(Photo by United Artists/courtesy Everett Collection)
All Child’s Play and Chucky Movies, Ranked By Tomatometer
“Hi, I’m Chucky! Wanna play?” Audiences were game to tango with the possessed, murder-bent action doll in 1988’s Child’s Play, and so the slasher golden age got in one last big stab before the decade closed. Even critics, who had largely turned their nose up at the genre, were relatively on board, praising Child’s Play’s novel villain, creepy puppetry work, and the compact, efficient plotting and kills.
Brad Dourif returned as Chucky for two direct sequels (and all subsequent films until the 2019 reboot) to menace Andy, kid hero of the original, into his teenage years, as writer/creator Don Mancini deepened the Chucky mythos in unexpected, bizzare fashion. This allowed the franchise to pivot into meta black comedy territory with Bride of Chucky and Seed of Chucky, whose highlights include Jennifer Tilly (as herself) giving birth to the Chuckster’s twins.
Mancini, who was also occupying the director’s seat by this point, revived the series nine years later with 2013’s Curse of Chucky, reverting back to straight slasher horror. Critics approved of the new earnest approach, compelling characters, and its narrative ties back to the original film. 2017’s Cult of Chucky continued to defy the laws of diminishing horror sequel returns with its most outsized story yet, generating the best reviews of the 20-year-old franchise.
Meanwhile, Mark Hamill was tapped to voice the doll-face killer in 2019’s Child’s Play, which dug up a new chilling storyline attuned to today’s technological world. Whichever timeline you’re here for (and who says Chucky and Buddi can’t meet up at one point?), we’re ranking all Child’s Play and Chucky movies by Tomatometer!
#8
Adjusted Score: 23.125%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Set eight years after the last Child's Play installment, another doll is possessed by the spirit of Charles Lee Ray...
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#7
Adjusted Score: 35.55%
Critics Consensus: Give Seed of Chucky credit for embracing the increasing absurdity of the franchise -- even if the end results really aren't all that funny or entertaining.
Synopsis: When the notoriously evil Chucky doll and his lover gave birth, they had no idea that their spawn would grow...
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#6
Adjusted Score: 40.236%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: The demonic doll known as Chucky (voice by Brad Dourif) is back to haunt little Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent), now...
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#5
Adjusted Score: 50.502%
Critics Consensus: Bride of Chucky is devoid of any fright and the franchise has become tiresomely self-parodic, although horror fans may find some pleasure in this fourth entry's camp factor.
Synopsis: This horror film, directed by Ronnie Yu, marked a return (after an eight-year lapse) of Chucky and the Child's Play...
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#4
Adjusted Score: 71.428%
Critics Consensus: Child's Play updates an '80s horror icon for the Internet of Things era, with predictably gruesome -- and generally entertaining -- results.
Synopsis: A contemporary re-imagining of the 1988 horror classic, Child's Play follows Karen (Aubrey Plaza), a single mother who gifts her...
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#3
Adjusted Score: 74.181%
Critics Consensus: Child's Play occasionally stumbles across its tonal tightrope of comedy and horror, but its genuinely creepy monster and some deft direction by Tom Holland makes this chiller stand out on the shelf.
Synopsis: Child's Play seems to have been concocted by a parent who went berserk after standing in line for hours on...
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#2
Adjusted Score: 68.925%
Critics Consensus: The franchise hex of disappointing sequels is broken by going back to basics in this chilling entry, restoring a sense of playfulness to the Chucky saga.
Synopsis: Serial killer Charles Lee Ray once again returns in the form of a "Good Guy" doll in this sixth installment...
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#1
Adjusted Score: 79.095%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Synopsis: Chucky returns to prey upon Nica (Fiona Dourif), who's been confined to an asylum for four years. Chucky's nemesis from...
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