It’s been one hell (literal hell) of a ride since killer Charles Lee Ray first took possession of a Good Guy doll, way back in 1988…
Over the course of seven films, killer doll Chucky has spearheaded one of the most enduring horror franchises in history, to the delight of slasher film fans everywhere. To celebrate this Halloween season, we had a chat with the series’ creator, Don Mancini – whose latest terror opus, Cult of Chucky is now available on home video and VOD, as well as Netflix – AND we have a truly killer giveaway of items, signed by Mancini, Chucky himself Brad Dourif, the one and only Tiffany Jennifer Tilly, and many more!
Giveaway is at the bottom of this page, but first… read the Q&A!:
Hi Don! You’ve just released Cult of Chucky which is the seventh film in the franchise to date. Did you imagine back when Child’s Play was released in 1988 that the little guy would have this kind of longevity?
As a lifelong horror fan, naturally I dreamed of creating a character that popular, so I feel really lucky that the dream came true. I feel like I won the lottery.
Going back to shows like The Twilight Zone decades ago, killer doll stories have fascinated horror fans. What do you think it is about something cute being so vicious that appeals to fans?
It’s that very contrast that makes it eternally, primally interesting. He’s adorable — and he’ll ******* gut you.
You’ve attributed some of the inspiration for the Good Guys dolls to the Cabbage Patch kids craze in the 80’s. What toys or gadgets nowadays seem ready-made for a horror premise?
It’s happening all around us — an army of kids turned into zombies by video and computer games. Basically Halloween III: Season of the Witch predicted it all.
(Universal Pictures)
The last two Chucky films represent something of a return to the tone of the original; how did you come to the decision to step back from the horror/comedy vibe that the franchise had taken?
It just comes down to never wanting to repeat ourselves. We try to mix it up a little bit with every film — conceptually, tonally. But even in the scary ones, we never lose Chucky’s sparkling personality.
Are there any genres you haven’t tackled yet that you feel might be fun to explore with Chucky and his brand of mayhem?
I definitely would love to do a Chucky musical. Seriously.
You’ve done some writing for television in the past few years, including Hannibal and Syfy’s Channel Zero. Is TV something you’d like to do more of? Would the Chucky franchise ever lend itself to TV?
Absolutely… and stay tuned!
What are some of the things you personally geek out on, whether it’s within the horror genre or something else entirely?
I’m geekily interested in architecture, especially skyscrapers. I have a pretty impressive collection of scale-model replicas. My friends just think it’s phallic.
If you could pick one moment from any of the Chucky series to date that you feel captures its spirit best, which would that be?
I love that question! Can I pick two? I’d nominate: Tiffany’s electrocution in the bathtub from Bride of Chucky, with Chucky presiding over the soap bubbles; and Claire’s decapitation by falling glass in Cult. Both scenes are, I think, creepy, funny, and oddly beautiful — all qualities that I’d like the series to be associated with.
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