When it comes to the horror genre, there are certain franchises which reign supreme above all others when it comes to notoriety and fan loyalty. These include properties like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, and Halloween. However, just below those legends are a secondary tier of memorable horror franchises that don't quite draw the same respect, but still have plenty of fans regardless; properties like Hellraiser, Final Destination, and Saw. One such franchise of the secondary variety is Child's Play, best known for introducing the world to Chucky the killer doll, voiced by Oscar-nominee Brad Dourif.
Over the course of six films, Chucky has gone through quite the odd evolution, starting out as a mostly serious serial killer turned doll in the original Child's Play film, before transitioning to a more Freddy Krueger-style murderous comedian in the first two sequels. Then 1998's Bride of Chucky happened, which came out during the post-Scream era of self-referential slasher films. While mostly enjoyed by fans, Bride was the most outwardly silly entry in the series to date, and things only got more nuts with 2005's Seed of Chucky. Unfortunately, Seed's madcap insanity turned off quite a few people, even those who enjoyed Bride.
Following the critical and commercial failure of Seed of Chucky, the Child's Play franchise lay dormant for nearly a decade, before bursting back onto the genre scene with 2013's Curse of Chucky. Going into Curse, many fans worried that the fact that the film went direct to video meant that the sequel would hit even lower lows than Seed. Thankfully, franchise creator Don Mancini - who's written all six films and directed the last two - took the anti-Seed backlash to heart, taking Chucky mostly back to his horrific roots with Curse, presenting a pint-sized killer more brutal and savage than he had been in many years. Will that upward trend continue? Universal sure hopes so, as they've just released the announcement trailer for and plot synopsis of Cult of Chucky, the upcoming 7th film in the series.
Here is the official synopsis for Curse of Chucky, to go with the announcement trailer (seen above):
“Confined to an asylum for the criminally insane for the past four years, Nica Pierce (Fiona Dourif) is erroneously convinced that she, not Chucky, murdered her entire family. But when her psychiatrist introduces a new therapeutic “tool” to facilitate his patients’ group sessions — an all-too-familiar “Good Guy” doll with an innocently smiling face — a string of grisly deaths begins to plague the asylum, and Nica starts to wonder if maybe she isn’t crazy after all. Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent), Chucky’s now-grown-up nemesis from the original Child’s Play, races to Nica’s aid. But to save her he’ll have to get past Tiffany (Oscar-nominee Jennifer Tilly), Chucky’s long-ago bride, who will do anything, no matter how deadly or depraved, to help her beloved devil doll.”
Those that enjoyed Curse will be happy to see that Cult will directly continue the plot threads of its predecessor, down to the return of Curse's widely-praised "final girl" Nica (Fiona Dourif, Brad's daughter). Also making a welcome full-scale return are Alex Vincent as Andy and Jennifer Tilly as Tiffany, who made brief appearances as their respective characters during the post-credits sequence of Curse. Mancini will also once again write and direct.
Unclear is why exactly the film is called Cult of Chucky, outside of it just being a catchy title. Judging by the above synopsis, there doesn't appear to a be a cult involved, unless of course the aforementioned patients in Nica's group sessions all end up falling under Chucky's spell. After all, he can be quite persuasive - just ask his bride.
Cult of Chucky starts shooting next week, and will hit DVD, Blu-ray, and digital sometime this fall.
Source: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment