Curse of Chucky Blu-ray Review
By: MattInRC
Curse of Chucky has arrived onto Blu-ray, filled with good extras and superb video. But should we care?
The Movie - 4/5
As a reviewer who's made my disdain for torture porn and poorly-written horror abundantly clear, it's hard to recommend anything that finds itself prattling about in these gutters. Hollywood has finally gotten the message: 2013 saw the arrival of the instant classics The Conjuring, Insidious: Chapter 2, and Mama, revitalizing a genre that seriously needed it. We still get ugly reminders of what horror looked like (Paranormal Activity, are you hearing me???), but luckily the straight-to-video Curse of Chucky isn't one of those films. Your appreciation of Curse will depend entirely on what version of Chucky you prefer. Love the camp and cheese of Bride of Chucky? You'll walk away from this one with sourpuss on your face. Like the original Child's Play, and you'll find Curse to be a darker and more enjoyable sequel than perhaps the original itself.
The key here is both in Director Don Mancini's ability to constantly re-invent the franchise and the total habitation of Chucky by Brad Dourif. An actor who's been on my watch list since television's Babylon 5, Dourif plays creepy like Yo Yo Ma plays the violin. He relishes in the murderous role, bringing a maniacal and twisted sense of humor to Chucky that few can duplicate. Fans of the series will appreciate the inside jokes and references to the previous films, highlighting Mancini's willingness to celebrate - rather than forget - the cheese and silliness of the series. Is this masterful horror at its best? Heck no, otherwise it would have enjoyed a good run at theaters (or a theater run at all). But, Curse of Chucky is enjoyable pure horror entertainment for the Fall season, reminding us that the curse of direct-to-video isn't all that bad when it's done right.
The Video - 4.5/5
For a direct-to-video release, Curse of Chucky looks better than most mainsteam Hollywood releases. Arriving with a killer MPEG-4/AVC transfer, it's hard to find anything wrong with this print. DP Michael Marshall's cinematography sports icy blues, deep browns, and aged-looking yellows. Blacks and shadows look great here, never fighting against crush but instead revealing nice transitions. While skintones look pretty lifelike, it's the clarity that surpasses most expectations. There's no evidence of edge enhancement, and crispness is evident everywhere, from tattered clothing to rope burns and background details. Blood, hair, and sweat are as good as anything we've seen this year, demonstrating just how far the DTV market has matured over the years. With no banding or aliasing to speak of, count Universal's transfer as one of the best of the year.
The Audio - 3.5/5
For a studio that prides itself on delivering powerful lossless soundtracks, Universal's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is decidedly pensive. I expect films like these to be brimming over with enviromentals: shocking and powerful stabs, thunderous collapses to the floor, and screaming to curdle my blood. Sadly, I just didn't get that here: the rears are too subtle, the forwards and center failing to deliver more than adequate effects. However, dialogue is clear and never gets caught up in the trail of blood that our favorite doll produces. With an LFE that is also caged like a wild beast, we never get the full potential out of this lossless track, which is a shame.
The Supplements - 5/5
Curse of Chucky arrives with an impressive selection of supplements, all of which are presented in HD:
R-Rated and Unrated Cuts: We're given a 95-minute R-rated version as well as a 97-minute unrated cut of the film. There's nothing of note in the extended cut, proving that, for the most part, extended cuts are usually not worth the hype.
- Audio Commentary: Writer/Director Don Mancini, Actress Fiona Dourif and Puppeteer Tony Gardner gather to breakdown the film's production. It's a largely informative track, and the mere presence of it is enough to get us excited. No, not like that.
- Playing with Dolls: The Making of Curse of Chucky (16:00): A standard EPX piece, showing how the film came together.
- Living Doll: Bringing Chucky to Life (9:00): The movie's creative team discusses the design of the doll, from his electronic innards to the puppeteering and vocals.
- Storyboard Comparisons (25:00): I always like to see how a film develops, and here we're treated to four storyboard-to-film comparisons including Electrocution, The Attic, Ian's Death, and Nica vs. Chucky. Director Mancini introduces each segment.
- Deleted Scenes (6:00): Six deleted scenes are offered: Getting Dressed, Taking a Break, Looking for Chucky, Dad Gets a Ride, Burned, and Ancient Egypt. As with most deleted scenes, it's clear why these were cut from the final versions.
- Voodoo Doll: The Chucky Legacy (7:00): Experts in the genre gather to discuss Chucky's impact on the horror genre, with memorable moments from the film interspersed.
- Gag Reel (1:00): Nothing to see here - it's a horror movie for heaven's sake. There's no laughing in horror flicks.
Our evaluation copy arrived as a Blu-ray/DVD Combo that included a nice embossed slipcase. There's also a Digital Copy of the movie available for download. For the most part, Universal has demonstrated their respect for even DTV releases, giving viewers a nearly complete experience here.
The Bottom Line - 4/5
As someone who hadn't seen a Chucky film since Child's Play (and has no interest in seeing any of the others), I found myself enjoying the return of a darker Chucky, although its audio is lacking. So long as you remember that what you're watching is a release not deemed good enough for theaters, Curse of Chucky will surprise with its slick video and excellent supplements. From that standpoint alone, chuck this one up as a total success. Whether that's enough to get you in line to purchase it is another matter entirely.
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