Documentaries about film franchises are ten-a-penny, and this isn’t the first that’s been done about the Child’s Play series. However, there is a unique angle for this one since it’s directed by Kyra Elise Gardner, whose father Tony Gardner worked on the animatronic dolls for the murderous Chucky.
All the faces you’d expect are interviewed: Brad Dourif and his daughter Fiona, writer/director Don Mancini, and Alex Vincent, who played Andy Barclay, Chucky’s original ‘owner’. There are some general commentators, too, such as genre icon Lin Shaye and pop culture fan John Waters. Each has a unique outlook on the subject.
For the first half, the film looks at the franchise one film at a time and is fairly standard. It’s then that Kyra’s motivation comes into play. Since she was little, Chucky has been ‘part of the family’ as the effects models and designs have been around the house. It then becomes a more personal story, and much more interesting. Interviewing the cast and crew for the first time who she’d only known through the screen before appears to be a cathartic thing for her. The impact of making the films on their respective family lives is openly discussed, which is something that isn’t often approached.
This personal angle raises a standard retrospective into something more fascinating and relatable.
Living With Chucky is out now on Blu-ray and digital.
