplemented. In Don Mancini's original script for Child's Play, he penned the babysitter's demise as being electrocuted by Chucky whilst in the bathtub. This was later changed in the final film and went unused. However, Mancini explained on the DVD's actors commentary that he decided to reincorporate it for Bride. It has since been regarded as one of the most inventive deaths in the franchise.
Personal Beef with Martha Stewart
In the film, Tiffany mentions her idol being renowned cook Martha Stewart. She then suggests to Chucky that he follow one of Stewart's tips when debating how to kill Cheif Kincaid (John Ritter). Later on, Tiffany cursed out Stewart in frustration. Funnily, when Tilly guest-starred on The Roseanne Show in 1998 she mentioned attempting to follow Stewart's tip on how to remove an avocado pit with a knife. However, it ended in a bloody mess. Roseanne gave Tilly a chance to redeem her mistake to which Tilly joked, "I won't do it the Martha Stewart way. I will do it the Jennifer Tilly way."
Sex Scene
One of the standout moments in the film was when Chucky and Tiffany had sex following their nuptials. While the scene was in the original script there was no dialogue. According to the DVD's actors commentary, while Jennifer Tilly and Brad Dourif were looping dialogue she asked if they could improvise some noises for the scene to which they allowed. Tilly and Dourif had a ball while recording and one of the biggest laughs came when Tiff asked Chucky if he had protection to which he quipped, "look at me! I'm all rubber!"
Piggy Piggy
In the last moments of the film, Tiffany was presumed dead but suddenly awoke to the shock of Lt. Preston (Lawerence Dane) and experienced a traumatic birth before immediately dying. Their spawn (later named Glen/Glenda) wailed uncontrollably before pouncing on Preston.
The baby's sounds were not human but instead a pig's. This factoid was revealed on the DVD's actors commentary. This was purposely done as they wanted the offspring to sound inhuman. Later on, in Seed of Chucky, Glen/Glenda was voiced by Billy Boyd.
Jennifer Tilly's Casting
For the role of Tiffany, screenwriter According to Buzzfeed News, Don Mancini wrote the character with Jennifer Tilly in mind. He was convinced after seeing her performance in Bound. While there were some doubts about hiring such a big name, they were eventually able to secure her for the part of Chucky's ex-girlfriend. Since then, Tilly has become an important figure in the franchise as Tiffany and herself. She also became close friends with Mancini and credits him for her love of horror.
Emotional Scene
Actors have been known to get caught up in the moment and this instance was no different. During the climax of the film, a disheveled Tiffany proclaims her love to Chucky, uttering the monster of Frankenstein's (Boris Karloff) line from The Bride of Frankenstein "we belong dead." While recording the scene both Tilly and Dourif were weeping due to the heart-aching moment. This was revealed on the DVD's actors commentary. For a franchise as grisly and bloody as Child's Play scenes like these are rare but welcomed.
Personal Wardrobe
While actors sometimes wear their clothing in films (especially if it is low-budget) the wardrobe department usually has them covered. However, Tilly brought some of her clothing to wear as Tiffany. This was revealed during a panel for Bride and Seed. This is something she does for every film as she has come across instances where the attire did not accommodate her unique figure. Although, she did pay kudos to the film's costume designer. Some of her items that appeared onscreen included the black dress and Gucci shoes she wore when Jesse (Nick Stabile) was introduced.
Marilyn Manson
Damien Baylock (Alexis Arquette) was Tiffany's wannabe boyfriend and later an unfortunate victim of Chucky's. Baylock's true identity was later revealed to be Howard Fitzwater. In the newscast, the gothic Damien was compared to his more subdued, be-spectacled, and cleanshaven former self.
This alluded to singer Marilyn Manson and his original moniker Brian Warner. Originally, Mancini offered the role to Manson but he declined. Manson is one of a few high profile names who were offered parts in the franchise including director Quentin Tarantino among others. This was discussed during a panel for Bride and Seed.
Horror Movie References Galore
Being a lover of horror, Mancini did not hold out on references to various films and characters. In the evidence locker scene, notorious artifacts from A Nightmare On Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Halloween and Texas Chainsaw Massacre could be spotted. Meanwhile, Damian Baylock's name was comprised of antichrist Damian and his babysitter Mrs. Baylock from the classic The Omen. Additionally, Cheif Kincaid's peculiar deceased state paid tribute to the Cenobite from Hellraiser.
Time Lapse
Child's Play III was released seven years before Bride of Chucky. The explanation for the wide time gap was attributed to the film's poor box office performance. Mancini felt by the time he wrote the third installment he was creatively drained and faced pressure from Universal to write the next sequel. Despite this significant time gap the movie takes place a month following the events of the last film. For further movies, until Curse of Chucky, this would become a regular thing due to various circumstances. This was discussed during a panel for Bride and Seed.