Fantastic Fest 2022: LIVING WITH CHUCKY

Horror franchises were nothing new when Child’s Play was released in the late 1980s. Leatherface, Freddie, Jason, Michael Myers, and even Frankenstein had each crafted their own successful franchises, an unending length of sequels promoting not only the enduring success of a horror entry but the devotion of the accolades that kept and still keep, them alive. Yet, as one franchise starts to run its course, inevitably another will follow. And in 1988, the world was introduced to Chucky. Playing on the uneasiness expressed by many around dolls, Chucky combined the horrific comedic effect first introduced by Freddie in A Nightmare on Elm Street with the slasher genre that still proves it is never really dead. However, as each sequel came to pass, the enduring spirit of Chucky faced lower budgets and fewer wide-scale releases. Yet, the dedication of the franchise never faltered. And while much of this can be attributed to the fans who keep the spirit of Chucky alive, the same can be said about the team behind our favorite Blood Buddy.

Kyra Elise Gardener’s Living with Chucky – the second female-fronted horror documentary of the 2022 Fantastic Fest – begins as a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of both the doll and the franchise, yet evolves to become a love letter to those who have worked both in and behind the scenes of Chucky for the last 25 years.

Documenting A Franchise

Living with Chucky begins in the same eerie fashion one would expect from an opening of American Horror Story, almost feeling like a horror scene all its own, an extreme close-up of a handcrafting the parts of a doll – a doll that would become Chucky. As the score captures the creep factor in this brief introduction, the film transitions to a montage of brief clips that unite the Chucky franchise as one. As the recesses of your mind are reminded of the various “Don’t f*ck with Chuck” moments, the score and the opening transitions one last time, an almost whimsical sound taking viewers back as a Child’s Play VHS is inserted into a VCR. There is an immediate nostalgia that is crafted in these opening moments, both in the uneasiness of the doll making, the clips of various Chucky films, and the inclusion of the VHS tapes.

From this moment on, Living with Chucky takes its time as it works through each of the franchise’s inductions. And while some are given more screen time than others, Living with Chucky proves itself a cohesively comprehensive look into the success of Chucky. From Child’s Play to Cult of Chucky, talking heads including father and daughter Brad and Fiona Dourif, Lin Shaye, Jennifer Tilley, Don Mancini, Alex Vincent, Tony Gardner, and more, Living with Chucky becomes part reliving the magic, and part visual documentation of the craftsmanship behind bringing Chucky to life. Balancing both the personal investment infused into the franchise and the dedication to diversity and practical effects in the face of changing audiences and budgets, viewers will come to understand why Chucky has become such a lasting horror vehicle through the decades.

The Relationship of Chucky

As Living with Chucky progresses, it begins to evolve into more than just a horror documentary. Rather, it begins to take on the shape of a horror family. As the film progresses, the central figureheads in the creation of the film do not change, rather new faces are added rather than taken away. There is a core essence of dedication as you see each film revisited, yet the same team embraces each addition to the story of Chucky.

Yet, this is not only about the filmmakers and actors that have been living with Chucky, but their children that have as well. Both Fiona Dourif and the film’s director Kyra Elise Gardner speak to the terrors they experienced as children, one walking in to find the dolls in her house while the other listening to her father practices the scream of Chucky burning alive. Living with Chucky becomes a cathartic venture of filling in the gaps and understanding the world to Gardner‘s father, puppeteer Tony Gardner, who dedicated his life and career too. As many of them mention, a second family was formed over the decades, one Kyra Elise Gardner has embraced and discovered through those she has been able to interview along the way.

Conclusion:

Nothing speaks more to the success of a documentary than the emotional effect and motivation it can spawn by the time the credits roll. By the film’s end, audiences will find themselves wanting to revisit the horrific doll, experiencing the series as a whole, and looking for all the tidbits that have been revealed through those who brought it to life. Yet, it is not just those who have experienced the terror and epic one-liners that will find marathon inspiration. Living with Chucky welcomes newcomers into the fold, encouraging a new generation to not only embrace the revitalization of Chucky on our TV screens in a new series but in the films that made him a household name.

Living with Chucky played at the Fantastic Fest on September 23, 2022!

Watch Living with Chucky