Ronny Yu’s romantic horror comedy, Bride of Chucky, drastically veers to the left of the tone established by his Child’s Play predecessors by his focusing explicitly upon the title character’s acidic, wry tongue and placing horror second tier. Unlike what has come to be known as a steadfast signifier that a horror franchise has lost its wind, the horror-cum-comedy (i.e A Nightmare on Elm Street and, to a lesser extent, Friday the 13th), Yu’s production accurately judges the character’s potential for comic delivery as the director issues a campy tongue-in-cheek parody of James Whale’s camp parody, Bride of Frankenstein. Yet, the question stands, does it work?
After goth queen Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) reclaims the remains of her ex-boyfriend’s body, that is, the shredded corpse of Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) in the form of Chucky, a Good Guy doll, she reassembles her long lost love before the two have a lover’s quarrel and Chucky electrocutes her. However, Chucky quickly shifts her soul over to that of a doll and the two set off to find the Heart of Damballa, which will allow them to transfer themselves back into human bodies, left on Ray’s corpse over ten years earlier.
It is apparent from the opening sequence that Yu made the hard-line decision, which Jack Bender baulked at but heavily relied upon in Child’s Play 3, to parody the character of Chucky rather than beleaguer the iconographic killer’s diluted prowess and ability to convincingly instill fear into an audience after three films. Aside from the break with the traditional title, replacing it with a mocking Golden Era horror designation, our first sign of the sardonic times arrives at the film’s opening when we are escorted through the contents of the Evidence Depository, replete with the masks of Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers, Leatherface’s chainsaw, and Freddy Kruger’s glove, along with several dolls from David Schmoeller’s Puppet Master. Irrefutably, Chucky is justifiably placed beside these contemporary icons of horror. With this it becomes obvious that the tone of the Child’s Play series has shifted as the referential, mocking nature of clichéd horror is perpetually breeched at every possible turn in Bride of Chucky. We watch as Tiffany attempts to revive the essence of her long-lost lover, Charles Lee Ray, with the aide of Voodoo for Dummies before she is dispensed while viewing, tear-ladden no less, Whale’s masterpiece (thus the gender roles of creator/creation have been flipped). Last, Police Chief Warren Kincaid (John Ritter) dies by having several nails projected into his head, circa Pinhead (Chucky even queries, “Why does that look so familiar?”). Lastly, Tiffany’s makeshift patsy is named Damien Baylock. In The Richard Donner’s The Omen, the central antagonist is named Damien while his nanny is called Baylock (obviously Don Mancini, originator and screenwriter to all of the Child’s Play films, not only likes Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, but due to his frequently deference to The Omen series, is an unabashed fan of the figure of Damien).
Yu not only seizes situational opportunities to capitalize upon the humor of the genre, but utilizes Chucky’s aptitude for sardonic verbosity, complimented by his new counterpart in crime, Tiffany. For instance, during a hammy “moment” between the two sadistic dolls, Chucky states, “I’m starting to feel a bit like Pinocchio here” before Tiffany asks, “Oh, Chucky, have you got a rubber?” to which he replies, flabbergasted, “Look at me! I’m all rubber!” When asked how he and his bride’s souls became encased in the trappings of a dolls, he retorts that to do the story justice, it would require, at minimum, three or four sequels.
Interestingly, Yu attempts to subtly mocking teenage romantic idealism by juxtaposing Montague and Capulet sympathizers Jade (Katherine Heigl) and Jesse (Nick Stabile) with the figures of Chucky and Tiffany. After Jade dauntingly realizes the severity of the act which she has committed the morning after the fugitive lovers’ wedding vows, we watch as Tiffany, perturbed by the fact that she slaves over a hot stove for her man and he won’t even offer to do the dishes, tosses plate after plate at her unappreciative husband, who rhetorically ponders, “What would Martha Stewart say?” to which his flustered bride announces, “Fuck Martha Stewart! Martha Stewart can kiss my shiny plastic butt!” To a more direct and poignant (however fleeting, thus maintaining the Chucky trademark of redeeming flight) degree, the figures of Mickey and Mallory are mentioned in the same breath as Bonnie and Clyde, thus the refusal to separate (or inability to acknowledge there is a difference) fictional and real life serial killer couples is offered.
As always, the obligatory convenient plot catalyst is presented by the note that Chucky and Tiffany, in order to assume human guises, must be in possession of the Heart of Damballa (thus making Chucky’s previous efforts, once again, be posited in vain). This, atop, the citation that Charles Lee Ray’s fingerprints were found at the crime scene even though Ray has assumed the form of a doll (even if his deadline for soul transference has elapsed, which it obviously hasn’t, and Ray becomes human, the prints would not be proportionate), breaks the pace of the horror comedy somewhat, but only a diminutive degree, allowing the work to continue without further impediment.
Ronnie Yu’s horror comedy attempts to do nothing more than revive a waning franchise before its light flickers out. In so doing, he makes the trademark figure of Chucky more likeable (a.k.a. marketable), and by inverse ratio, less threatening as the character’s vehement diction is substituted with cynical one-liners. Ultimately, the question stands, “Does it work?” As far as serious, threatening horror icons which house the capacity for pulling off such levity, yes, moreso than those who came before, but this does not mean that Bride of Chucky is an overwhelming success. As far as horror comedy entertainment, if you are a fan of the series who was disappointed with the series’ sequels and are able to take the killer doll’s image with a grain of salt in order to see your boy on the big screen, the film is functional and will serve its purpose. However, if you are someone who wasn’t as impressed the character from his introduction, like a copy of a copy, Yu is offering a camp rendition of a camp rendition, thus to a lesser effect and perhaps beating a dead horse as a consequence (is it possible to parody a parody and create a solid narrative?). This said, there exist many other works in the horror comedy genre which are more effective and actually make a point.
-Egregious Gurnow
- Interview with J.R. Bookwalter - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Andrew J. Rausch - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Rick Popko and Dan West - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Director Stevan Mena (Malevolence) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Screenwriter Jeffery Reddick (Day of the Dead 2007) - January 22, 2015
- Teleconference interview with Mick Garris (Masters of Horror) - January 22, 2015
- A Day at the Morgue with Corri English (Unrest) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Writer/Director Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned, Aftermath) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actress Thora Birch (Dark Corners, The Hole, American Beauty) - January 22, 2015
- Interview with Actor Jason Behr, Plus Skinwalkers Press Coverage - January 22, 2015
