Cult of Chucky (2017)

Directed by Don Mancini [Other horror films: Seed of Chucky (2004), Curse of Chucky (2013)]

Having just finished this at the time of this writing, Cult of Chucky is a somewhat hard one to rate.

It certainly feels much more ambitious than any of the previous films, and follows Curse quite nicely. But as for the story itself, I think it got a bit away from itself.

The setting of a mental institution is quite fun, and especially as the film begins having a dreamier atmosphere a bit through the movie, the bright white surroundings work well. Actually, I really liked the dreamy feel this movie had, and parts even reminded me of (I know, it’s crazy) A Cure for Wellness. Hell, even the cinematography was of very high production.

Curse of Chucky was a step toward trying new techniques, but this one, with slow motion, and occasionally dreamy scenes, and split screens, thrown in with a somewhat befuddling story, really makes this one stand out. For the most part, that’s a positive thing. Even though there were a few atrocious CGI scenes (one of the death scenes, for instance), most of what was tried here works still.

Gore was pretty solid throughout, with multiple stabbings, stompings, and, of course, disembowelments. All in good fun. Like I said, the only death that wasn’t that great was due to CGI, unfortunately.

Despite a plethora of these positive factors, the story is a bit of a mess toward the end. It’s not as though it was without some solid tension, and it was definitely better than the abortion that was Seed of Chucky, but really, the story seemed to go all over the place, and with the route they took, I’m sort of getting the feeling that future films won’t really be as solid as Curse was able to be. I can’t say much more without spoilers, but it was worth mentioning, as it’s about the sole reason this isn’t being rated as near as well as Curse.

There are plenty of good things about Cult of Chucky, but it’s no doubt that Curse was a more cohesive, enjoyable, and better movie. The direction that this takes the series seems iffy, but time will tell. If you’re a fan of the series, this is certainly worth seeing, but as it’s entirely different than all of the other movies, I can’t guarantee you’ll love it.

6.5/10