If you have ever strolled down the doll aisle of a toy store or through the toy section of a department store, you’ve likely noticed how creepy dolls can be. Many of them, to me, appear entranced. Their facial expressions are unsettlingly zombie-like.
The thought of them coming to life is unnerving enough, but alive with bad intentions is considerably worse.
That’s why Chucky is an icon.
I remember watching Child’s Play with my mother and my aunt Zandra, each of us nearly jumping through the roof when character Karen discovered that her son’s toy doll was alive with bad intentions.
Created by George Mancini and designed by Kevin Yagher, Chucky was introduced in 1988’s horror classic Child’s Play, gaining immediate widespread popularity.
In the film, voodoo chanting serial killer Charles Lee Ray aka Chucky, portrayed brilliantly by actor Brad Dourif, used a spell to transfer his soul into a Good Guy doll, a sought-after talking toy.
Chucky wound up in the hands of a lonely young boy named Andy and his mom Karen, beginning a legacy of terror and, surprisingly, witty, laugh-out-loud humor.
The fright and hilarity of the original film led to six sequels – Child’s Play 2 (1990), Child’s Play 3 (1991), Bride of Chucky (1998), Seed of Chucky (2004), Curse of Chucky (2013), and Cult of Chucky (2017).
A remake of Child’s Play was released in 2019, giving the horror classic a modern with Chucky voiced by the legendary Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker, Joker, Fire Lord Ozai). The crazed doll made his television debut in USA Network’s 2021 series Chucky, a canon follow-up to Cult of Chucky.
Chucky’s fans are loyal followers, furthering the character’s decades of success. His movies are beloved, his image is a cosplay favorite, his action figures are collectors’ items, and he’s timelessly, unsettlingly creepy. |THIS.
[By Mr. Joe Walker]
