The Child's Play Franchise

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Child's Play is an American horror film franchise created by Don Mancini that consists of six slasher films, starring Academy Award nominee Brad Dourif. The first installment, Child's Play, was released on November 9, 1988. The film has spawned five sequels and has gone into other media, such as comic books. The films are all centered on Charles Lee Ray (played by Dourif) aka Chucky, a notorious serial killer known as the "Lakeshore Strangler" whose soul is trapped inside a Good Guy doll following a voodoo ritual to avoid the afterlife and possibly going to hell. The first, second, and fourth films were box office successes with all of the films earning over $182 million worldwide. Including revenues from sales of videos, DVDs, VOD and merchandise, the franchise has generated over $250 million.

The series originally started out as straight horror with the first installment Child's Play, which appears to have more psychological horror elements while its successors are straightforward slasher films with elements of humor. As the films progressed, they became satirical and campy, until the series briefly became a gothic horror comedy, beginning with 1998's Bride of Chucky and 2004's Seed of Chucky. On June 23, 2012, it was confirmed that a new sequel to Child's Play would be made under the title Curse of Chucky and be released direct-to-video. Unlike Bride and Seed, Curse of Chucky is a full-fledged horror film much like the original three installments. However, it does maintain the campy humor to a small degree. Since 1998's Bride of Chucky, titles have no longer been released under the Child's Play brand name and now use the Chucky brand name and will continue to do so with future installments. Chucky has also appeared in TV commercials. It also won a Saturn Award for the Best Horror Franchise.

A seventh installment, titled Cult of Chucky was announced for a 2017 release.

 

 

THE FILMS:

 

 

Child's Play is a 1988 American supernatural slasher film directed and co-written by Tom Holland and produced by David Kirschner from a story by Don Mancini. It is the first film in the Child's Play franchise and the first installment to feature the character Chucky. It stars Catherine Hicks, Dinah Manoff, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, and Brad Dourif. Hicks plays a widowed mother who gives her son a doll for his birthday, unaware that the doll is possessed by the soul of an infamous serial killer.

 

Child's Play 2 is a 1990 American supernatural slasher film and the sequel to Child's Play, written by Don Mancini and directed by John Lafia, who one of co-writers in the first film. It is the second film in the Child's Play franchise and set two years after the first film, the plot follows Charles Lee Ray (better known as Chucky) continuing his pursuit for Andy Barclay, who placed in foster care and transferring his soul into him after being resurrected. The film stars Alex Vincent, who returns as Andy Barclay; Gerrit Graham and BAFTA-winner Jenny Agutter as Andy's foster parents; Christine Elise as Kyle; and Brad Dourif as the voice of Chucky. It is also noted for being the debut appearance of Adam Wylie. Unlike its predecessor, the sequel uses more comic elements in regard to the Chucky character.

 

In 1998, eight years after the Chucky's second demise in the Play Pals factory, The Play Pals company has recovered from bad publicity brought along by Chucky's (voiced by Brad Dourif) murder spree and resumes manufacturing of the Good Guy dolls. The company releases a new line of Good Guy dolls and recycles Chucky's remains. However, the soul of serial killer Charles Lee Ray still inhabits the remains, and Chucky is soon revived.

 

Unlike the first three Child's Play films, this film takes a more humorous turn and often into self-referential parody. It does not continue on with the concept of a child victim in possession of the doll, thus the absence of Child's Play in the title. From this entry and onward, Chucky became the official brand name of the film series. Bride of Chucky follows the events of Child's Play 3 in continuity, but not tonally or in a continuation of those films' overall plot (where Chucky pursued the character Andy Barclay in the first and second films and later Ronald Tyler in the third film). This film also marks Chucky's new permanent look, a more frightening appearance in which his face is covered in stitches, staples, and scars following his fate in Child's Play 3. Although made seven years after, the setting is one month following the events depicted in Child's Play 3, as the previous film took place chronologically in 1998 anyway, eight years after Child's Play 2. It was followed by Seed of Chucky in 2004, set six years after the film.

 

Child's Play 5: Seed of Chucky is a 2004 American supernatural comedy horror film, the fifth installment of the Child's Play series, and sequel to 1998's Bride of Chucky. The film was written and directed by Don Mancini, who created the series and has written all of the films. With this entry, Mancini made his directorial debut. The film is set six years after Child's Play 3 and Bride of Chucky and follows a young doll named Glen, the son of Chucky and Tiffany, resurrecting his parents, causing chaos.

 

Curse of Chucky is a 2013 American supernatural slasher film and the sixth installment of the Child's Play franchise. The film was written and directed by Don Mancini, who created the franchise and wrote all films to date. It stars Brad Dourif as Chucky and Fiona Dourif as Nica Pierce, as well as Danielle Bisutti, A Martinez and Brennan Elliott. The film grossed $3.4 million in DVD sales. Twenty-five years after the first film, Chucky (voiced by Brad Dourif) mysteriously arrives in the mail to the home of paraplegic Nica Pierce (Fiona Dourif) and her mother Sarah (Chantal Quesnel).

 

Nica Pierce has spent the past four years in a mental institution after her family members were murdered, a crime she did not commit. Her psychiatrist gives her a Good Guy doll as a therapeutic tool. Soon afterwards, a new string of murders take place around the asylum, making Nica suspect that Chucky, the possessed doll behind the crimes she was accused of and whom she has concluded is a figment of her imagination, is behind her predicament. Meanwhile, Chucky's old nemesis Andy comes to Nica's aid, while dealing with Tiffany, Chucky's bride.

 

 

 

THE MAIN PLAYERS:

 

 

Chucky-

 

Andy Barclay-

 

Tiffany-

 

Karen Barclay-

 

Detective Mike Norris-

 

Kyle-

 

Tyler-

 

 

Jade-

 

Jesse-

 

Glen/Glenda-

 

Jennifer Tilly-

 

Nica-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DISCUSS

[Borislshere 52,668]

The Child's play series aka gods gift. 

[Sizzily 14,543]

I thought there were way more  

[Miel 15,009]

The first film, and Bride of Chucky, are honestly amazing.

[Borislshere 52,668]

I probably know more about this franchise than I do my own life/self tbh. I can't wait for Cult 

[High King 640]

Not gonna lie, Curse of Chucky was actually a pretty good return to form for the series, and I'm looking forward to the next entry. Can't wait to see Tiffany again!

[Hades 27,980]

I'll pretend Seed of Chucky never happened and i'm looking forward to Cult.

[JustaMonster 4,909]

I've never seen any of these movies, I kinda forgot they even exist  Maybe I should watch them

[Space Cowboy 11,670]

Can't even tell you how many times i replayed this scene as a child  

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4 minutes ago, JustaMonster said:

I've never seen any of these movies, I kinda forgot they even exist  Maybe I should watch them

You gotta get on it! (First three are the best)

[Sailor 3,321]

I actually made a thread for Cult of Chucky. I'm super hyped for it and can't wait for it.

Did you guys see that teaser image of the car, with the Tiffany doll inside and blood on the window?

[BlondeQueenOfGGD 25,454]

Been a huge chucky fan for 16 years. My favorite is childs play 3

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1 hour ago, Majora said:

Been a huge chucky fan for 16 years. My favorite is childs play 3

Yeah, quality began to drop at that point.

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Don Mancini and David Kirschner Developing “Child’s Play” Television Series! [Exclusive]

This year, the Tom Holland-directed Child’s Play celebrates its 30th anniversary. In the film penned by Don Mancini, a single mother gives her son a much sought-after doll for his birthday, only to discover that it is possessed by the soul of a serial killer. “Chucky” (voiced by Brad Dourif) would soon become a household name alongside other slasher greats that include Michael, Jason, Freddy, Pinhead, and Leatherface.

Mancini, who created the evil doll, would eventually go on to direct Seed of Chucky, Curse of Chucky, and last year’s Cult of Chucky, in which the title character slashed his way through an insane asylum. While the seventh film in the franchise ends on the perfect note, it does set up several ways for the series to continue.

Yesterday, we posted an article in which Mancini joked about a WWII-set Child’s Play film. While entirely joking (Mancini has bundles of fun and absurd concepts), he is, in fact, developing a continuation of the series.

Mancini tells Bloody Disgusting exclusively that he and franchise producer David Kirschner are currently developing a “Child’s Play” television series!

Mancini tells us that the series was “deliberately set up at end of the last movie,” while further adding that the “tone is dark and disturbing.”

“We plan to use Child’s Play in the title,” Mancini explained. “We want to definitely signal that we are going dark, darker than ever before. It’s going to be very creepy.”

Using the original “Child’s Play” title is exciting because it signals that the series will once again involve kids. Oh, and Mancini confirmed that Dourif will once again return to voice Chucky!

We connected with Kirschner soon after, who stated that it won’t be a reboot and will be a continuation story, while also reflecting back on his 30-year relationship with Mancini.

“I don’t think there’s a relationship that lasted this long,” he stated. “I’m incredibly excited about the series and to explore a world in which we’ve never done before.

“Don has taken the franchise in a wonderfully frightening direction,” Kirschner added. “He seems to outdo himself every time.”

In television, Mancini has been a writer-producer on Bryan Fuller’s “Hannibal”, on the SyFy anthology horror series “Channel Zero”, created by Nick Antosca (who alsopreviously worked on “Hannibal”).  Last August, Antosca told us he has other projects in the works, including one with Mancini. Could this “Child’s Play” TV series be that project?  The mind boggles at the possibilities.

It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean an end to the film franchise. For right now, the focus is on an 8-part, hourlong series that will keep Chucky canon. Will we see Tiffany? Glen/da? All of that is being kept under wraps for now, but one thing is for certain, Chucky is going to be our friend ’til the end…

http://bloody-disgusting.com/tv/3482429/don-mancini-developing-childs-play-television-series-exclusive/