Bride of Chucky
Encyclopedia
Bride of Chucky is a 1998 American
comedy horror film directed by Chinese
director
Ronny Yu
. It is the fourth entry in the Child's Play
series. The film stars Jennifer Tilly
(who plays and voices the titular character Tiffany
) and Brad Dourif
(who voices Chucky). This movie co-stars John Ritter
, Katherine Heigl
, and Nick Stabile
. The music score is composed by Graeme Revell
(who previously did the music for Child's Play 2
).
Bride of Chucky marks the point where the series takes a more humorous turn, often into self-referential parody, thus the change from Child's Play in the title. Contrary to the previous three films, the violence in Bride of Chucky is punctuated by humor to deflate the macabre
visuals. The film follows the events of the previous films continuity
-wise, but not tonally or in a continuation of those films' overall plot (where Chucky pursued the character Andy Barclay). This film also marks Chucky's new permanent look, a more frightening appearance in which his face is covered in scars following his fate in Child's Play 3
.
The film features references to the A Nightmare on Elm Street
, Friday the 13th , Halloween
, Hellraiser, Terror Train
, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho, Bride Of Frakenstein, and Scream franchises, implying that they all occur in the same universe. The poster of the film also parodies Scream 2
.
. Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly
), a former lover and accomplice of serial killer
Charles Lee Ray (voice of Brad Dourif
), acquires Chucky's remains (Chucky was chopped up at the end of Child's Play 3) after bribing and later murdering a police officer who removed the dismembered "Good Guy" doll parts from an evidence locker by slashing his throat. Believing Ray's soul to still be inhabiting the doll, Tiffany crudely stitches Chucky back together and reenacts the voodoo ritual which instilled Ray inside the doll a decade ago. Though her chants initially fail to produce results, Chucky unexpectedly springs to life and kills Tiffany's goth-wannabe admirer, Damien (Alexis Arquette
), by torturing him by pulling the ring on his mouth while his hands and feet are cuffed, and suffocating him with a pillow while Tiffany watches with excitement. Tiffany and Chucky then get into an argument because Tiffany believed Chucky wished to marry her. Upon learning he had no intention of doing so, Tiffany throws him in a playpen and locks it. While Tiffany is watching TV while taking a bath, Chucky escapes and kills her by pushing the TV into the bath. Then, using the same voodoo spell, Chucky gains further revenge against Tiffany by transferring her soul into a female doll so she could feel what Chucky went through as a living doll. Chucky, who is still intent on becoming human again, concocts a plan with Tiffany to retrieve an amulet that was buried with Ray's body and use the bodies of Tiffany's neighbor Jesse (Nick Stabile
) and his girlfriend Jade (Katherine Heigl
) as a means to return to their normal lives.
Tiffany sends Jesse a message asking him to take the two dolls to New Jersey in exchange for cash. Jesse convinces Jade to go with him and helps her pack. Meanwhile, Jade's police-officer uncle Warren (John Ritter
) breaks into Jesse's car and plants a bag of marijuana to frame Jesse, whom he dislikes. Afraid he'd ruin their plans, Chucky and Tiffany kill him by setting up an airbag to launch nails into his face. After the dolls hide the body under the backseat, Jesse and Jade return and begin their trip.
Outside of a convenience store, they are pulled over by Officer Norton, who asks to search Jesse's car for the planted drugs. After he finds it, he goes to his car to report to Warren. During this time, Chucky crawls over and shoves a cloth into Norton's gas tank and lights it. Norton is killed when his car explodes and, seeing the explosion, Jesse and Jade flee the scene. Soon, they stop at a wedding chapel/hotel and are married. They meet a con-artist couple who steal Jesse's money. During that time, Jade's uncle, still alive, tries to run away but is stabbed numerous times in the back by Chucky. As the criminals have sex in their room, Tiffany takes a bottle of champagne and throws it into the mirrored ceiling, sending down shards of glass and killing the two con-artists. Chucky then proposes to Tiffany then they begin to have sex
.
The next morning, the maid finds the corpses of the couples and Jesse and Jade drive away with their best friend David, who knew about their plan to elope
and heard about the recent murders. He reveals that Jesse and Jade have been pinned for all of the deaths and, while searching for the source of a foul smell, finds Warren's body and demands that Jesse pull over. While he is confronting them, the dolls come alive and hold them hostage with guns. David accidentally backs out of the van and is hit by a truck. Jesse and Jade drive away with the dolls. They are then chased by police, which Chucky is able to shoot the cars and make them go off the road. During that time, the dolls reveal their plan to them and get Jesse to drive in a mobile home. While preparing Jade for the body-switch, Tiffany begins talking with Jade, who manages to turn Tiffany against Chucky. A fight between the two ensues and Jade seizes an opportunity by kicking Tiffany into the oven while Jesse pushes Chucky out the window. Chucky shoots at Jesse, causing the RV to run off the road and into a ditch.
Chucky finds Jade and forces her to take him to his grave site, while Jesse takes Tiffany and follows them. While the medical examiner is digging, Chucky shoots him in the back of the head and orders Jade to open the casket and give him the amulet. After she breaks it off his skeleton's neck, she throws it out at him. Jesse then appears with Tiffany and they trade hostages. While Jesse and Jade embrace, Chucky is about to throw his knife at Jade until Jesse turns her around and is stabbed in the back. After Jade pulls the knife out of his back, they are tied up for the ritual.
Before Chucky starts the body-switching chant, Tiffany distracts him by kissing him while she pulls the knife out of his pocket, stabbing him in the back. They fight until he stabs her in the heart, where she collapses to the ground. While distracted, he is knocked into his grave and demands to be let out. A private investigator arrives to see Jade pointing a gun into the hole. He sees Chucky and watches Jade shoot Chucky several times while he yells he'll come back as he always comes back. The investigator soon gets on the phone with the police, saying that Jesse and Jade are innocent of the murders and sends the couple away. While investigating Tiffany's body, Tiffany springs to life and gives birth to a child before finally dying. The baby seems to attack the investigator as the film ends, thus setting the scene for Seed Of Chucky
to begin.
Critical reception was mixed. The film received overall better reviews than its 1991 predecessor, with praise directed towards the roles of the antagonists by Jennifer Tilly and Brad Dourif, as well as its dark humor and self-referrential parody. However, the film disappointed some fans of the series, due to the sudden change in tone from straight-forward horror to black comedy. The film currently holds a 43% 'Rotten' rating on RottenTomatoes.com
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
comedy horror film directed by Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Ronny Yu
Ronny Yu
Ronny Yu Yan-Tai is a Hong Kong director, producer, and movie writer. Yu was born in Hong Kong and graduated from Ohio University. He has worked on both Hong Kong and American films.- Career :...
. It is the fourth entry in the Child's Play
Child's Play (film series)
Child's Play is a horror film franchise created by Don Mancini, with its first installment, Child's Play, being released on November 9, 1988. The film has so far spawned four sequels and has gone into other media, such as comic books. The films all feature Chucky, a killer Good Guys doll with the...
series. The film stars Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly is an American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. She is the older sister of actress Meg Tilly.-Early life:...
(who plays and voices the titular character Tiffany
Tiffany (Child's Play)
Tiffany is a murderous doll and the main protagonist featured in the latter two films in the Child's Play series of horror films, famous for featuring the iconic killer doll Chucky....
) and Brad Dourif
Brad Dourif
Bradford Claude "Brad" Dourif is an American film and television actor who gained early fame for his portrayal of Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and has since appeared in a number of memorable roles, including the voice of Chucky in the Child's Play franchise, Younger Brother in...
(who voices Chucky). This movie co-stars John Ritter
John Ritter
Jonathan Southworth "John" Ritter was an American actor, voice over artist and comedian perhaps best known for having played Jack Tripper and Paul Hennessy in the ABC sitcoms Three's Company and 8 Simple Rules, respectively...
, Katherine Heigl
Katherine Heigl
Katherine Marie Heigl is an American actress and producer. She is possibly best known for her role as Dr. Izzie Stevens on ABC's Grey's Anatomy from 2005 to 2010, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Drama Series in 2007...
, and Nick Stabile
Nick Stabile
Nick Stabile is an American television actor. He played Gabe Capshaw on the show, Saints and Sinners. He is well known for playing the role of Jesse in the slasher film Bride of Chucky...
. The music score is composed by Graeme Revell
Graeme Revell
Graeme Revell is a New Zealand film score composer.Revell attended Auckland Grammar School, where he finished his final year in 7A...
(who previously did the music for Child's Play 2
Child's Play 2
Child's Play 2 is a 1990 American horror film, the sequel to Child's Play, written by Don Mancini and directed by John Lafia . It was released on November 9, 1990. Veteran actors Gerrit Graham and Emmy and BAFTA-winner Jenny Agutter, star as Andy's foster parents...
).
Bride of Chucky marks the point where the series takes a more humorous turn, often into self-referential parody, thus the change from Child's Play in the title. Contrary to the previous three films, the violence in Bride of Chucky is punctuated by humor to deflate the macabre
Macabre
In works of art, macabre is the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere. Macabre works emphasize the details and symbols of death....
visuals. The film follows the events of the previous films continuity
Continuity (fiction)
In fiction, continuity is consistency of the characteristics of persons, plot, objects, places and events seen by the reader or viewer over some period of time...
-wise, but not tonally or in a continuation of those films' overall plot (where Chucky pursued the character Andy Barclay). This film also marks Chucky's new permanent look, a more frightening appearance in which his face is covered in scars following his fate in Child's Play 3
Child's Play 3
Child's Play 3, also known as Child's Play 3: Look Who's Stalking, is a 1991 horror film. It is the third installment in the Child's Play series with Brad Dourif returning as the voice of Chucky...
.
The film features references to the A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise)
A Nightmare on Elm Street is an American horror franchise that consists of nine slasher films, a television show, novels, and comic books. The franchise began with the film series created by Wes Craven. The franchise is based on the fictional character Freddy Krueger, introduced in A Nightmare on...
, Friday the 13th , Halloween
Halloween (franchise)
Halloween is an American horror franchise that consists of ten slasher films, novels, and comic books. The franchise focuses on the fictional character of Michael Myers who was committed to a sanitarium as a child for the murder of his older sister, Judith Myers...
, Hellraiser, Terror Train
Terror Train
Terror Train is a 1980 Canadian horror film, directed by Roger Spottiswoode and starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Ben Johnson, and David Copperfield.- Plot :...
, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho, Bride Of Frakenstein, and Scream franchises, implying that they all occur in the same universe. The poster of the film also parodies Scream 2
Scream 2
Scream 2 is a 1997 American slasher film created and written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven, starring Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Jamie Kennedy and Liev Schreiber, released on December 12, 1997 as the second installment in the Scream film series...
.
Plot
The film is set just one month after the events of Child's Play 3Child's Play 3
Child's Play 3, also known as Child's Play 3: Look Who's Stalking, is a 1991 horror film. It is the third installment in the Child's Play series with Brad Dourif returning as the voice of Chucky...
. Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly
Jennifer Tilly is an American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. She is the older sister of actress Meg Tilly.-Early life:...
), a former lover and accomplice of serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
Charles Lee Ray (voice of Brad Dourif
Brad Dourif
Bradford Claude "Brad" Dourif is an American film and television actor who gained early fame for his portrayal of Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and has since appeared in a number of memorable roles, including the voice of Chucky in the Child's Play franchise, Younger Brother in...
), acquires Chucky's remains (Chucky was chopped up at the end of Child's Play 3) after bribing and later murdering a police officer who removed the dismembered "Good Guy" doll parts from an evidence locker by slashing his throat. Believing Ray's soul to still be inhabiting the doll, Tiffany crudely stitches Chucky back together and reenacts the voodoo ritual which instilled Ray inside the doll a decade ago. Though her chants initially fail to produce results, Chucky unexpectedly springs to life and kills Tiffany's goth-wannabe admirer, Damien (Alexis Arquette
Alexis Arquette
Alexis Arquette is an American trans woman, actress, musician, and cabaret performer.-Early life:...
), by torturing him by pulling the ring on his mouth while his hands and feet are cuffed, and suffocating him with a pillow while Tiffany watches with excitement. Tiffany and Chucky then get into an argument because Tiffany believed Chucky wished to marry her. Upon learning he had no intention of doing so, Tiffany throws him in a playpen and locks it. While Tiffany is watching TV while taking a bath, Chucky escapes and kills her by pushing the TV into the bath. Then, using the same voodoo spell, Chucky gains further revenge against Tiffany by transferring her soul into a female doll so she could feel what Chucky went through as a living doll. Chucky, who is still intent on becoming human again, concocts a plan with Tiffany to retrieve an amulet that was buried with Ray's body and use the bodies of Tiffany's neighbor Jesse (Nick Stabile
Nick Stabile
Nick Stabile is an American television actor. He played Gabe Capshaw on the show, Saints and Sinners. He is well known for playing the role of Jesse in the slasher film Bride of Chucky...
) and his girlfriend Jade (Katherine Heigl
Katherine Heigl
Katherine Marie Heigl is an American actress and producer. She is possibly best known for her role as Dr. Izzie Stevens on ABC's Grey's Anatomy from 2005 to 2010, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Drama Series in 2007...
) as a means to return to their normal lives.
Tiffany sends Jesse a message asking him to take the two dolls to New Jersey in exchange for cash. Jesse convinces Jade to go with him and helps her pack. Meanwhile, Jade's police-officer uncle Warren (John Ritter
John Ritter
Jonathan Southworth "John" Ritter was an American actor, voice over artist and comedian perhaps best known for having played Jack Tripper and Paul Hennessy in the ABC sitcoms Three's Company and 8 Simple Rules, respectively...
) breaks into Jesse's car and plants a bag of marijuana to frame Jesse, whom he dislikes. Afraid he'd ruin their plans, Chucky and Tiffany kill him by setting up an airbag to launch nails into his face. After the dolls hide the body under the backseat, Jesse and Jade return and begin their trip.
Outside of a convenience store, they are pulled over by Officer Norton, who asks to search Jesse's car for the planted drugs. After he finds it, he goes to his car to report to Warren. During this time, Chucky crawls over and shoves a cloth into Norton's gas tank and lights it. Norton is killed when his car explodes and, seeing the explosion, Jesse and Jade flee the scene. Soon, they stop at a wedding chapel/hotel and are married. They meet a con-artist couple who steal Jesse's money. During that time, Jade's uncle, still alive, tries to run away but is stabbed numerous times in the back by Chucky. As the criminals have sex in their room, Tiffany takes a bottle of champagne and throws it into the mirrored ceiling, sending down shards of glass and killing the two con-artists. Chucky then proposes to Tiffany then they begin to have sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
.
The next morning, the maid finds the corpses of the couples and Jesse and Jade drive away with their best friend David, who knew about their plan to elope
Elope
To elope, most literally, merely means to run away with a girl and to not come back to the point of origination. More specifically, elopement is often used to refer to a marriage conducted in sudden and secretive fashion, usually involving hurried flight away from one's place of residence together...
and heard about the recent murders. He reveals that Jesse and Jade have been pinned for all of the deaths and, while searching for the source of a foul smell, finds Warren's body and demands that Jesse pull over. While he is confronting them, the dolls come alive and hold them hostage with guns. David accidentally backs out of the van and is hit by a truck. Jesse and Jade drive away with the dolls. They are then chased by police, which Chucky is able to shoot the cars and make them go off the road. During that time, the dolls reveal their plan to them and get Jesse to drive in a mobile home. While preparing Jade for the body-switch, Tiffany begins talking with Jade, who manages to turn Tiffany against Chucky. A fight between the two ensues and Jade seizes an opportunity by kicking Tiffany into the oven while Jesse pushes Chucky out the window. Chucky shoots at Jesse, causing the RV to run off the road and into a ditch.
Chucky finds Jade and forces her to take him to his grave site, while Jesse takes Tiffany and follows them. While the medical examiner is digging, Chucky shoots him in the back of the head and orders Jade to open the casket and give him the amulet. After she breaks it off his skeleton's neck, she throws it out at him. Jesse then appears with Tiffany and they trade hostages. While Jesse and Jade embrace, Chucky is about to throw his knife at Jade until Jesse turns her around and is stabbed in the back. After Jade pulls the knife out of his back, they are tied up for the ritual.
Before Chucky starts the body-switching chant, Tiffany distracts him by kissing him while she pulls the knife out of his pocket, stabbing him in the back. They fight until he stabs her in the heart, where she collapses to the ground. While distracted, he is knocked into his grave and demands to be let out. A private investigator arrives to see Jade pointing a gun into the hole. He sees Chucky and watches Jade shoot Chucky several times while he yells he'll come back as he always comes back. The investigator soon gets on the phone with the police, saying that Jesse and Jade are innocent of the murders and sends the couple away. While investigating Tiffany's body, Tiffany springs to life and gives birth to a child before finally dying. The baby seems to attack the investigator as the film ends, thus setting the scene for Seed Of Chucky
Seed of Chucky
Seed of Chucky, also known as Child's Play 5: Seed of Chucky or Child's Play 5, is a 2004 horror comedy film, which is the fifth entry in the Child's Play series. The film was written and directed by Don Mancini, who created Child's Play and has written all sequels to date...
to begin.
Cast
- Jennifer TillyJennifer TillyJennifer Tilly is an American actress and poker player. She is an Academy Award nominee, and a World Series of Poker Ladies' Event bracelet winner. She is the older sister of actress Meg Tilly.-Early life:...
as human Tiffany and voice of doll Tiffany - Brad DourifBrad DourifBradford Claude "Brad" Dourif is an American film and television actor who gained early fame for his portrayal of Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and has since appeared in a number of memorable roles, including the voice of Chucky in the Child's Play franchise, Younger Brother in...
as Voice of Chucky - Katherine HeiglKatherine HeiglKatherine Marie Heigl is an American actress and producer. She is possibly best known for her role as Dr. Izzie Stevens on ABC's Grey's Anatomy from 2005 to 2010, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Drama Series in 2007...
as Jade - Nick StabileNick StabileNick Stabile is an American television actor. He played Gabe Capshaw on the show, Saints and Sinners. He is well known for playing the role of Jesse in the slasher film Bride of Chucky...
as Jesse - Alexis ArquetteAlexis ArquetteAlexis Arquette is an American trans woman, actress, musician, and cabaret performer.-Early life:...
as Howard Fitzwater / Damien Baylock - Gordon Michael WoolvettGordon Michael WoolvettGordon Michael Woolvett is a Canadian-born actor from Hamilton, Ontario Canada, best known for his work as Seamus Zelazny Harper on the television series Andromeda . Previous to Andromeda he starred in another science fiction TV show, Deepwater Black...
as David Plummens - John RitterJohn RitterJonathan Southworth "John" Ritter was an American actor, voice over artist and comedian perhaps best known for having played Jack Tripper and Paul Hennessy in the ABC sitcoms Three's Company and 8 Simple Rules, respectively...
as Chief Warren Kincaid - Lawrence Dane as Lt. Preston
- Michael Johnson as Officer Norton "Needlenose"
- James Gallanders as Russ
- Janet KidderJanet KidderJanet Kidder is a Canadian actress.Janet Kidder is the niece of actress Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane in the Superman movies. They both appeared in Walk on By, an episode of La Femme Nikita, as the younger and older Roberta, Nikita's mother. Janet's participation was in brief flashback...
as Diane - Kathy NajimyKathy NajimyKathy Ann Najimy is an American actress, most notable as Olive Massery on the television series Veronica's Closet, Sister Mary Patrick in Sister Act and the voice of Peggy Hill on the animated television series King of the Hill. Prior to her film work, she was best known for two Off Broadway shows...
as Motel Maid
Soundtrack
- 1. The Screamin' Cheetah Wheelies - "Boogie King"
- 2. White Zombie - "Thunder Kiss '65"
- 3. Coal Chamber - "Blisters"
- 4. Monster Magnet - "See You in Hell"
- 5. Judas Priest - "Blood Stained"
- 6. Type O Negative - "Love You to Death"
- 7. Slayer - "Human Disease"
- 8. Stabbing Westward - "So Wrong"
- 9. Powerman 5000 - "The Son of X-51"
- 10. Bruce Dickson - "Trumpets of Jericho"
- 11. Static-X - "Bled for Days"
- 12. Motorhead - "Love for Sale"
- 13. Kidney Thieves - "Crazy"
- 14. Graeme Revell - "We Belong Dead"
Box office and reception
Bride of Chucky was released in North America on October 16, 1998 on 2,467 movie screens. It managed to pull in $11,830,855 on its opening weekend, with a total North American gross of $32,383,850 and another $18,288,000 internationally. Its worldwide gross was $50,671,850, making it the most financially successful Child's Play film to date, beating out the original by less than 6 million dollars.Critical reception was mixed. The film received overall better reviews than its 1991 predecessor, with praise directed towards the roles of the antagonists by Jennifer Tilly and Brad Dourif, as well as its dark humor and self-referrential parody. However, the film disappointed some fans of the series, due to the sudden change in tone from straight-forward horror to black comedy. The film currently holds a 43% 'Rotten' rating on RottenTomatoes.com