At 30 Child Game the franchise has been around, chuckyBrad Dourif) have been killed and resurrected countless times and with varying degrees of absurdity. The series is known for its more campy take on the genre, so it’s only natural that our favorite killer doll was revived in a rather whimsical way. Regardless of how you feel about the franchise as a whole, there’s no denying that it’s quite creative at times, and there’s perhaps no better example than Chucky’s numerous resurrections. The franchise spans many different ideas, from the plausible to the absurd, but always gives us the same result: more Chucky - and really, what more could you ask for?
Child’s Play (1988)
The film that started it all. Child Game gave us Chucky’s origin story. Everything is simple, but spectacular: the soul of the serial killer Charles Lee Ray lives in the doll. After being shot and hiding in a toy store, Ray casts a voodoo spell that transfers his soul into one of the Nice Guy dolls (aka the Chucky doll form we’ve come to know). This is how the franchise begins, and it’s interesting to see how simple the original concept was, as it gets weirder with each movie - although that only adds to the fun.
Kids Games 2 (1990)
After success Child Game, the sequel was inevitably green-lit and the filmmakers had to figure out how to bring Chucky back to slash again. The final choice was for the Good Guy doll corporation to reassemble Chucky to show consumers that the doll was okay. Naturally, the worker on the line assembling the doll is electrocuted by the power surge, thus reviving Chucky. Whether or not bringing it to life makes sense, it’s one of the best opening scenes in the franchise and can’t be faulted for that.
Children’s Games 3 (1991)
Child’s play 3 arguably has the weakest Chucky revival story - while its absurdity is top notch, its actual logistics don’t make much sense. Somehow, after reopening the factory and resuming production of Good Guy dolls, a drop of Chucky’s blood mixes with the plastic used for the dolls, thus resurrecting him in an entirely new form. How his blood got there is unknown, and it seems unlikely, but it is indeed an intriguing and bizarre discovery, so there is nothing to complain about.
Bride of Chucky (1998)
Bride of Chuckythe resurrection of the protagonist was done by Tiffany Valentine (Jennifer Tilly), who reassembles the doll and repeats the voodoo spell that first placed the soul of Charles Lee Ray inside. This resurrection is one of the most important in the franchise. Not only is this Chucky’s first appearance in seven years, but it also introduces a brand new (and his most memorable) look, and introduces Tiffany, who went on to become a fan favorite.
Seed of Chucky (2004)
After graduation Bride, Offspring of Chucky follows Glen/Glenda (Billy Boyd), the child of Chucky and Tiffany. After seeing Chucky and Tiffany’s dolls in the movie preview, Glen/Glenda goes looking for their parents and, with the help of the Heart of Damballah, brings them back to life. It may not be the franchise’s best movie, but there’s something incredibly funny about watching Chucky and Tiffany (especially Chucky) try to kick their killing habits and become a happy, healthy family.
Curse of Chucky (2013)
Curse of Chucky it doesn’t actually show how Chucky was revived, the movie just has a Nice Guy doll sent to Nicky Pierce’s house (Fiona Dourif). While the film does have a different vibe than the previous two films, the ambiguity may have been intended.
Cult of Chucky (2017)
Interesting, Cult of Chucky technically there is no doll respawn. As shown in the post-credits scene in Curse, Chucky was taken to Andy Barclay’s house and promptly shot to death by the man who had once been Chucky’s original owner. AT Cult, his disembodied head is held and tortured by Andy. But later in Andy’s movie, it is revealed that Chucky has somehow managed to split his soul into multiple bodies, and that these bodies (also known as Nice Guy dolls) are being passed around the facility that houses Nika Pierce.
Kids Games (2019)
2019 remake of the original Child Game The film updates most of the story and completely changes the idea of Chucky. In this version, he is no longer possessed by Charles Lee Ray’s soul; in fact, Charles Lee Ray does not exist here. Instead, we’re following Buddi dolls, a high-tech line of dolls that use artificial intelligence to control how they act. But after being fired, a disgruntled worker retaliates by taking one of the dolls and turning off all of her security codes. Said doll is then packaged with the rest of the dolls and released to the public - of course, into the hands of Andy Barclay. Though it’s a little strange to see Child Game The remake doesn’t feature Charles Lee Ray’s storyline, it’s a great reworking of the original story that works well as a modern adaptation. He’s different and original, and it’s hard to blame him for that.
Chucky (2021-)
Chucky is a television series set four years after the events of Cult of Chucky and follows Jake Wheeler (Zachary Arthur) who buys a Good Guy doll at a yard sale, but, unbeknownst to him, she is possessed by the soul of Charles Lee Ray. Oh, and there’s also Nika Pierce, who is still obsessed with Charles Lee Ray and is being held captive by Tiffany Valentine. That’s a pretty serious revival for a character, and it’s honestly pretty scary to see a doll sitting at a yard sale knowing everything we do about him and the inevitable horrors that are bound to follow.
Source: Collider
