‘Seed of Chucky’ Shoots onto Ultra HD [4K Review]
Bride of Chucky (1998) turned me off in theaters 25 years ago, specifically because of the meta-humor and tongue-in-cheek vibe. So the trailer for Seed of Chucky (2004) lost me completely. All it took was the Britney Spears bit to tell me this is a film best avoided—and so I did until now. Maybe for the best because my cinema tastes are much more varied and I can better appreciate what Don Mancini, screenwriter-turned-director for this entry, was trying to achieve.
Seed of Chucky is the bastard child of Ed Wood and John Waters, made for the camp crowd but still punctuated by the kind of malevolent violence fans of Chucky want to see. The gallows humor is darker and the meta-humor is dialed up higher than before. For example, here Jennifer Tilly is essentially playing herself as an actress starring in a Hollywood version of the Chucky story, despite playing Tiffany Valentine in the previous film. It’s wacky but it works. But the biggest change of all is that now instead of having to deal only with a jilted lover Chucky also has to contend with something even more terrifying: parenthood.
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Six years after Tiffany’s dead doll body gave birth at the end of Bride of Chucky to the spawn of her and Chucky, Glen (Billy Boyd) is working with a ventriloquist in England. Well, not so much working with him as he is a caged slave forced to perform nightly with his handler (Keith-Lee Castle). One night Glen sees a promo on TV for Jennifer Tilly’s new film Chucky Goes Psycho and realizes the dolls are his parents. So he escapes his confines and heads off to Los Angeles. There he finds his “parents” who are actually the prop dolls being used for the movie.
But thanks to the ever-trusty Heart of Damballa Glen is able to resurrect both Chucky and Tiffany in fresh new bodies. Their reactions to the revelation they have a kid are quite different. Still, a plan is hatched: transfer their souls into the bodies of Jennifer Tilly and Redman (playing a director Tilly is trying to seduce to secure a role) and then inseminate Tilly with Chucky’s “seed” so Glen can inhabit the baby’s soul. But nothing is easy with these psychos and plans expectedly go awry.
Much as I expected to loathe this entry the opposite is true: I kinda love the madness of Mancini. If Bride of Chucky was dipping a toe into uncharted comedy waters then Seed of Chucky is a full-blown cannonball into the deep end of a dark pool. Mancini also tackles subjects that weren’t mainstream in 2004, specifically gender identity. Glen/Glenda is torn between genders, unsure of where they fit in, and definitely not interested in taking part in the family business of killing.
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Chucky tries to bring out the killer in Glen, urging him to give it a try whereas Tiffany is supportive of Glenda and her sensitive nature. The script was heavily inspired by Ed Wood’s Glen or Glenda (1953) and it takes an honest, empathetic look at gender dysphoria. One thing this series has consistently done is challenge horror norms and stereotypes while still toeing that line to deliver the graphic goods fans crave.
In that respect this entry fully delivers. Special effects legend Tony Gardner appears as himself early on and is, of course, killed spectacularly. Another character is gruesomely disemboweled. One of the most savage deaths is saved for John Waters, the King of Sleaze himself, who is perfectly cast as a scummy paparazzi. Most of Waters’ work in front of the camera has been cameos but he’s so good in this supporting role I wish he’d do more acting. The finale is a maelstrom of blood, semen, axes, pregnancy, and voodoo rituals that is wild and insane, but Mancini never loses focus on his story, wrapping things up wickedly.
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Without getting into nitpicks I’ll say the only two things in the film I didn’t like are the Britney Spears scene—too topical and, worse, not funny—and the casting of Redman as a big-time Hollywood director. Supposedly the role was written with Quentin Tarantino in mind, so how you go from a legit director to Redman is a mystery to me. Redman is a decent actor and fairly funny but nothing about him says “Hollywood director”, though it is funny the film he’s making is a biopic about the Virgin Mary.
Like Bride of Chucky, Seed of Chucky got a Blu-ray release from Universal five years ago. But Scream Factory has upped the ante with a fresh new 2023 scan in 4K Ultra HD and—big shock—the 1.85:1 2160p picture is a beaut. Technically this is marvelous from start to finish, with crisp definition, loads of fine detailing, bright colors, and rich black levels. There isn’t an aspect of this image worth complaining about, although I will continue to complain Scream Factory has only given the theatrical cut the 4K treatment while the unrated cut is bound to the Blu-ray copy. I understand this is maybe a Universal thing and not their fault but it’s still aggravating.
The English DTS-HD MA 2.0 and 5.1 surround soundtracks are equally excellent, with clear dialogue and plenty of scattered sound effects to immerse viewers. Kinda cool that they got Pino Donaggio to do the score, though I won’t claim it’s one of his better efforts. Subtitles in English SDH.
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There aren’t any extras on the 4K disc; everything is on the included Blu-ray.
There, you’ll find two audio commentary tracks. One is with writer/director Don Mancini and head puppeteer/associate producer Tony Gardner. The other is with Mancini and actress Jennifer Tilly.
“Off with my Head – Tony Gardner on Seed of Chucky” (HD, 18:59), is a great sit-down with the makeup effects legend about his work on the film.
“Chucky Be Demented – John Waters on Seed of Chucky” (HD, 6:16), Waters talks about his love for the series and working with Mancini on the film.
A “slashed scene” (SD, 3:18) with optional commentary by Mancini and Debbie Carrington is included.
“Heeeeere’s Chucky” (SD, 2:18) is a satirical news interview with Chucky.
“Family Hell-day Slide Show” (SD, 3:31) shows off the family on vacation.
“Conceiving the Seed of Chucky” (SD, 18:45) is a legacy making-of featurette.
“Tilly on the Tonight Show” (SD, 1:30) is a joke bit and not exactly what the title suggests.
“FuZion: Up Close with the Seed of Chucky Stars” (SD, 4:26) is an amusing relic of the early ‘00s.
The disc also has a “Storyboard to Final Feature Comparison” (SD, 13:55) featurette, four TV spots (SD, 2:07), a teaser trailer (SD, 1:03), and a theatrical trailer (SD, 2:10).
Special Features:
DISC ONE: 4K BLU-RAY – THEATRICAL CUT
- NEW 4K MASTER FROM THE ORIGINAL CAMERA NEGATIVE
- Audio Commentary with writer/director Don Mancini and special makeup effects artist Tony Gardner
- Audio Commentary with writer/director Don Mancini and Jennifer Tilly
- Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0
- Optional English subtitles for the main feature
DISC TWO: BLU-RAY – THEATRICAL CUT AND UNRATED VERSION
- NEW 4K MASTER OF THE THEATRICAL VERSION OF THE FILM
- NEW Off With the Head – Tony Gardner on Seed of Chucky
- NEW Chucky Be Demented – John Waters on Seed of Chucky
- Audio Commentary with writer/director Don Mancini and special makeup effects artist Tony Gardner
- Audio Commentary with writer/director Don Mancini and Jennifer Tilly
- Slashed Scene with optional commentary by writer/director Don Mancini and Debbie Carrington
- Heeeeere’s Chucky
- Family Hell-day Slide Show
- Conceiving the Seed of Chucky
- Till on The Tonight Show
- FuZion Up Close with Seed of Chucky stars
- Storyboard to Final Feature Comparison
- Teaser Trailer
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spots
- Optional English subtitles for the main feature
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Seed of Chucky
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Special Features
Summary
This might be the most divisive film in the series but there is no denying this release is a winner. A/V blows away the previous releases and there are plenty of new and old extras for fans to watch.
