Chucky: The Killer DVD Collection
The most unlikely horror-movie icon this side ofLeprechaun, the homicidal doll Chucky has blossomed into one of the most recognizable faces of fright fare over the last two decades, and this double-disc set chronicles four of his most monstrous misadventures. The original--and still quite creepy--Child's Playfeature (from 1988) is not included in the set (that title is owned by MGM, and this set is a Universal release), so theKiller DVD Collectionkicks off with the more formulaicChild's Play 2(1990) and3('91, directed byLostproducer/director Jack Bender), both of which are saved only by veteran character actor Brad Dourif as the voice of Chucky. The series received a much-needed shot in the arm in 1998 withBride of Chucky, an over-the-top revamp that dispensed with the tired horror-movie mechanics and dove headfirst into a gleeful mix of camp and gore; much of the credit for that film's success must go to Hong Kong director Ronny Yu (Bride with White Hair), who imparts much visual flair to the proceedings and Jennifer Tilly as an amoral moll whose attempt to free the killer that possesses Chucky results in another monster doll on the loose. The fifth (and to date, final)Child's Play/Chucky feature,Seed of Chucky, rounds out the set; it strives for the humor-horror quotient of Yu's film, and yields mixed results.No extras are featured on the first two sequels, but bothBrideandSeedoffer up commentaries and featurettes for the devoted Chucky fans.Bridegets two commentaries--one with Yu, and the other with Dourif, Tilly, and scriptwriter Don Mancini, whileSeed's commentary has Mancini (who was promoted to director) and Tilly. Making-of featurettes for both features are also included, as well as a clip of Tilly onThe Tonight Show. None of these supplements will be new to the longtimeChild's Playcollector--all have been released on previous single and multi-disc sets--and buyers should know that they will find the R-rated versions ofBrideandSeedhere, and not the unrated versions (which have also been previously released). So it's fans looking to fill in the Chucky gap in their DVD libraries that will benefit the most from theKiller DVD Collection.--Paul Gaita