If there is one reason to watch “Seed of Chucky,” the latest installment in the “Child’s Play” series, it’s to put things into perspective. Any of the countless lame slasher films that find their way to video shelves next year are gravy in comparison to “Seed of Chucky,” a festering excuse of a movie that should have been flushed down the toilet like a used contraceptive.
Many college students remember the original “Child’s Play” with an equal mixture of horror and nostalgia. “Bride of Chucky” (1998) brought the pint-sized murderer back from film limbo, complete with a healthy dose of comedic camp. Chucky got lucky with Tiffany, a similarly possessed doll on which he could shower his affections.
In the sequel few actually wanted to see, Shitface, the lovechild of Chucky and Tiffany, is introduced. Shitface sets out to resurrect his dead parents from the previous film. Upon restoring their lives, the peace-loving puppet is horrified to learn that his parents are addicted to killing. His parents are horrified to behold their child’s frightening visage. In a tribute to the notoriously bad film director Ed Woods, the child is renamed Glen or Glenda, depending on which parent you ask. Voiced by former hobbit Billy Boyd, Glen(da) is prone to soul-searching soliloquies and nervous tics. While the thought of a schizophrenic gender-confused doll should have anybody’s curiosity piqued, the doll’s presence manages to create an undying need to sit on a shotgun.
Chucky and Tiffany resume their search for new human bodies in which to reside. Basking in their new Hollywood locale, the dolls settle upon rapper Redman and actress Jennifer Tilly, both playing caricatures of themselves. Tilly manages to salvage part of the film’s integrity with a collection of hilarious one-liners poking fun at her own image of an overweight actress.
In scene after scene of corny pseudo-horror, the dolls kill off celebrities and paparazzi, with cameos from Jason Flemyng and John Waters.
After five sequels, it is safe to say the “Child’s Play” series is one saga that can be put to rest. From the vomit-inducing addition of Glen(da) to the stinker of an ending, “Seed of Chucky” slaps audiences in the face with horrible puns and a truly troublesome agenda of championing Chucky’s slaughter. Writer/Director Don Mancini has written every “Child’s Play” film since the original, but his use of over-the-top point of view shots and zooms leaves little doubt that Mancini needs a bit more training in the art of theatrical directing. The only creativity in the film is a clever opening title sequence featuring a sex education lesson. Fortunately, that sequence can be downloaded, leaving audiences with no reason to come anywhere near a showing of the film.