Chucky Finale: More films possible alongside the series

Editor’s Note: Spoilers below for the season finale of Chucky.

This season of Syfy’s Chucky series was about the fences.

Narratively, the season took our teenage leads from Hackensack, New Jersey, and to the Catholic school where killer-turned-living-puppet Charles Lee Ray (voiced by Brad Dourif) attended as a child. And after a season of child murders, a priest being blown up, and a meta-plot about Jennifer Tilly’s obsession (by a played character). through Jennifer Tilly), series creator Don Mancini took the characters home for a finale to the Hackensack holiday season with Episode 8, “Chucky Actually.”

As Mancini told IndieWire via Zoom, the finale was the capstone of a season that attempted to experiment with the narrative TV format. “I wanted to play with the structure and the expectations of the [final] episode format,” he said. Since Season 1 ended with Chucky’s Halloween episode, Mancini wanted to contrast that with a Season 2 finale set around the holiday season. “I’ve always wanted to do a big Christmas Chucky thing, so this was our chance to do it and see Chucky decorating the halls.”

The finale should also provide additional excitement. Episode 7, “He Has Risen, Indeed”, saw the characters in grave danger. One might think that the finale gives them a chance to relax and reflect – that’s not the case.

“That’s our brand, sometimes a bit experimental. What’s the use of having a TV show if you can’t act a little?” Mancini said. That meant making it big at the end of Season 2, culminating in Chucky Actually, which features the bloodiest kill the show (and the Chucky franchise) have ever tackled. Mayor Michelle Cross (Barbara Alyn Woods) comes downstairs to investigate a strange noise, only to get Chucky to split her in half with a chainsaw. It’s a long, grotesque sequence, but when Mancini was heard talking about it, the Syfy network didn’t hesitate at all.

“Chucki”

Rafi/SYFY

He said that while there were no concerns about the show’s violence, the network was a little hesitant that the meta-humor and narrative experimentation might be too odd. A case in point is this season’s episode “Death on Denial,” which focuses on Tiffany Valentine (in the body of Jennifer Tilly) trying to keep those who actually know Jennifer Tilly from finding out that Tiffany is impersonating her. “‘Death on Denial’ was a special treat for all of us, just to bring these other actors in and let us do something crazy,” Mancini said.

So far, Mancini has the show planned for at least five seasons, and he can also see a world where the series runs alongside new movies in the “Chucky” verse. “If the opportunity presented itself,” Mancini would be taking on a double duty.

A world featuring Chucky on screens big and small would certainly go a long way in earning the character the respect it deserves in the horror realm. In his nearly 35 years as a horror icon, Chucky has garnered a following, particularly those in the LGBTQ+ community who love the character’s irreverent meta-humor mixed with gore and a touch of heart. If Don Mancini can give us a character to be revived for Christmas that ends in a sweet friendship story, it’s worth it.

The season finale of “Chucky” aired November 23 on Syfy.

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