TV review
New horror series
Chucky is back! And this time the killer doll becomes the anti-bullying killer
Teenager Jake (Zackary Arthur, left) is bullied as an outsider. The killer doll Chucky wants to jump to his side.
© ©USA Networks/courtesy Everett Collection/ / Picture Alliance
The legendary killer doll Chucky is back in a new series. After eight films, Chucky creator Don Mancini is now daring to binge on a TV sequel. But it’s not just about the butchery, it’s also about the inner and outer struggles of a teenager.
He just can’t be killed. He’s been burned, blown up, chopped up – but the little plastic guy with red hair keeps coming back. The killer doll Chucky, possessed by the soul of a serial killer, which premiered in the 1988 film “Childs Play”, can now also be seen in Germany in its own series. On Wednesday she celebrated the start of the series on the pay-TV channel Syfy in Germany.
In the reboot of the Chucky franchise, the killer doll comes to Jake (Zackary Arthur) as a flea market bargain. The teenager doesn’t want to play with Chucky, but want to make him an art object. But it quickly becomes clear to viewers that the “Good Guy” doll with the dead blue eyes and mute smile is anything but good.
Horror clichés are not missing from “Chucky”
Jake grows up in the small town of Hackensack with his father Lucas (Devon Sawa), who has problems at work, drinks and apart from that doesn’t believe in his son’s cabaret. A misunderstood teen-turned-misfit, bullied by his cousin Junior (Teo Briones) and his girlfriend Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind) – as if that wasn’t horrifying enough. But it is not the first character of this kind in such films and series. Greetings from “Carrie”!
The series also uses old scaring tricks, such as the cat suddenly jumping into the picture, hissing. You saw that in Halloween II in 1981.
When Jake’s homophobic father destroys the doll sculptures, surprisingly only Chucky survives. Coincidence? Hardly likely.
A gay main character? Excellent!
What is interesting and progressive in this horror series is that 14-year-old Jake is gay. A rainbow flag hangs in his room – and he obviously has eyes for his schoolmate Devon Evans (Björgvin Arnarson), who records a crime podcast. While homosexual characters in horror films are nothing new, it’s unusual for them to take a starring role and also take on a coming-of-age story. That’s why you quickly take the curly-headed Jake to your heart.
Jake and Lexy are the first to notice something is wrong with Chucky. When Jake turns nauseous in biology class and turns away, a frog in front of him is suddenly dissected. Only Chucky sat next to him. Lexy is startled when the child doll suddenly stands somewhere else and lets out her evil laugh. Jake finds articles about incidents involving Chucky on the internet. An unknown caller warns Jake that the doll is talking without batteries. When he actually doesn’t find any batteries in the puppet – which has just played one of its standard electronic phrases – he gets scared and throws the puppet away.
Chucky wants to team up with Jake
To his horror, Chucky shows up at a talent show – and talks to Jake. He persuades the insecure teenager to take part in a mock ventriloquism contest. Chucky then makes fun of the moderator Lexy in front of the assembled audience. When Jake’s father yells at him about it, Chucky retaliates brutally. Jake already suspects that the doll has something to do with it. After a small homage to the first film, Chucky announces himself as a living killer doll with a “heidi-fucking-ho”. But instead of going after Jake, the serial killer in the plastic body wants to join forces with Jake and slaughter his tormentors. At the same time, the end of the first episode gives a glimpse of the fact that the origins of serial killer Charles Lee Ray are also being clarified.
The first episode of the series “Chucky” is promising. The characters, while a little trite here and there (the misfit, the bully, the crush), are well acted. However, the coming-of-age aspect and Jake’s homosexuality show that horror has also arrived in the 2020s and is working. The new series from original Chucky creator Don Mancini also promises to see old friends again. It has a lot of potential and ties in with the films “Curse of Chucky” and “Cult of Chucky” – after the rather disappointing remake of the first film, where Chucky became “Buddi” and the doll with artificial intelligence instead of a killer soul was provided. “Chucky”: great fun that makes you want to see the next episodes!
“Chucky” airs every Wednesday at 8:15 p.m. on pay-TV channel Syfy. Syfy can be received on Magenta TV, Vodafone and Sky, among others.