Bride of Chucky | |
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Directed by | Ronny Yu |
Written by | Don Mancini |
Based on | Characters by Don Mancini |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Peter Pau |
Edited by |
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Music by | Graeme Revell |
Production company | David Kirschner Productions [1] |
Distributed by |
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Release date |
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Running time | 89 minutes [3] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $25 million [3] |
Box office | $50.7 million [3] |
Bride of Chucky is a 1998 American black comedy slasher film [4] [5] written by Don Mancini and directed by Ronny Yu. The fourth installment in the Child's Play franchise, it stars Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, John Ritter, Katherine Heigl, and Nick Stabile. [6] Unlike the first three films, Bride of Chucky takes a markedly humorous turn towards self-referential parody. [7] It also departs from the Andy Barclay storyline of the first three films, focusing mainly on series villain Chucky, a doll possessed by a serial killer, and his former lover and accomplice Tiffany, whose soul is also transferred into a doll.
Bride of Chucky was released on October 16, 1998. The film grossed over $50 million worldwide on a budget of $25 million and received mixed reviews from critics. A sequel, Seed of Chucky , was released in 2004.
In Lockport, New York [8] in 1998, Tiffany Valentine, Chucky's former lover and accomplice, bribes police officer Bob Bailey into selling her Chucky's remains. After murdering Bailey, she repairs the doll and performs a voodoo ritual to revive him. Her goth admirer Damien Baylock arrives at her trailer; Tiffany is delighted when Chucky animates and suffocates him.
Chucky and Tiffany get into an argument when Chucky laughs at the prospect of marrying Tiffany. She angrily locks him in a playpen, taunting him by giving him a wedding-themed bride doll. Chucky escapes and electrocutes her to death before using a voodoo spell to transfer her soul into the bride doll as revenge.
Chucky explains that if they want to escape their doll bodies, they must retrieve a magical amulet called the Heart of Damballa that was buried with his human body. They decide the best bodies to inhabit are Tiffany's handsome neighbor Jesse Miller and his girlfriend Jade Kincaid. Tiffany calls and asks Jesse to drive the two dolls to Hackensack, New Jersey, where Chucky's body is buried, in exchange for a thousand dollars. Eager to marry Jade and needing money for it, Jesse accepts.
Jade's strict uncle, police chief Warren Kincaid, plants a bag of marijuana in Jesse's van to frame him. Chucky and Tiffany kill Warren, then hide his body in the van. Jesse and Jade begin their trip. The two are pulled over by Officer Norton, who finds the marijuana. When Norton returns to his patrol car to report it, Chucky ignites the car's gas tank, blowing it up and killing Norton.
Jesse and Jade flee and begin to suspect each other of killing Norton. Nevertheless, they marry. While at a hotel, another couple steals Jesse's wallet. Tiffany murders them in revenge. Seeing this, Chucky realizes he's in love with Tiffany. He proposes and they have sex.
The following morning, Jesse and Jade flee with their friend David. David informs them that they are the prime suspects for the deaths, but he believes them innocent. After finding Warren's body however, David becomes convinced they are murderers. When Chucky and Tiffany reveal they're alive, a startled David is hit by a truck, killing him.
Chucky and Tiffany steal an RV to evade the police. Jesse and Jade instigate an argument between Chucky and Tiffany. In the commotion, Jade kicks Tiffany into the RV's oven while Jesse pushes Chucky out the window. Chucky forces Jade to take him to his grave. Jade retrieves the amulet from the casket. Jesse appears with Tiffany, now horribly burned.
As Chucky begins the ritual, Tiffany has a change of heart and decides she doesn't want to hurt Jesse and Jade, and tries to kill Chucky. Chucky fatally stabs her. Jesse knocks him into his own grave with a shovel. Private investigator Lt. Preston, arrives and sees Chucky alive in the grave, shocking him. Jade shoots Chucky several times, killing him.
After declaring the couple innocent, Preston sends them on their way. Tiffany springs briefly back to life and starts screaming, giving birth to a baby doll which attacks Preston.
After the release of Child's Play 3 , Don Mancini and David Kirschner decided that the series required a new direction, and decided against returning the character of Andy Barclay. [9] Work on the film began in 1996, with the working title Child's Play 4: The Return of Chucky, inspired by the release of Scream . Mancini said, "Like most genres, the horror genre goes in cycles and I think we can thank Kevin Williamson and Scream for reinvigorating the market. Over the years, I had been imagining new scenarios for this series. With his previous successes, we knew it was just a matter of time before we'd be bringing Chucky back and David Kirschner and I both felt that it was important to bring him back in a new way -- we wanted to elevate the series and re-invent it, go beyond what we'd done before. And what we've ended up with is—incredibly—part horror, part comedy, part romance and part road movie. It's a really cool blend of the genuinely creepy and the really funny." [10] Ronny Yu was hired to direct the film after Kirschner and Mancini were "amazed" by his film The Bride with White Hair , and was allowed to use his creative freedom and the ability to hire his collaborators Peter Pau and David Wu from Hong Kong. [11] [12] [13] The inspiration to create a girlfriend for Chucky came from David Kirschner after he saw a copy of the classic Bride of Frankenstein in a video store. Mancini loved the idea and created Tiffany. He said, "After all, two dolls running around the country together and killing people a la Natural Born Killer Dolls or Bonnie and Clyde is really pretty funny." [13] [12] Mancini chose Tilly as his first choice to play Tiffany, after being impressed with her in Bound and Bullets Over Broadway . Gina Gershon, Tilly's co-star in Bound, encouraged her to take the role. [14] [15] [7] In retrospect, Mancini commented: "Once we introduced Jennifer Tilly's character [...] that brought a certain comedic camp vibe [to the franchise], which I think is kind of historically a hallmark of gay culture," referring to the increasing use of LGBTQ+ characters in later Chucky films and TV series. [16] Several months before production actually began on the film, Kevin Yagher and his team began to create animatronic puppets for Chucky and Tiffany. For Chucky alone, nine different puppets were used. [17]
Jennifer Tilly provided Tiffany's voice-over dialogue during a three-day recording session held in tandem with Brad Dourif just prior to the start of principal photography. [18] Bride of Chucky was filmed over a twelve-week period in and around Toronto, Canada. Over half of the film was shot on the sound stage. Exterior locations that were utilized included the Clifton Hill strip in Niagara Falls, an art deco motel complex on Toronto's waterfront, an old army camp in Oshawa, and numerous rural areas. [19]
Each doll required seven puppeteers to manipulate, a computer playback operator, and a puppet coordinator to act as liaison between the operators and the director. Three puppeteers handled the movement of each doll's facial features which were relayed through the use of a radio-controlled transmitter. All of the dolls' other below-the-head movements were cable-operated by the rest of the puppeteers. [20] The dolls' skin featured a combination of silicone and foam latex, unlike the previous Child's Play films, where the dolls were only made of foam latex, a material that had to be painted in a way that made it very difficult to light. [21]
Brock Winkless, who is among the 17 puppeteers who worked on this film, returned as the puppeteer of Chucky for the last time. [22] Ed Gale and Debbie Lee Carrington performed in-suit as Chucky and Tiffany (credited as Chucky Double and Tiffany Double) respectively [23] [24] [25] during the graveyard scene.
The film's music was composed and conducted by Graeme Revell, who previously composed the music for Child's Play 2 . Revell reused the theme from the second film within the music and it was performed by the Hollywood Studio Symphony.
On March 31, 2023, Enjoy the Ride Records and Back Lot Music released Revell's complete score on digital and in a limited-edition vinyl pressing. It was produced by Mike Matessino and is a 140-gram vinyl 2xLP album with screen printed D side. It includes a gatefold jacket featuring new artwork created by Garreth Gibson, and Voodoo For Dummies replica double-sided insert.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Break In (Main Title From The Motion Picture "Bride of Chucky")" | 2:28 |
2. | "Hello Dolly" | 1:21 |
3. | "Incantation" | 1:25 |
4. | "Damien Putz" | 3:12 |
5. | "Captive" | 1:57 |
6. | "That's Our Chucky" | 1:16 |
7. | "Re-United" | 1:00 |
8. | "He Hasn't Changed" | 0:48 |
9. | "A Doll To Play With - You're Dead" | 1:44 |
10. | "Chucky's March/Chucky Attacks/She's Alive" | 2:28 |
No. | Title | Length |
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11. | "Voodoo For Dummies" | 1:41 |
12. | "Warren Lurking Satan's Little Helper/Fitup" | 2:04 |
13. | "Airbags Can Be Dangerous" | 1:16 |
14. | "Harassment" | 1:02 |
15. | "The Master At Work" | 3:14 |
16. | "Getaway/Warren's Back/The Honeymoon" | 1:59 |
17. | "Death By Mirror" | 1:24 |
18. | "Plastic Love" | 2:22 |
19. | "Housemaid" | 1:04 |
20. | "Dolls Take Charge" | 1:39 |
No. | Title | Length |
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21. | "Exhumation/Domestic Bliss" | 1:23 |
22. | "What Would Martha Stewart Say" | 1:19 |
23. | "Tiffany Gets Baked/Escaping The Wreck" | 2:04 |
24. | "The Amulet/Hostage Exchange" | 4:13 |
25. | "Tiffany Kills Chucky" | 1:46 |
26. | "Doll Fight/Jade Kills Chucky" | 2:34 |
27. | "Child's Play 5" | 1:40 |
28. | "End Credits (From The Motion Picture "Bride Of Chucky")" | 1:19 |
Bride of Chucky was released in North America on October 16, 1998, and grossed $11.8 million on its opening weekend. It has a total North American gross of $32.4 million and another $18.3 million internationally. It is the highest grossing film of the Chucky franchise and the second most financially successful Chucky film in the US. [26]
To promote the film, Chucky made an appearance on the October 12, 1998 episode of WCW Monday Nitro as a heel. He interrupted a promo between Gene Okerlund and Rick Steiner and, in addition to asking viewers to watch the film, mentioned that he was hoping for Scott Steiner to win an upcoming match between the brothers. [27]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 45% based on 44 reviews, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The site's critics consensus reads, "Bride of Chucky is devoid of any fright and the franchise has become tiresomely self-parodic, although horror fans may find some pleasure in this fourth entry's camp factor." [28] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale. [29]
Lawrence Van Gelder, writing for The New York Times , gave the film a mostly negative review, writing that "the novelty of a bloody horror film built around a malevolent doll carrying the soul of a serial killer has worn thin." [30] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a grade of "D", calling it an "upchucking of cartoonish gore" that "leans heavily on self-referential gags". [31] Xan Brooks of The Independent gave the film a score of two out of five, writing: "Bride of Chucky strings together a series of humorous asides and knee-jerk shock tactics." [32]
The Los Angeles Times ' John Anderson wrote that "Ronny Yu milks the utter inanity of Chucky's existence for all it's worth and knows the conventions of the genre well enough that horror fans should feel total gratification--in the levels of both mayhem and grotesque humor." [33] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle wrote that "No one will confuse Bride of Chucky with a classic like Bride of Frankenstein , but anyone looking for nasty laughs will be delighted." [34] Marc Savlov of The Austin Chronicle gave the film a score of three-and-a-half out of five stars; he commended its visuals and "witty, pithy script", and wrote: "this fourth entry in the killer doll franchise is by far and away the best, a surprisingly affecting tale of pint-sized love and dismemberment that's remarkably well-done." [35]
Brad Dourif has said Bride of Chucky is his personal favorite film in the series. [36]
The film garnered a cult following, marked by its distinctiveness and influence, while also establishing a devoted queer fan base and setting the tone for future installments. [37] [38]
Award | Category | Winner/Nominee | Result [39] |
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Saturn Awards | Best Horror Film | Bride of Chucky | Nominated |
Best Actress | Jennifer Tilly | Nominated | |
Best Writing | Don Mancini | Nominated | |
Fantafestival | Best Actress | Jennifer Tilly | Won |
Best Special Effects | Bride of Chucky | Won | |
Gérardmer Film Festival | Special Jury Prize | Ronny Yu | Won |
MTV Movie Awards | Best Villain | Chucky | Nominated |
The film was followed by Seed of Chucky in 2004, [40] Curse of Chucky in 2013, Cult of Chucky in 2017, and the TV series Chucky in 2021. [41]
Bradford Claude Dourif is an American semi-retired actor. He is known for voicing Chucky in the Child's Play franchise (1988–present), portraying Gríma Wormtongue in The Lord of the Rings film series and his Oscar-nominated role as Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975).
Child's Play 3 is a 1991 American slasher film and the third installment in the Child's Play film series. The film is written by Don Mancini and directed by Jack Bender. Brad Dourif once again reprised his role as Chucky from the previous films while new cast members include Justin Whalin, Perrey Reeves and Jeremy Sylvers. It was executive-produced by David Kirschner, who produced the first two Child's Play films. Although released only nine months after Child's Play 2, the story takes place eight years following the events of that film, and one month before the events of Bride of Chucky. The film follows Andy Barclay (Whalin) now 16, enrolling at Kent Military School. Andy is unknowingly followed by a revived Chucky (Dourif), who sets his sight on a younger kid cadet Ronald Tyler (Sylvers).
Child's Play is a 1988 American supernatural slasher film directed by Tom Holland, from a screenplay he co-wrote with Don Mancini and John Lafia based on a story by Mancini. The film stars Catherine Hicks and Chris Sarandon with Brad Dourif as Chucky. Its plot follows a widowed mother who gives a new doll to her son, unaware that it is possessed by the soul of a serial killer.
Child's Play 2 is a 1990 American supernatural slasher film and the direct sequel to Child's Play, written by Don Mancini and directed by John Lafia, one of the co-writers of the first film. It is the second installment in the Child's Play franchise and set two years after the first film; the plot follows Charles Lee Ray continuing his pursuit for Andy Barclay, who was placed in foster care, and transferring his soul into him after being resurrected. Alex Vincent and Brad Dourif reprised their roles while Christine Elise, Jenny Agutter, Gerrit Graham and Grace Zabriskie joined the cast.
Jennifer Tilly is an American-Canadian actress and professional poker player. Known for her distinctive breathy voice and comedic timing, she is the recipient of a Saturn Award, a Fantasporto Award, and a GLAAD Award, as well as nominations for an American Comedy Award, a Gemini Award, two MTV Movie Awards, and an Academy Award.
Ronny Yu Yan-Tai is a Hong Kong film director, producer, and movie writer. He has worked on both Hong Kong and American films. He is mostly known for his work in the American horror genre, such as Bride of Chucky (1998) and Freddy vs. Jason (2003).
George Donald Mancini is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. He is best known for creating and writing the Child's Play franchise (1988–present).
Charles Lee "Chucky" Ray is the main antagonist of the Child's Play horror franchise. Chucky is portrayed as a vicious serial killer who, as he bleeds out from a gunshot wound, transfers his soul into a "Good Guy" doll and continuously tries to transfer it to a human body. The character has become one of the most recognizable horror icons and has been referenced numerous times in popular culture. In 1999, the Chucky character was nominated for the MTV Movie Award for Best Villain for the film Bride of Chucky. He was created by writer Don Mancini and is portrayed by Brad Dourif in both live action and voice over. For the 2019 remake of the same name, Mark Hamill voiced an artificial intelligence (AI) version of Chucky as a tragic villain, having previously voiced the Charles Lee Ray version of the character in an episode of Robot Chicken.
Tiffany Valentine is a fictional murderous doll and the secondary antagonist in the Child's Play horror film series. She is portrayed by Jennifer Tilly in both live-action and voice over in Bride of Chucky, Seed of Chucky, Curse of Chucky, Cult of Chucky, and the Chucky TV series.
Child's Play is an American slasher media franchise created by Don Mancini. The films mainly focus on Chucky, a notorious serial killer who frequently escapes death by performing a voodoo ritual to transfer his soul into a "Good Guy" doll. The original film, Child's Play, was released on November 9, 1988. The film has spawned six sequels, a television series, a remake, comic books, a video game, and tie-in merchandise. 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. It also won a Saturn Award for Best Horror Franchise.
Seed of Chucky is a 2004 black comedy slasher film. It is the fifth film in the Child's Play series, following Bride of Chucky. The film was written and directed by Don Mancini in his directorial debut, and stars Jennifer Tilly, Redman, Hannah Spearritt, John Waters, Billy Boyd and Brad Dourif. The film is set six years after Bride of Chucky and follows a young doll named Glen/Glenda, the child of Chucky and Tiffany, resurrecting their parents, causing chaos.
Curse of Chucky is a 2013 American 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 the first six films. It stars Fiona Dourif, Danielle Bisutti, Brennan Elliott, Maitland McConnell, Chantal Quesnelle, Summer Howell, A Martinez, and Brad Dourif. The film grossed $3.8 million in DVD sales.
Nica Pierce is a fictional character in the Child's Play franchise. She was created by Don Mancini and is portrayed by Fiona Dourif. She is the protagonist in two of the seven films, first appearing in Curse of Chucky (2013) and subsequently in Cult of Chucky (2017). She is also featured in all 3 seasons of the Chucky television series.
Cult of Chucky is a 2017 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Don Mancini. The seventh installment of the Child's Play franchise, following the 2013 film Curse of Chucky, it stars Fiona Dourif, Michael Therriault, Adam Hurtig, Alex Vincent, Elisabeth Rosen, Grace Lynn Kung, Marina Stephenson Kerr, Zak Santiago, Ali Tataryn, Jennifer Tilly, Christine Elise, and Brad Dourif. Cult of Chucky began production in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in January 2017 and premiered at the London FrightFest Film Festival on August 24 the same year. As with the previous film, it was released direct-to-video by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment via Blu-ray, DVD and VOD on October 3.
Chucky is an American horror comedy television series created by Don Mancini based on the Child's Play franchise. It serves as a sequel to Cult of Chucky, the seventh film in the franchise, and stars Brad Dourif reprising his role as the voice of the title character, alongside Zackary Arthur, Björgvin Arnarson, Alyvia Alyn Lind, Teo Briones, and Devon Sawa. The cast also includes Fiona Dourif, Alex Vincent, Christine Elise, Jennifer Tilly, and Billy Boyd reprising their roles from previous films.
The first season of the American horror series Chucky, created by Don Mancini, premiered on Syfy and USA Network on October 12, 2021, and concluded on November 30, 2021. The season consists of 8 episodes. The series is based on the Child's Play film franchise.
The second season of the American horror series Chucky, created by Don Mancini, was broadcast simultaneously on Syfy and USA Network between October 5 and November 23, 2022, comprising eight episodes. Based on the Child's Play film franchise, the series serves as a sequel to Cult of Chucky, and stars Brad Dourif reprising his role as the voice of the titular character, alongside Zackary Arthur, Alyvia Alyn Lind, and Björgvin Arnarson in the ensemble cast.
Jake Wheeler is a fictional character in the Child's Play franchise who was created by Don Mancini and is portrayed by Zackary Arthur. He is the main protagonist of the Syfy and USA Network's Chucky television series, which shares continuity with the original seven Child's Play films. He first appears in "Death by Misadventure", the premiere episode of the show's first season.
The third and final season of the American horror series Chucky, created by Don Mancini, premiered on Syfy and USA Network on October 4, 2023. The season consisted of 8 episodes. Based on the Child's Play film franchise, the series serves as a sequel to Cult of Chucky, and stars Brad Dourif reprising his role as the titular character, alongside Zackary Arthur, Alyvia Alyn Lind, Björgvin Arnarson, and Devon Sawa in the ensemble cast.
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