David Pierdomenico
As the horror industry manufactures one remake/reboot after another, fans have watched as many of their favorite characters are butchered (metaphorically and sometimes literally). We’ve seen Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, Leatherface, and Pinhead recast and done poorly. And now, most unfortunately, Chucky will be joining that lineup. MGM has announced that later this year, they will begin filming an “updated” version, in which Chucky is a robotic doll with artificial intelligence that a group of tween boys must stop. Understandably, fans are upset because this sounds like a lame ripoff of Small Soldiers meets Stranger Things. But the rage isn’t just about how dumb of an idea this is. It’s because up until now, Chucky is the only slasher villain who’s remained completely pure.
A Steady Constant
A lot has changed in the world since the original Child’s Play debuted in 1988. The film was always meant to be a commentary on advertising and consumerism, in particular its relationship with children. The film had two less than stellar sequels, then went full comedy with Bride of Chucky in 1998 and Seed of Chucky in 2004, only to come back to its horror roots in the 2010’s with Curse of Chucky and Cult of Chucky. But no matter whether the titular villain was terrorizing his oldest pal Andy, or fathering a child in Hollywood, there was always a consistency to his character, as well as growth and evolution in the overall tone.
This can be attributed to the fact that Brad Dourif has always voiced the character, giving him his signature personality. In addition, all seven films in the series have been written by the same screenwriter, Don Mancini, which is virtually unheard of in any franchise, let alone a slasher one. He also directed the last three. This resulted in each film feeling unique, as opposed to other slasher series where each sequel is just a carbon copy of all the others. With both Dourif and Mancini always being involved, we always knew that the material was being delivered by people who knew and cared about the character. And the fact that neither of them are involved in this reboot just seems insulting.
It Already Had a Good Direction (Spoilers for Cult of Chucky)
As previously mentioned, screenwriter/director Don Mancini always wanted each entry in the series to feel different. And last year’s Cult of Chucky introduced a really unique concept: Chucky can “clone” himself by performing the ritual and putting his soul into as many dolls (or people) as he so desires. This results in an army of Good Guy dolls, all bearing his will. This takes the series into a very compelling new territory. However, there is still good news on the horizon. Despite the fact that MGM is moving forward with the reboot, Mancini and Dourif are allegedly attached to work together on TV series, continuing this storyline.
Possible Crossover?
For years Don Mancini has expressed interest in pursuing a crossover with Freddy Krueger. His idea for Child’s Play on Elm Street would involve Chucky being owned by a kid on that street, and fighting Freddy in his dreams. This may seem like an odd pairing, but the two characters have a lot in common. Unlike their silent slasher brethren (Jason, Myers, Leatherface), Freddy and Chucky speak and are full of jokes and personality. They also were historically played by the same actor who became synonymous with the role.
Back in 2010, New Line Cinema decided to reboot Freddy and recast him with Jackie Earle Haley, using CGI rather than makeup for his burnt face. Worse that than, they took away Freddy’s signature sense of humor in attempt to make him scarier. The plot was derivative of the original, tried nothing new, and was such a bad experience that star Rooney Mara claims she almost quit acting afterwards. Once the film was released, there was a huge backlash. To fans, there is no Freddy Krueger but Robert Englund. And Chucky is the same way. As long as this new film doesn’t have Brad Dourif, fans will revolt. And rightfully so.
By going through with this, and by changing it to science fiction with an AI robotic doll, MGM is showing that they don’t understand what makes Chucky so beloved. Change is always welcome in a film series, but it can’t forget what it was in the first place. There’s a reason that Chucky is so iconic and that his franchise has lasted 29 years thus far. So go ahead MGM, make this Child’s Play reboot, but don’t act surprised when no one likes it.
