LIVING WITH CHUCKY [2022] Review

Living With Chucky (2022)
Directed by: Kyra Elise Gardner
Written by: Kyra Elise Gardner
Starring: Brad Dourif, David Kirschner, Don Mancini, Fiona Dourif, Jennifer Tilly

RUNNING TIME: 105 mins

REVIEWED BY: Dr Lenera

AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY and DIGITAL DOWNLOAD via AppleTV, Sky Store, Virgin Media and Google Play; 24th April 2023

Filmmaker Kyra Elise Gardner, daughter of special effects artist Tony Gardner who was in charge of Chucky for the fifth, sixth and seventh films in the horror franchise, takes an in-depth look at the series, featuring interviews with key figures including creator Don Mancini, Chucky’s voice actor Brad Dourif, and actress Jennifer Tilly….

It’s good to feel smug sometimes, though I try not to make a habit of it. I was having a conversation at work with the other resident horror lover, and I said to him that without Freddy Krueger, there probably wouldn’t have been Chucky. Freddy was a unique bogeyman in that, as well as his very special way of killing people [doing it in their dreams], he had a sense of humour, even in the first film which is often considered to be wholly serious but has never seemed that way to me. This made him oddly likeable, a villain with real personality whom you couldn’t help but be drawn to. And so it was also the case of Chucky, who we quickly became frightened of but also rather enamoured of, also helped in his case by his small size which made us feel like cheering him on when he keeps on coming despite his seeming vulnerability. If somebody kicks Chucky, we automatically feel for Chucky because he’s little and a doll. It’s very clever what’s been achieved with the character, able to evoke differing emotions and sometimes even at the same time. Now I don’t usually start a review by massaging my own ego, but I couldn’t resist doing such a thing here, and say that my thoughts on Freddy and Chucky stated above were repeated in this very documentary. Of course it’s possible that one of more of the DVDs or Blu-Ray releases of the film also had this mentioned on them, but I honestly don’t remember, I may not have even watched or listened to all the special features [there’s never enough time to watch ]. In any case, returning to Freddy, the Nightmare On Elm Street franchise shares something with the Friday The 13th series; they’ve both had huge, tremendously in-depth documentaries devoted to them. The likes of Michael Myers and Leatherface have so far not been granted this honour despite their longevity, but at last the Good Guy gets something with this documentary which seems to have a rather odd title, but one which will become obvious in its latter stages.

Running a far more conventional length than Never Sleep Alone and Crystal Lake Memories, Living With Chucky actually began life as a class assignment Kyra Gardner took on in film school, in the form of a short film, but it metamorphisised into something distinctly bigger. I have a feeling that the last section is something close to what Kyra originally had in mind, and it’s both the best and the worst part of the documentary but still the most interesting. Yes, I know that what I’ve just said might make no sense, but bear with me please. The main bulk of it goes through the Chucky series, a good number of people who are either connected with the films or are just fans [or in the case of John Waters, whose ambition was to be killed by Chucky in one of the films] talking us through each instalment. I have a feeling that many fans will know much of the information given, but I, not being as up on this franchise as I am some others [I haven’t even read the book that’s been written about Chucky, though writing this review may have finally convinced me to do so], did learn some things and was engrossed throughout, the talking heads interspersed with appropriate film clips and bits of older, on-set documentaries which made me want to see in their complete form. The mixture of recollection and insight is extremely well achieved, despite the curious anomaly of Child Play 3 having considerably less time spent on it than all the other entries. Why, I wonder? Well I do have my theory about that, but if one of the makers reads this review and corrects me I’ll be happy to remove the portion where I state it. And then it changes into something else, Kyra and Fiona Dourif, both of whom had to spend childhoods in which a killer doll played a major part because they had fathers who were heavily involved with the series, talking about what it was like growing up with Chucky, before looking at how working on film sets is hard on families, followed by a bit of a love-in as everyone says how they love each other and how wonderful everyone is. I found this last part a bit too much, and imagined Chucky getting irritated with all this sentimentality, but it’s fair to say that some fans will love it.

A montage that seems to show Chucky being made, and which will be continued twice later in two rather long breaks from the main material, leads in to a news report which sets the scene, ending with, of course, “Here’s Chucky”, certainly appropriate since we learn later that Chucky’s hair was inspired by Jack Nicholson’s in The Shining. Some film clips follow, including some of the definite high points of the franchise, before we get a bit of animation as Chucky walks down a corridor with paintings of major people connected with the series hanging on either side, we then being shown one side in detail, then various related tableau before we alight on a video player [I’m old enough to not just remember those but spend much of my formative film-loving years in several local video shops, even before Blockbuster came and ruined it all for the little rental places]. A hand, probably belonging to Kyra, selects Child’s Play from all the Chucky tapes on the shelf above and puts in the player, and off we go. We’ve definitely had an introduction which almost couldn’t be better in terms of setting up what’s to follow. I did remember some things that I’d learnt some time before, but surely, if I’d previously heard it, I’d have remember the fact that Charles Lee Ray, the serial killer whose spirit possesses Chucky, got his name from three famous real folk who were in the same trade? Hearing that young Alex Vincent not just memorised the entire script [an amazing thing for a person his age] but on set asked to over scenes again is a lovely highpoint, while producer Kerschner says he never dreamed that there would be any sequels. Considering that we live in a climate in which every other horror film seems to be made with the hope that it will commence a franchise, that comes as surprising, but I believe him.

So we then progress through the sequels, and yes, the Child’s Play 3 section is very short. I was looking forward to some discussion of the Jamie Bulger case, where a two-year old boy was tortured and then killed by two older lads Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. The deed was blamed on Child’s Play 3, largely to a scene in the film being similar, and ignited the usual media hysteria, though it came to light soon after that it was doubtful that either boy had even seen it. I’d have loved to hear people’s views on this subject, but instead the whole thing is never mentioned. I have the distinct feeling that material about this was shot but then not included in the final cut. I can’t see legal reasons preventing this stuff from being included, so I reckon that Kyra dropped it because it jarred with the overall sunny feel that she wanted to present. On the other hand, it’s interesting that the only film which is criticised a bit is Seed Of Chucky, which contains a trans aspect which may have been too early to get wide acceptance, and trust Waters for pointing out the uniqueness of two monsters having a sex life. It seems that the back to basics, much more restricted in terms of setting Curse Of Chucky was that way largely out of necessity, the budget being very low; many sequels decline in box office receipts and studios understandably only want to do them cheaper [just compare the ape makeup in the 1968 Planet Of The Apes with the simpler, cheapened version that cast members outside of main cast members had to wear for the sequels for another example]. Other stories I especially liked include Gardner being required to replicate Kevin Yagher’s work on Chucky himself without anything whatsoever around as pointers except the films themselves, and a young Fiona Dourif hearing her father’s screams as Chucky was being burnt to death, screaming herself and running upstairs to her room, after which she wouldn’t go downstairs because “the bad people” were there.

It’s lovely seeing two sets of father and daughter chat about their experiences living with Chucky, and the conversing about the pressure of filmmaking on families certainly focuses on an aspect which we don’t hear much. I think that the general view of making movies is that it’s a fun if often tiring experience, while acting isn’t a taxing job at all, in fact it’s an easy life. It’s easy to feel that way, but we do partially have the record set straight here, with people having to spend a huge amount of time away from their families. Dourif, who never even got onto one of the film sets until Curse Of Chucky, gets the short end of the stick at work too; there’s a rather sad shot of him recording in a huge, almost empty, room. Yet they all love it, or so it seems, and indeed each other also. And how many times in these things do we need to see footage of conventions and hear that horror fans are some of the nicest people in the world? I guess that we had to have these things included, and that I’m only moaning because I’ve seen so many movie documentaries conclude in this fashion. Everyone does seem genuine in their happiness that they’re a part of the Chucky franchise, and there’s a lot of everybody; Mancini, Kirschner, the two Dourifs, Vincent, Waters, Jennifer Tilly, Christine Elise, Billy Boyd, Adam Hurtig, and of course the director’s father Tony Gardner, though the lady herself doesn’t show herself till nearly three quarters of the way through. We also hear from Tony Timpone the former editor of Fangoria magazine; genre icon Lin Shaye; actors / horror fans Abigail Breslin and Elle Lorraine; YouTuber James A. Janisse; voice actor Dan Povenmire; and, the most unexpected interviewee, comedy star Marlon Wayans. Everyone is able to make insightful comments, which isn’t always the case with these things.

It’s all very well edited and paced, with the clips inserted at just the right places. I especially loved some vintage behind the scenes footage from Child’s Play 2 showing Chucky being animated by puppeteers. Overall this is a must-see for fans, though it doesn’t quite seem complete. The remake of Child’s Play is omitted, though seeing as none of the usual cast and crew were involved, and that it should probably be regarded as being a part of the M3gan universe, I guess that’s understandable. On the other hand the amazingly good TV series really should have been included, though it is briefly referenced, and maybe there wasn’t enough time for more. Maybe Kyra will add material relating to it at a later date.

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