While still a student at UCLA, Don Mancini would write the script that would eventually becomeChild’s Playin 1985. The film would go on to mass success and spawned several sequels/reboots, comic books, and a plethora of tie-in merchandise. Already considered a horror icon, Chucky would maintain relevancy in modern horror with acritically acclaimed television seriesreleased in October 2021. The series would score 94% critic rating and 88% audience score, making it the most well-received Chucky project to date.
Without a doubt, Chucky (who was brought to life by the voice of Brad Dourif) has become a staple of horror and continues to entertain horror hounds, both young and old. To celebrate the legacy of every horror fan’s favorite killer doll, we look at every movie in theChild’s Playfranchise, ranking them according to their Rotten Tomatoes score.
8Child’s Play 3 (1991) - 21%
The lowest-rankedChild’s Playhappens to come from the first trilogy and would also put the series on hiatus for several years before being relaunched. This was partly due to poor box office performance, with the film only grossing $20.5 million worldwide against a budget of $13 million. So what went wrong, and why is the Rotten Tomatoes score so low for the third entry in the series?
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Child’s Play 3suffered from repeating the same formula as the previous two films, offering slight variance despite Andy being older and living in a military academy. Moreover, the film was less violent than the previous outings, and Chucky did not deliver manymemorable deaths. Finally, the film suffered negative press when, in the UK, it was (falsely) tied to the murder of young James Bulger.
The movie is not a complete waste of time, particularly for those who love everything Chuck y-related, but the subsequent break from the franchise due to poor performance turned out to be the best thing for the franchise.
7Seed of Chucky (2004) - 34%
While five years apart,Seed of ChuckyandBride of Chuckyact as companion pieces in the series, expanding the family to include a wife and a child. These two movies embraced the campiness of Chucky and focused more heavily on humor elements. This formula did work forBride of Chucky,but by the time the follow-up came, the charm was lost, and it failed to find the perfect balance of comedy and horror.
Still, there is a fair amount of fanfare around this particular entry, given its beginnings of seeing Chucky as a sort ofLGBTQ+ iconin the slasher genre, with his son Glen being widely interpreted as non-binary. Additionally, the movie gave more great moments between Chucky and Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) and a surprise guest appearance from cult icon John Waters.
6Child’s Play 2 (1990) - 40%
The second film in the original trilogy,Child’s Play 2, brought Chucky back to terrorize Andy again, this time at a foster home following the first film’s events. The return of Chucky saw a more determined and nasty version of the killer doll, with the first film already having established the backstory. Consequently, the critic’s score clamped down on this, with Gene Siskel giving the film zero stars and calling it “A vicious, ugly little thriller.”
The film was a competent follow-up to the first entry, leading to rushing the third film, which came out only nine months later (though this rush was a mistake for the franchise). Still,Child’s Play 2is an entertaining entry in the series that has found favor with fans more so than the critics who disliked the sadistic approach of Chucky.
5Bride of Chucky (1998) - 48%
The relaunch of Chucky, and embracing the killer’s name, as opposed to the previously usedChild’s Play, put heavyemphasis on comedy and campinessby introducing his bride, Tiffany. The two try to possess human bodies using a magical amulet and take to the road with a young couple, Jesse (Nick Stabile) and Jade (Katherine Heigl), to find their treasure.
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Bride of Chuckyreceived mixed reviews from critics, and for fans, it depends on whether you prefer your horror comedies to have more terror or humor. Regardless, the film gave one of the more popular versions of Chucky, with the scarred face becoming one of his most iconic looks, and also did add to the lore of the series with the inclusion of Tiffany.
4Child’s Play (2019) - 63%
Over two decades after the original film’s release, director Lars Klevberg looked to giveChild’s Playa reboot, with a slightly new look, modern aesthetic, and voice with Mark Hamill stepping into the role. With similar beats as the first film, with Chucky facing off against a young kid Ben (Ben Daon), and his mother Karen (Aubrey Plaza), many felt the movie stayed true to the source.
This led to a largely favorable review of the movie, with those enjoying it calling it a fun and inspired remake that was more nasty and playful than the original 1988Child’s Play. However, anytime a beloved property is remade it comes under greater scrutiny. For as many that felt it was a lovely homage to the original, others thought it missed the mark — placing it at a modest 63% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and 57% audience score.
3Child’s Play (1988) - 73%
Here is the originalChild’s Playthat kicked it all off, and while it does not top the list, it is hard to argue that this is the fan favorite. The film has a more serious tone than other entries, and it moves at a slower pace mimicking serious slashers of the era as opposed to the wisecracking killer that Chucky would become as the character developed. The film became a hit because it approached the subject seriously and crafted a great horror movie.
The film also proved to be quite a success, grossing over $33 million at the box office on a budget of $9 million, making Don Machini’s Chucky a household name. Acclaimed film critic Roger Ebert,who is not always kind to horror movies, praised the film by calling it a “cheerfully energetic horror film of the slam-bang school, but slicker and more clever than most.”
2Curse of Chucky (2013) - 75%
Chucky sure has had a lot of reboots, and another group of films one can easily group as their own take on the franchise isCurse of ChuckyandCult of Chucky. How are these two similar for those who may have overlooked them? Well, they embrace horror and violence and put less emphasis on the comedic elements of the killer doll, which became the norm with the previously released ‘bride’ and ‘seed.’
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Critics loved how Don Machini took the series back to its roots of the originalChild’s Playin design and tone, presenting a more straightforward horror movie. This was the first film in the franchise to be released direct to video without a theatrical release, but it acted to keep the series afloat and show there were still great stories to be explored with the killer doll.
The story is typical of what one can expect from aChild’s Playfilm. However, those who hold the first film in high regard should check this one out, given it has a similar tone while ramping up the violence for a more modern horror audience.
1Cult of Chucky (2017) - 78%
Cult of Chuckyis a must-watch for fans of the horror franchise, and not just because theChuckyTV series is technically a sequel to the film. Chocked full of memorable kills, an intelligent script that showed Mancini still figuring out ways to evolve the evil ‘good guy,’ and re-introducing Andy Barclay’s (Alex Vincent) character with meaning, the final official entry in theChild’s Playseries impressed. Moreover, thepsychiatric hospital settinggave Chucky a new playground to torment those around him, making it one of the moretwisted entries in the series.
Critics indeed agreed that Chucky was continuing to move in the right direction, with the film ranking higher than the original and the remake that came out two years later. More importantly, fans loved the gory kills and tense atmosphere, which kept interest in the franchise and eventually led to the hit TV series.
