Since U Didn't Axe Me: "Seed of Chucky" (2004) Review

Six years after "Bride of Chucky," Chucky and Tiffany's son, Glen, travels to Hollywood to find his parents, and discovers that they are cold-blooded killers. At the same time, Jennifer Tilly gets wrapped up in the devilish duo's schemes. Silliness takes the wheel in this outlandish and wacky "Chucky" sequel.

"Seed of Chucky" is a 2004 horror-comedy written and directed by Don Mancini. Starring Jennifer Tilly (as herself and Tiffany), Brad Dourif (as Chucky), Billy Boyd (as Glen), Redman (as himself), and Hannah Spearritt (as Joan). This absurd and self-referential sequel crashes the series into the rom-com genre creating a twisted mess of a film.

The lengthy wait for "Bride of Chucky" worked to its benefit. "Seed" was released by an independent film company (Rogue) instead of Universal, and that really hurt this film. Right out of the gate, "Seed of Chucky" falters because of the lack of promotion and waning anticipation from the fans.

Early in the film, we are introduced to Glen (Billy Boyd) who comes off as being quite whiny and annoying. He's sort of the monkey wrench in the movie who challenges Chucky to have to adapt. Billy Boyd does an okay job, but I feel like having Glen be a transexual character just overcomplicates the story. Chucky (Brad Dourif) and Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) successfully retain their core characteristics, even as they are thrown into new idea of parenthood. Layering a metaphysical story about Jennifer Tilly (as herself) realizing that Chucky and Tiffany are trying to take over her body...that's just too much. This is a Chucky movie, not a David Lynch movie!

Don Mancini is the driving force behind the "Chucky" franchise, and he's in his rightful place here as director and writer. He shows that he is confident in where he wants the series to go with "Seed," and somehow manages to balance all the oddness that ensues. The problem is that the budget was cut in half, and that limits the direction of this movie to some extent. In the end, Mancini is able to pull off what he was going for--it's utter craziness--but "Seed of Chucky" reaches its finish line with its wheels barely attached.

One area of the production that did not see a budget cut was the special effects, this time handled by Tony Gardner and his team. The Chucky, Tiffany and Glen dolls look fantastic, and they emote and move better than any other film in the series. With each installment, the special effects team continues to improve and enhance the dolls, and they perform very well.

"Seed of Chucky" is really only for die-hard "Chucky" fans. The scaled-back budget, the messy storyline, and awkward characters make this movie hard to watch. It's full of weirdness, and still features plenty of off-the-wall kills, but the wackiness reigns supreme here.

Good-