Seed of Chucky (2004)

Directed by Don Mancini. Starring Jennifer Tilly, Hannah Spearritt, Redman, Steve Lawton, John Waters, (voices) Brad Dourif, Billy Boyd. [R]

The Child’s Play series goes full-on meta this time, with Tilly playing a fictionalized has-been version of herself starring in the latest Chucky movie (with the rebuilt and revived Chucky and Tiffany as her “prop” co-stars). The killer dolls are joined this time by their long-absent child—still don’t know how the heck that works—who’s a bit of a wimp when it comes to the whole “follow in daddy’s murderous footsteps” department. After a nifty POV opening sequence, things settle down quickly into retread self-awareness and ghoulish humor, but hasn’t New Nightmare/Scream-director Wes Craven and company already squeezed all the life out of this reflexive horror-movie-becomes-a-movie-inside-a-movie angle? Besides, being knowingly dumb doesn’t preclude something from still being dumb. Has it’s moments, but not enough, and Mancini (longtime writer for the series making his feature directorial debut) can’t stave off the overfamiliar lulls. One of the major sub-plots involves Chucky’s brood—smooth as a Ken doll, if you follow—being unable to decide whether it should be a boy or a girl (Ed Wood fans will appreciate that it goes by either Glen or Glenda); someone else can decide the film’s value (or lack thereof) as a gender dysphoria document.

38/100