10 Great Horror Movies That Fell Victim To Franchise Fatigue
3. Curse Of Chucky (2013)
Have you seen Curse of Chucky? You haven't?! Then please, let me convince you.
1998's Bride of Chucky reintroduced the world to the killer Good Guy doll after a franchise burnout in the early '90s following two films back-to-back. With a healthy dose of comedy and meta-humour, Bride was critically lauded and a box office success. Of course, that led us to the inevitable sequel in 2005. Seed of Chucky ramped up the humour ten-fold and the meta elements were off the scale. The film was much more a parody of family dramas than it was a horror film, and it came as no surprise when the movie served as a turn-off for franchise fans and tanked at the box office.
As a result of Seed of Chucky, many rolled their eyes in 2012 with the announcement that a new film, titled Curse of Chucky, was going direct-to-DVD in 2013. Worth skipping, right?
Curse tells the story of Nica Pierce, a wheelchair-bound young woman struggling to cope after the sudden death of her mother following the arrival of a mysterious doll. During one stormy night, those around Nica meet grisly fates one by one as she is forced to confront the possibility that a doll could somehow be responsible for these heinous acts.
So, why should you watch this film? First and foremost, Curse of Chucky is a return to straight horror for the franchise. Any humour here is dark and used in the grimmest of circumstances. A jarring departure from the comedic predecessors, Curse takes the "old dark house" thrillers of yesteryear and plays the concept to the hilt. Also of note is the incredible leading performance by Fiona Dourif. The daughter of Brad Dourif - himself the long-time voice of Chucky - Fiona puts in a brilliant, emotionally driven, physically challenged performance here.