Seed of Chucky (Don Mancini, 2004, US/UK/Romania)

That Seed of Chucky is considered the worst film in the Chucky franchise is not particularly surprising, given that the film is by far the campiest and most absurd entry in the franchise. The fact that John Waters has a sizable role in the film is an indication of the film's overall tone. Picking up where Bride of Chucky left off, Seed of Chucky marks the first time creator Don Mancini ended up in the director's chair - a role he would continue for the next two entries in the franchise (up until the 2019 reboot). 

The film tells the story of a young doll named Glen (voiced by Hobbit Billy Boyd) who identifies Chucky and Tiffany as his parents and manages to fly from captivity in the UK to Los Angeles to resurrect them. One of the main aspects of the film is Glen's questioning his gender identity (is he Glen or Glenda? - the film references the Ed Wood classic heavily. The other humor in the film comes from the meta-meta-meta gags going on. Jennifer Tilly is of course voicing the character of Tiffany, while at the same time she is playing herself in the film. One wonders if they were planning to do a similar meta-gag with Brad Dourif but he passed on it.

 

It is remarkable how much goes on in this film over 90 minutes. There is an entire subplot wherein the rapper Redman is making a film about the Virgin Mary and enlists Jennifer Tilly to be the star. Not to mention, there is the whole gender confusion issue with Glen/Glenda - this could be an entire segment of the plot on its own. Overall, Mancini's first directorial outing is a great effort and a lot of fun - as long as you don't view it as a horror film.

7/10