The third instalment in the Chucky franchise did not court controversy due to any particularly nasty scene or moment. Indeed, there is nothing in Child's Play 3 that could be considered 'too extreme' for audiences, being nothing more than perfectly adequate studio horror sequel. Child's Play 3 became infamous in the United Kingdom when it was linked to the shocking murder of two-year-old James Bulger by ten-year-olds Jon Venables and Robert Thompson. Several newspapers reported that the boys had imitated a scene from the film while carrying out the murder. The Sun even called for copies of the VHS to be burned. It turned out to be complete nonsense, of course, a rumour manufactured by the press to sell newspapers (and continue the ongoing moral panic against 'video nasties'). By the time it was discredited, however, the damage was done: the cassette cover of Child's Play 3 had been all over the front covers of British tabloids, giving it a measure of infamy in the country.
