Film Review - Living With Chucky (2022) -

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It is with great pride to stipulate that the Chucky/Child’s Play franchise is truly part of our popular culture. When you see that possessed Good Guy Doll with hideous scars there is something fascinating about him, especially when he kills for a hobby. Chucky is heavenly horrific that he holds a special place in every horror enthusiast’s hearts. Now it has come to that point where a full-on feature documentary needs to be presented to the world. This documentary will teach you about the seven Chucky films. It will teach you to love Chucky! It will teach you to fear Chucky. It will teach you the history of Chucky!

The fact that the actors and crew members that work on the films come forth to explain their anecdotes is very interesting indeed. It talks about all seven films, then elaborates on the achievements that the films have spawned the franchise into a successful TV show. It now has two seasons to date. However, one thing the documentary doesn’t do is discuss the 2019 film reboot where Mark Hamill voiced Chucky instead of the brilliant Brad Dourif. The 2019 reboot is now perceived as the illegitimate ‘Child’s Play’ like James Bond’s ‘Never Say Never Again.’ It is sadly not worthy of a mention in this documentary.

Overall, there are many members of the “Chucky Family” that stand out when they reflect on their awesome anecdotes. Alex Vincent who plays Andy Barclay still to this day in the current series is truly notable. The fact that he was chosen out of thousands to play the lead and the fact that he was cast only at six years old is truly remarkable. He talks about how he was never scared of Chucky and the scene where he cried heavily because Chucky was on his way to kill him, he explains how it was simply good old-fashioned acting that brought those tears on. When he was brought on for the sequel, ‘Child’s Play 2’ became bigger budget, and his character arc was truly developing. However, when Alex Vincent is candid about his annoyed feelings that he wasn’t wanted for ‘Child’s Play 3’ due to being too young and the producer’s wanting to age him to high school years is totally understandable. It’s good for actors to show their true feelings otherwise the documentary would fail at authenticity.

On the other hand, when Brad Dourif dwells over his thirty-five years of voicing his character, is a true standout. To see Dourif in front of a microphone and voicing Chucky is entertaining indeed. To see Jennifer Tilly also voice Tiffany, Chucky’s bride is truly mind blowing. When we see them trade dialogue to each other behind their microphones, we truly see a spark between these two actors. They are passionate and animated in their delivery that they give their 110% to their performances. It’s simply all in the voice!

Finally, Fiona Dourif, Brad Dourif’s daughter is also a brilliant addition to the “Chucky Family.” She first appeared in ‘Curse of Chucky’ in 2013 and then ‘Cult of Chucky’ in 2017 and now the ‘Chucky’ series conveys that she is truly a worthy asset to the team. She explains how she has a profound respect and an excellent friendship with the Chucky creator Don Mancini. Overall, It’s a great documentary. Nonetheless, it would’ve been nice to see Catherine Hicks come back to tell her story as she was Andy Barclay’s mother in the first ‘Child’s Play.’ Why hasn’t she reprised her role as Karen Barclay? Why can’t she be persuaded to come out of retirement? Karen Barclay is an amazing character. Please come back for season three!