Chucky Returns - From Child's Play to BRIDE, SEED and Beyond

The infamous possessed doll called CHUCKY has become one of horror's most recognizable characters, thanks mostly to the last two films in the series, namely BRIDE OF CHUCKY and SEED OF CHUCKY. Those final two sequels (following on Barbie the first three CHILD'S PLAY films) saw the character, voiced by Brad Dourif (and also played by him in human form in the first film), become firmly entrenched in popular culture. He even spawned a line of officially licensed Chucky merchandise. Where he was known largely to horror fans before these two films, it was the fourth and fifth films that see him spill over further into mainstream consciousness.

After the controversy surrounding CHILD'S PLAY 3 (it was claimed the film inspired some horrible true-life events), it was several years before another film was produced. That fourth film, BRIDE OF CHUCKY, introduced us to the female equivalent of the evil doll, namely Tiffany, the titular Bride, played by Jennifer Tilly. SEED OF CHUCKY followed before long, adding their child, Glen/Glenda to the mix, and taking the series even further from its roots. You see, the original CHILD'S PLAY movie was a genuinely tense horror thriller, ands as the series wore on the scares gave way to cheap jokes and laughable plots and direction. Chucky quickly became a parody of the chilling creature from that first film. He became a cartoon of what once was, and in the process became adored by children, including the very young.

This is a most disturbing turn of events. The films and merchandise have always been aimed at children, and it is the responsibility of adults to keep these things out of their children's knowledge until they are at an appropriate age to view them. It isn't the fault of the filmmakers or the merchandisers- the products are clearly marked with age restrictions. It is the fault of parents who deem these things okay for underage children to watch, when it is most certainly not.

The first film is being remade, and thankfully this new version is intended to recover some of the lost ground from BRIDE and SEED and turn the franchise back into something that deserves its place in the horror genre. It is important that the film is dark enough and adult oriented enough to turn kids off from watching it, and bring back some of the serious fans lost by the last 2 films. Chucky remains one of the horror greats, but the makers of the new version need to remember who their audience is.

HOW TO BE CHUCKY:

If you need an easy Halloween costume this year, Chucky is a great candidate for a last minute outfit. Here's what you need:

- Dungarees
Blue dungarees, with enough space for the 'Good Guys' text on the front piece. Stick-on letters can be found easily in craft shops.

-Stripy Jumper
A brightly coloured striped sweatshirt needs to be worn under the dungarees- the more garish the better. Make sure the strpes are horizontal.

-Shoes
Brightly coloured sneakers are perfect. Preferably red or orange.

-Hair
If you're a redhead, you're already sorted. If not, ginger buy world of warcraft gold can be obtained from any party supplier.

-Makeup
Freckles on both cheeks are needed, and can be applied with an eyeliner pencil or similar. If you're going for the BRIDE OF CHUCKY or SEED OF CHUCKY incarnation, then you'll need some scars that have been hastily repaired. An easy way to achieve these is to draw scars onto the skin with a dark eyeliner, and the 'staples' on Chucky's face can be created with strips of pale sticking plaster, or silver card or rubber affixed with stage makeup glue (available from party stores).

Andrew is writes for the pop culture/movies/comics/memorabilia site STARSTORE and its famous geek culture blogs. An expert on horror films and pop culture, he is also a renowned music journalist and science fiction author. Check out the latest updates at =====> http://starstoreblog.com