Posted: 11/16/2004

Seed of Chucky

(2004)

by Clint Fletcher

Well, I must start off by saying (or warning you rather) that yours truly is a die-hard Chucky fan. Ever since I was a child (at the early age of 17) I’ve watched this little minion slice his way through foster homes, elementary classrooms, military schools and more importantly: other dolls. Then came Bride of Chucky, in which the creators of Child’s Play realized how absurd and humorous their creation had become and decided to have its own screenplay parody itself- with hilarious results. Attempting to bank on Bride’s popularity, we now have Seed of Chucky.

Sadly, Seed of Chucky is a terrible let-down for Chuck fans and horror fans alike.

First off, it is to note that Don Mancini, writer of all five Chucky movies, was picked as director this time around (I mean come on, who else would want the job at this point?). The reason I mention this is because the biggest flaw of this film has got to be lack of good direction. Since Mr. Mancini lacks the skills of even a mediocre director, SOC comes off as very uneven and, at times- bizarre. My attention-span during half of this puppy faded in and out with what I was watching and… my watch. At one point I just wanted it to end, and quickly. Mancini once again penned the script for good ole Chuck, but this film feels like it doesn’t have much of a plot at all. And at times, I completely forgot what the movie was even about. But I shall try and some up what I can for you.

The film opens with the son of Chucky and Tiffany: Glen. Well, to be politically correct - Glen isn’t anatomically correct. So we don’t really know what sex he is, although he looks and talks like a boy. Glen is being abused by evil ventriloquists overseas, but spots ole mom and dad on TV and quickly escapes to head toward LA. Meanwhile, Jennifer Tilly is in the middle of production of the latest Chucky movie: Chucky Goes Psycho. Yes, once again, another horror franchise has taken a dive into the real world, showing us dumb-asses (the audience) that what we’ve come to know at this point about our characters isn’t the real deal. As if New Nightmare, Scream 3 and the upcoming Halloween flick wasn’t enough, Chucky has to take on this concept as well? Whatever. So Chucky and Tiffany are resurrected by Glen chanting those infamous voodoo words and then the killing spree begins!!! Oh wait…. no, it doesn’t. That’s right, fans. The body count is extremely low in this one. And the ones that do make the cut (double-pun intended) are too over-the-top and contrived to be taken seriously. Although the film has a few laugh-out-loud moments, many of the gags in this flick are taken way too far, such as Tiffany taking Chucky’s sperm and squeezing it into Jennifer Tilly’s uterus with a kitchen utensil. That scenario right there could serve as a metaphor for this entire flick. There’s no real plot going on here, just bizarre stuff, like John Waters’ face getting melted off and Redman trying to act.

To sum everything up, SOC may have a few laughs, but falls flat on horror, scares, nudity, gore, and cool/creative kills. If you’re a die-hard Chuck fan, then take out a bottle of whiskey, get plastered and rent this baby. But as for me, I’m glad that Seed of Chucky doesn’t yet belong in the Child’s Play Collector’s Set. And now is the beginning of a new Fletch tradition: the closing of my favorite line from the flick. Peace out, my homies.

“Enough with your mother, already! I killed that bitch years ago and she still won’t shut up!” -Chucky (to Tiffany in response to a comment about her mother)

Clint Fletcher is a reviewer and filmmaker who is signing Jennifer Tilly to star in his next film.

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