#and like we end on nica obviously screaming in horror

[thetimelordbatgirl]

Me and my friend watching Chucky S2 so far really has us like this with the show's treatment of Nica:

[nightmareonfilmstreet]

Your Friend Till the End: All of the CHUCKY Films Ranked From Best to Worst

New Post has been published on https://nofspodcast.com/friend-till-end-chucky-films-ranked-best-worst/

Your Friend Till the End: All of the CHUCKY Films Ranked From Best to Worst

The latest Chucky movie, Cult of Chucky, has been released to the horror delight of the killer doll’s many, many fans. It’s been a long road to get to seven movies. While it’s natural for any long running film series to experiment and change tones from one chapter to another, it’s hard to think another that has evolved as much as Child’s Play.

So, how successful has the Child’s Play/Chucky series been through the decades in adapting itself to the times and garnering fans across generations? To find out, let’s rank and analyze the series from the original trilogy; Bride of Chucky, Seed of Chucky, and Curse of Chucky, and expand outward as we look from the Best of Chucky to his very worst…

  6) Seed of Chucky (2004)

It’s time for a lesson in the unintended consequence of unprotected doll sex. More than that though, Seed of Chucky is a lesson about how you can sometimes take the joke too far. Seemingly drunk with success following Bride, writer/director Don Mancini leaned hard into the changes he made to the series: more jokes and more winks to the audience to make sure they were in on those jokes.

So where did it go so horribly wrong? Like a lot of entries in long-running series, Chucky seemed to forget what it was all about, and tried to be about everything. Suddenly, this series was a Hollywood satire as the “I.R.L.” Jennifer Tilly is starring in some kind of film based on the in-movie murder spree/urban legend of the Chucky and Tiffany dolls. It’s also a family sitcom about Chucky and Tiffany reuniting with their child, Glen, and trying to be a “normal” non-murderous family with hilarious, counter-productive results.

Glen is possibly the best part of the film. A kind-hearted Pinocchio figure with the voice of Billy Boyd, Glen is tortured and enslaved as a ventriloquist dummy named “Shithead” until he sees his parents on TV and makes a break for it. Glen doesn’t want to kill, he can’t even swat a fly, but Glenda, you see, can. Yes, in a painful homage to Edward D. Wood Jr., Glen has split-personality as the female Glenda, who is every inch the homicidal maniac her parents are.

The new family dynamic might have given the Chucky series some new bite. Instead, we get cheap pot shots at Britney Spears, which now, given her practical disappearance from the pop culture landscape, seems tired and petty. At least Chucky didn’t end up the same way.

  5) Child’s Play 3 (1991)

First of all, Justin Whalin does not look like an older version of Alex Vincent. This must be said right away. While, Vincent had a quiet innocence, which, admittedly, was helped by his young age, Whalin looks like one of those early 90s surfer dudes who’s well-tanned, well-coiffed, and too dim to be convincing as a kid that’s seen too many horrors to count. Even Chucky’s bored with Andy in this one.

If the script and story suffer, it’s because Don Mancini was put to work writing part 3 almost immediate after part 2. The studio, evidently feeling that they struck horror gold with the second outing, wanted to strike while the iron was hot. Picking up several years after part 2, Andy’s status as a problem child sends him to a military academy where he encounters the usual suspects: sociopathic upper classmen, his cowardly roommate, the saucy hot chick, and Tyler, a kind-hearted boy who Chucky plans on body-napping. Or, as the doll himself puts it, “Chucky’s gonna be a bro!”

If that casual racism isn’t a turn-off, then you will likely make it to the end of the movie which takes place at, of all places, a carnival funhouse, one of the most over-used horror movie settings for a climactic final battle against the killer. On top of that, Andrew Robinson is here after bouts with both Pumpkinseed and Pinhead. He plays the maniacal barber that walks though the cafeteria measuring the boys’ cuts to make sure they’re regulation. Don’t worry, he’s only slightly pervy.

There are occasional moments of inspiration, particularly Chucky’s first kill of the movie, which is the teasing tortuous murder of the CEO of Play Pal Toys. Otherwise though, this Child’s Play felt, well, played out. Something pretty drastic would have to be done if the series was to progress further, which, obviously it did.

  4) Child’s Play (1988)

Submitted for your approval: a killer on the run from the cops who hides in a toy store. Shot twice and on the verge of death, he uses voodoo and a powerful amulet to transfer his soul into the only, remotely human thing available: a Good Guy doll. Charles Lee Ray passes from infamy into legend when he awakens as Chucky, a living doll that becomes a pox on the life of 6-year-old Andy Barclay after a birthday the kid will never forget.

Now “killer doll” is a pretty serviceable concept, even if the effects work of the time seems to generally let down the film, but what really drags on the original Child’s Play is the police investigation. The humourless cop played by Chris Sarandon does exactly what he needs to do, dig into the exposition and get to the bottom of Ray’s dalliances with the mystic arts. This isn’t Criminal Minds though, and we don’t need to get into the mechanics of how Chucky does what he does. It’s also fairly certain that Mancini’s research into voodoo practices, if any was done, was specious at best.

And the movie is far too straight given the concept. Is it a police drama? Is it a slasher movie? Is it a Twilight Zone episode? Even Chucky holds back having apparently not yet achieved at this point his masters in punning, although he does tell Andy at one point that, “This is the end, friend,” a spin on the Good Guy catchphrase. This original Child’s Play shows some signs of inventiveness, but it’s really not sure what tone it wants to take. Many times it feels like the movie is stopping to ask the audience: “Are you guys sure you’re buying this?”

It’s a solid beginning though, and it laid out a lot of ideas that the sequels were able to follow-up on. It also taught us a valuable lesson: no matter how desperate you are, it’s never okay to buy a doll off a bum in the alley behind your work.

  3) Bride of Chucky (1998)

As proof of just how deeply Scream changed the horror game, look at Bride of Chucky. It took a solid, serviceable horror film series about a scary doll, and turned it into a self-referential Bonnie and Clyde story that was goofy as well as gory. The change seemed to suit the Chucky series, so did the evil doll’s new Frankenstein-like stitches, and Bride became the most successful of the Child’s Play films.

Jennifer Tilly, then best known for her role in the highly-acclaimed Bound and an Academy Award nomination in the same year for Bullets Over Broadway, plays Chucky’s long-lost girlfriend Tiffany. Through a series of hilarious and disturbing misunderstandings, she ends up in a doll too, which leads to an inexplicable road trip cross-country featuring a pre-Grey’s Anatomy Katherine Heigl and John Ritter as her none-too-subtly inappropriate uncle. As of this film, Andy Barclay gets to safely go about his life. For now…

It’s a tribute to Don Mancini’s creation that he’s able to contort it, make it bend over backwards, and turned it from something that took itself seriously with humour into a wisecracking romp with serious moments that gross you out. Hong Kong director Ronny Yu, with his second English-language film, manages to find the right balance of tone. If you can smoothly segue from the grisly death of a couple with mirror shards impaling them on a water bed to gratuitous doll sex then you clearly know what you’re doing with this material.

Of course, balance is tricky. And that’s probably why the sequel that followed went a little too overboard with the self-referential commentary.

  2) Curse of Chucky (2013)

After a nine-year break, Chucky returned to the screen, and returned to his roots. Shirking the combination of yucks and over-the-top violence that drove the previous two entries, writer/director Don Mancini went back to straight horror: low budget with more emphasis on atmosphere and character. Missing, for the most part, is the over-the-top, joke-a-minute Chucky and his growing possessed doll family who are painfully aware they live in a horror movie world.

However, Curse did add another metatextual element, the casting of Fiona Dourif as Nica, the new final girl who just so happens to be the real-life daughter of Chucky portrayer Brad Dourif. In Curse, we learn the back story of serial killer Charles Lee Ray, and how he came to be on the run from the police at the beginning of the first Child’s Play. He kidnapped Nica’s pregnant mother after killing her father in an effort to create his own happy family. When the police arrived, Charles stabbed Nica in utero and created the disability that’s hobbled her since her birth. Incidentally, did Mancini write this script as family therapy?

In the franchise’s first direct-to-video effort, Mancini uses his limit monetary means to his advantage, setting the stage in an old home on a dark and stormy night for a classic gothic flavour while withholding Chucky’s full-blown living doll presence for nearly half the movie. POV shots, quick glimpses, and the sounds of small doll shoes scuttling across the floor are all that’s there to remind you that the doll is deadly, that is until Chucky finally reveals himself to Nica’s doubting sister, Barb (Danielle Bisutti).

And lest you think he completely re-conned the series, Mancini loads the film with a lot of Easter eggs and surprises, as well as a couple of welcome returns.

  1) Child’s Play 2 (1990)

Like a TV series that finds its centre after a difficult pilot, Child’s Play 2 managed to expand on the original and more fully capture the spirit that the first film was going for. Alex Vincent returned as Andy Barclay, and Brad Dourif was again the man behind Chucky, but everything else here was new and improved as both the stakes and the action got bigger. In other words, Chucky found his voice.

Even though it was the 90s at this point, the 80s theme of cold, heartless capitalism hovers in the background of this movie. The evil Play Pal toy company wants the bad publicity to go away, so they rebuild the possessed Good Guy doll to test it for defects. They find none, so all’s well, right? Andy, meanwhile, is in care because his mom won’t shut up about the evil doll that tried to kill her and her son; the police got the memo though, and to them there’s no such thing as an evil doll. But just when Andy thinks he’s safe, said evil doll finds him again, and no one will believe him that this “Good Guy” has the soul of a depraved killer named Chucky within it.

Smartly, series writer Don Mancini refocuses the story to reflect your typical cat-and-mouse game of most slasher films, and casts off the voodoo hokum and police drama. Suspense is used more smartly since we don’t have to build up to the reveal of Chucky as a killer doll, and the story teases us with anticipation waiting for Chucky to spring to life and kill again. The film’s climax, which takes place in the Play Pal toy factory where the Good Guys are made, is almost Hitchcockian with an assembly line ready to kill in a number of horrible ways, and maze after maze of boxed Good Guy dolls for Andy and his foster sister Kyle (Christine Elise) to run through.

On top of that, Dourif really finds himself as Chucky. It’s as if between parts 1 and 2 the actor said, “Hey, I’m a killer doll! Let’s have fun with this!!,” and he does. Child’s Play 2 is where Chucky takes its place next to other iconic horror villains, and it’s rightfully earned by the time the credits roll.

  But, where does the new film fit in all of this? That’s up to you! Read our review on Cult of Chucky and check it out now; the film is currently available to stream on Netflix.

[bryanllamado]

Solaire Escapade

Hi y’all! I just got back from Manila 2 days ago (as of writing) and it feels great to be home. If you follow me on my social media accounts, you might have been hinted that I went to Solaire–an established hotel in the Metro–with my college friends. I haven’t posted much about the trip yet–aside from tweeting a few photos or updating my story on Instagram or my day on Messenger (well, I uninstalled Snapchat for good)–and it is evenhanded to write about the trip, through this entry obviously. Basically, I went there as a part of Dairen’s birthday celeb (and I am one lucky boy).

Before you read this entry, (I want to share to you that) I was supposed to title this entry with Dairen at 18 | 02 but I made way for the stated label to highlight that this entry is about travel. I’ve been through a couple of hotels already and I have to say that Solaire has given me the best check in experience so far–not to mention that this is a first time for me. #achievementunlocked My friends and I stayed there for 3 days and 2 nights (a luxury in itself) which is just the right time to chill and relax before a new semester begins. Let’s all revisit our first Solaire escapade in 3… 2… 1.

011517 – 011717

After enrollment for the 2nd semester (12th, Thursday), I went out with my boo to see the film Nerve–which is based from the novel of the same name. I went home and since I was tired for 2 days in a row, going to school for enrollment and dormitory matters, I went to bed early. The following day (13th, Friday), I woke up to a myriad of new messages from our block’s group chat and a personal message from Dairen–who celebrated her birthday that week (11th, Wednesday)–informing me about an apparent trip to a hotel in Manila and asking me if I’ll join the squad.

It goes something like this: we’re invited to join her to Solaire as a part of her birthday celeb for 3 days and 2 nights with free accommodation and pool access although we’ll be staying only in a single room and will be bringing food with us. I was (quite, but not really) ambivalent towards it–first, that’ll be a long stay out of town; plus, I don’t think I have enough budget to survive in the city–but a part of me screams, ‘minsan lang to, grab the opportunity na!’ It is a treat from her elder sister’s aunt so we’ll be having everything for free (aside from transpo and food). Told you, I am one privileged boy.

I told my parents about the trip and they indirectly answered me by asking details about the stay. Technically, I did everything (take it literally, kailangan ng pampa-good shot) to make them say yes and so they did. I started packing my bags on Saturday night and to my excitement–mixed with anxiety–I wasn’t able to get a good night sleep but managed to get up early the next day. From time to time, I checked our group chat for reminders since I’m not used to packing my bags for long travels (especially this time that I’m vaulting to Manila without the parentals). There are 2 groups which traveled to Parañaque: first was our group–Dairen, Anne, Nica, T. Annie, Kuya Ariel, baby Xander and I; second was the Imus peeps–Tin, Cindy and baby Jacob. Our group left first thing in the morning on Sunday while the latter one arrived in the evening.

Day 1 – 15th of January – Sunday

I was about to leave the house when my parents started a conflict on who will give me the pocket money (but my dad gave in eventually). I went to Robinsons Dasmariñas to meet my friends and before we take the ride, we heard mass at Victory. We catch the bus ride to Baclaran; took the shuttle to MoA (Mall of Asia)–where we stopped for a while to grab lunch but did not because the place is too crowded; grabbed a taxi to Solaire. It took us around 2 hours to reach Parañaque. We reached the hotel in time but we weren’t able to check in on time so we strolled for a while at the Casino and food court (where we met Dairen’s sister and her sister’s aunt).

We checked in and climbed to Room 914 only to see a breath-taking view of Manila Bay by the room’s glass windows. Everything is well crafted–from beds, to closet to the comfort room–and the hotel service is outstanding. I am impressed by the hotel’s grandiose interior design and every single detail is shaped to perfection (talk about picture-perfect relaxation). We unpacked our bags and dined for our late lunch meal–of course, we brought food. We spent the day watching TV, indulging in the place’s extravagance and enjoying each other’s company. The internet connection is as fast as the speed of light (no exaggerating) so I managed to post a couple of photos on Instagram during or first day of stay.

Since we have not much of stuffs to do, Nica, Anne and I decided to try the pool–which is located at the 2nd floor–for a quick night swim (which is quite traumatic, as we felt unease by the waters). After a while, the Imus group arrived and we went back to the room to welcome them. #complete It is a part of our plan to have a movie marathon or play Uno cards on the first night but unfortunately, the TV unit is not cooperating with us (spoiler alert: there’s a not-so-big problem about the TV). #toberevealed To end our first day of stay, we talked to catch up on each other’s shenanigans instead–more like heart to heart talk, if that’s what you call it, with the help of spin the bottle.

We brought along an enough quantity of food for all of us so we managed to share what we have. We visit the Casino every once in a while to get water and drinks (discovered their iced tea and iced coffee–superb). I maximized my time–to take photos and videos of the place–and experience the elaborate structure of the place. I’m impressed in general (compared to my previous hotel experiences) and I’m the one who talks over the phone every time we ask for assistance and/or room service–much to my delight. I checked my blog before hitting the sheets; we arranged ourselves to maximize the room: T. Annie’s family on one bed, Cindy, Jacob and Nica on the other and Anne, Dairen, Tin and I on the floor. *snores*

Day 2 – 16th of January – Monday

I woke up to a sound and light morning but for some odd reasons, I greeted the morning on a bad mood (well, I hate mornings in general). They gathered on the floor to play Uno but I didn’t join them for I’m out of (this world) character to begin with. Dairen’s sister brought us breakfast: hotdogs, shanghai rolls, adobong posit, *other masarsa and chicken-ish viands* and a lot of rice. We ate breakfast together and it is a pleasure to experience a morning with them. Our room became a bit messy–on the fact that we brought a lot of bags and foods with us–so we called for room service while some of us roamed around the hotel and others went out to dip in the pool.

Nica and I left to get water and coffee while T. Annie and Dairen also went to the ground level (nagkasalisi, ika nga). Since we can’t access the pool all at once, we went by batch; T. Annie, Kuya Ariel and Dairen swam in the morning while Cindy and Nica dropped by MoA to get swimwear for the 2 baby boys. Anne, Tin and I were left in the room to take care of Jacob and Xander–a time that made me feel excited for parenthood (pero hindi pa ngayon). I was lying on top of baby Jacob–with my elbows pressed on the bed by his sides–when he decided to pee (right on the bed! Haha). #bestfeeling The room service finally arrived and it turns out that we are using the wrong remote control for the TV unit; anyway, the service crew had it fixed and we saw Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and Suicide Squad that afternoon.

While seeing the movies on screen, the room service for cleaning arrived and Tin, Nica and I decided to try the pool. We did a bit of the habitual photo shoot before heading to the pool (may I just say: jetlag is real sa elevator from 9th floor to 5th floor and/or from 5th floor to pool mga bes–take it from me). We went down to the 2nd level only to find out that we can’t access the pool anymore–since some of us have tried it earlier and the crew is insisting that we have the wrong name of our room owner. (We got quite pissed so) We just decided to go back to our room and see movies. To take my stress away, I strung out on social media–updated snaps and blog and pulled my Instagram. T. Annie’s family left that night as well; they deserved the break and it’s glad to have them watch over Dairen. *smiles*

When the night came, Cindy, Tin, Nica and I gave the pool another try (as Cindy was also denied from the pool that morning) and luckily, the odds went on our favor. We arranged for a relaxing night swim–though the water is unexplainably cold–and went back to the room to wash ourselves. We grabbed dinner together and decided to push through with our movie night. We saw 3 more films that night: Mother’s Day, Insidious Chapter 3 and Now You See Me 2 (I’ve seen all of them before so I only managed to catch some scenes). We also had a series of Facebook Live videos where we got the chance to chat with our friends and let them know about how we are doing during the stay. Since we’re watching a horror movie that time, Dairen, Anne, Nica, Tin and I slept in one bed (with our bodies curled) and Cindy and baby Jacob slept comfortably on the other.

Day 3 – 17th of January – Tuesday

I packed my bags the night before–with the nostalgic feeling despite being in the place still. I woke up to a great morning; turns out that I’m the last to wake up. The energy and vibes are all positive but the fact that we’ll be leaving Solaire distressed me (ang lala ng sepanx, tbh). I got up and grabbed some items that I could bring home like toiletries and instant coffee/tea. We saw Fifty Shades of Grey (yes, you read it right) and Ouija while some of us are prepping up, packing our bags and still sluggish on bed. Since we have finished out all the foods that we brought, we only had snacks and chocolates for breakfast. We are supposed to check out of our room by lunch time; taking the last look and glimpse of our room felt sore on my part.

We went down the lobby to find out that we have extra fees to pay–the telephone (which we have used for a limited time). We decided to leave our bags at the counter and strolled around the Casino and food court. We grabbed drinks and stayed until the time when the Solaire shuttle will be leaving for MoA. We got to the shuttle; seeing Solaire (and imagining our room on the 9th floor from the ground, slowly disapprearing in the background) felt surreal–our 3 day stay in Manila has come to an end. We reached MoA and ate lunch together at Mang Inasal where I had another legit Pork Sisig fix. We wandered around the mall in search for pasalubongs to our families.

We catch another ride home–a van this time–to The District Imus and back to Robinsons Dasmariñas where Dairen and I grabbed the bus ride. My friends were very reminiscent of our stay as they talked about all the funny (and epic) moments that we had during those 3 days–most of which are embarrassing. I was quiet during the entire 2 rides; guess I was sad (but extremely happy at the same time, di lang obvious!) since we’ll be parting and I could feel the exasperation from leaving Solaire until now. #nakakamiss Me: *texts EXTEND to 8888* Plus, I wasn’t able to try the bath tub (which my friends indulged in for long durations). Di bale na, may next time pa naman. *winks*

That’s it! Our first ever Solaire escapade is indeed memorable; had a lot of first times and #achievementunclocked moments throughout the trip. The memories I had in the place will not drift away for a while and in fact, I miss the place already. What a good way it is to end the term break with a banger–a trip out of town. Now, it’s time to save more moolah for more travels and more kwento. #wheretonext In the meantime, a new semester is on its way. I can’t wait for the next travel with my friends, can’t wait to know where our feet will lead us together. I definitely missed home but leaving Solaire gave me a lot of feels–I shall return.

Thank you Solaire for the good memories!

Thank you to Mr./Ms. Rolland and Rose Carreon (Dairen’s sister’s aunt) for the free accommodation!

Thank you to T. Annie’s family, to Cindy & baby Jacob, to Tin, Nica and Anne for accompanying me throughout the stay!

Thank you Dairen for inviting me to join the squad! Happy birthday!

Thank you Lord for guiding us all during the course of our stay!

PS. I hope you enjoyed reading this entry as much as I enjoyed writing it. But wait, here’s a video that I created to share with you how it feels to be in the place. Happy watching!

Till the next blog entry! – Bry. x 011917