Cult of Chucky

This seventh installment in the Child's Play series is written and directed by Don Mancini, the man who originally came up with the idea for a doll possessed by the spirit of a serial killer back in 1988 and has scripted all five of the previous sequels (and directed the last two). This joke-laced gorefest serves as a sort of grand reunion, bringing back not only Brad Dourif—the voice of the snarky, homicidal toy from the beginning—but also Alex Vincent as Andy, the kid who the doll terrorized in the first three films, as well as Fiona Dourif as Nica, who was the chief victim in the last movie, and Jennifer Tilly, who has had the pleasure of being Chucky's bride Tiffany since the fourth installment. Most of the story is set in the asylum where Nica is kept after being framed for Chucky's most recent killings, and where Andy arrives for a final showdown with his nemesis. Through the power of voodoo, Chucky has managed to insert his malevolent soul into several other dolls even as the original's head sits back in Andy's apartment, where it can be periodically tortured. Fans of the series will probably enjoy the gleeful carnage—plenty of patients and staff die gruesome deaths—and be happy that the ending invites yet another sequel. But anyone unfamiliar with the series mythology will likely be bewildered by the goings-on. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)