In 1988, a childhood doll named Chucky became possessed by the soul of a serial killer. With eight movies and a television series since, Chucky has been a cultural icon for horror fanatics and is now the focus of Kyra Elise Gardner’s new documentary Living with Chucky, which recently played at Fantastic Fest 2022.

“I really hope people take away how much of a family this franchise is, and how much people put themselves and their whole hearts into these movies so that you guys can keep watching them at home,” said Gardner.

Gardner grew up with a Chucky doll, as one would expect, considering she is the daughter of one of Chucky’s longtime special effects makeup artists. “It was an interesting childhood. Not everybody came home to like fake dead bodies in their living room or having a helicopter called on their house because a dead body got left outside and somebody thought it was real, and those types of things,” she continued. “I was like, ‘Okay, this is a weird facet of my life. I think I want to go explore that a little further.’”

The Making of Living with Chucky

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Chucky Documentary

“It started as a short film in college,” explained Gardner, “and then I started making it into a feature while I was still a graduate finishing college. So, it was hard to try and do interviews while I was still making my own films, and my thesis film, and then COVID put a big damper on things and kind of determined who we could interview and who couldn’t. There were people I didn’t know as well, and I didn’t want to be like, ‘Hi, let me come to your house during the pandemic.’ And really the big challenge was editing, you know, how do you fit 30 years of hard work that everyone has done on this franchise, as well as talking about CGI versus practicality, or the personal aspects of it… and make it seem cohesive and touch on so many things that I know Chucky fans would want us to.”

What made it into the documentary includes interviews about the balance between horror and comedy that arose in the Chucky franchise over time, with mentions of some kickback from horror fans while others welcomed it.

“I wasn’t alive during the time to really see people respond to that, but I think that’s really what a lot of horror movies today even do. You have to have the comedy to balance out the thrill and the tension and the horror. And I think Brad [Dourif] is just so good that you can’t not think some things are funny when he says them, especially in Child’s Play 3 where he’s like, ‘Presto, you’re dead,’ and those types of things. I think going more comedic was all a natural term for the franchise.”

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Cultural Impact of Chucky & Future of the Franchise

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Chucky Documentary

“I was just at Fright Fest, and I take a good guy doll from Cult of Chucky with me to all the festivals, and I don’t have a duffel bag for him or anything. So, I’m just carrying it like a toddler, and it was crazy to be walking and so many people I can just hear around me shouting, ‘Chucky! That’s Chucky!'” commented Gardner on the cultural impact of the franchise. “To not be in the US and see just how big it has affected people, it was like, ‘Wow.’ I knew it crossed past the US and North America and everything and has had this impact but to see it in person. I would be so proud if I were Don [Mancini] and David Kirschner who have created this thing that’s lasted over several decades. "

As the franchise continues, there’s still plenty of room for Chucky to explore, especially as there’s a second season of the series set to release in October. “There have already been so many avenues it’s gone down,” said Gardner, “and I can’t say anything about season two because there are some things that are crazy that go down… but it’d be interesting to see like a crossover movie with Chucky and another killer icon. I know so many people are always like ‘Freddy Vs. Chucky,’ and this and that, but I would love to see that in the future. I don’t think it’ll happen, but that would be my silent hope.”

Living with Chucky comes to us from Chucky Documentary.