It’s been nearly four decades since Chucky first made his appearance as the foul-mouthed, diminutive killer doll in Child’s Play. From theatrical releases and direct-to-streaming sequels, to the hit SYFY/USA television series, Chucky has proven to be unstoppable. But he is slowing down a bit, thanks to an imaginative new development this season.
Creator Don Mancini discusses the doll, the myth, the red-headed legend as Chucky rapidly approaches his golden years, and — spoiler alert — he isn’t happy about it.
Spoilers for Chucky Season Three follow.
Fango: Chucky has certainly found himself in some interesting settings over the years: insane asylums, Catholic reform school, Hollywood. Now he’s wreaking havoc in the White House. How would you say our current political climate has influenced Season 3 of Chucky?
Don Mancini: I would say that our current political climate has influenced the show only in a very general way and we did that by design. We didn’t want it to be too time specific. We didn’t want it to date. That’s why we made ‘President Devon Sawa’ an Independent so both the character and the show can sort of walk that line. People can get really heated about that sort of stuff. Other than sort of playing with a kind of Watergate-ish type coverup that gets almost foisted upon the administration because of these bizarre circumstances, this administration and people were meant to be very relatable and normal. We could’ve done something ‘Trumpish’ and you could see how that might be amusing. But it was just gonna make some people angry. Better just not to go there.
The show makes a lightly satirical political point in its rules with regards as to why the White House is haunted. In episode 3 Chucky and Caroline first come to the White House in search for this ultimate evil place that Damballa needs Chucky to spill some blood on in order to reverse his condition. As Chucky says ‘the decisions to kill millions were made within these walls.’ And that’s just true regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum. So in that way we sort of lightly touch on American responsibility for death and war. And then through our goofy Chucky prism we play with that in such sequences as Chucky smothering someone to death with the American flag.
It’s smart to remain sort of neutral when it comes to politics because people have passionate opinions. It does get very heated. This is a good outlet for people to enjoy the show without the burden of that responsibility.
Exactly. Since they are the protagonists of the story we want the viewer to like them. What we know about this character [President Collins] is transparency. He’s promising to heal the nation and you can’t really argue with that. I think everyone would agree that would be awesome. But regardless of the politics, Chucky is going to fuck with them.
So… episode 3: Kenan Thompson’s death by umbrella. Absolutely brutal, man. My hat is off to you and your team, because — and this is hard to qualify — it’s my favorite kill of the entire franchise. And in episode 4, Tiffany is off having a good time with her voodoo marionettes. The gore is just amped way up, and it’s perfect.
We were challenging ourselves to do that. That umbrella kill was the brainchild of my fellow writer Amanda Blanchard and her demented mind. I’ve heard a lot of people say this is their favorite kill of the franchise.
How difficult is it to get guest stars who are willing to get this gory for Chucky?
It’s, happily, becoming increasingly not complicated. There are cool fans like Kenan and Sarah Sherman who want to do it, which is awesome. And then there’s someone like Nia Vardalos who is a bit less expected, I think in a great way. She herself said, ‘no one ever asks me to do stuff like this.’ It’s this kind of crazy comedy horror and in that scene she’s kind of channeling a Sam Raimi-Bruce Campbell vibe. And she’s just so great at it. It’s so much fun to see this icon of the rom-com genre sucked into this insane world.
Who would be your dream scenario guest for future episodes?
Martin Short or Catherine O’Hara. Now that I’ve had some SNL giants, what about some Second City? They would be cool. I’ll put that out in the universe. Oh, and Janelle Monáe! She’s a fan.
I’ve read in the past that the voodoo elements of CHILD’S PLAY were not of your design, but a contribution by original CP director Tom Holland. Now Chucky Season 3 is embracing its voodoo roots more than ever before. Are you officially a convert at the altar of Damballa?
I guess I have to say that yes, I’m officially a convert, and so I should thank Tom Holland for that. Even though he added it, I think John Lafia, director of CHILD’S PLAY 2 also did a draft that brought in the voodoo aspects as well. And it was also the shared idea of David Kirschner, our producer from the very beginning.
I know I couldn’t be objective about it, because it was different from something I had written. That was why I didn’t really cotton to it. But I recognized that lots of people really liked it! That was an aspect of the mythology and the first movie that people really enjoyed. And there was no undoing it, since it’s so intrinsic in the first movie. So we’ve tried to have fun with it in certain ways over the years. And this year we’re starting to explore it more. The White House setting also provided some opportunity for that because we’re dealing in the realm of ghosts and the afterlife. Because Chucky is, in a way, a ghost. He’s a spirit animating a thing. What if there were other spirits trying to animate things…?
35 years, seven movies, and now the third season of the hit TV show — and not a single break in continuity. Just Chucky, now showing his age… literally. How have you kept the Chucky mythos intact from one iteration to the next?
Well, just having one person overseeing it, I’m less likely to forget shit because I’ve been thinking about Chucky for almost forty years. I spend a lot of time thinking of Chucky, for better or worse. And I think after a while we had this opportunity to be unique in this way. And why not? Let’s just keep adding to it. Think of it like a giant sandcastle on the beach. My collaborators and I are sculpting and adding to this ever-growing sandcastle. And it’s one of the reasons I wanted to take him to television. TV is so collaborative by nature. It’s a team sport and it involves — if you’re smart and lucky — lots of talented people trying to make it happen. I love that aspect.
And TV gives you more of an instantaneous reaction from the fanbase, telling you what really works.
That’s really exciting too because doing this for a living is fun — the conversation you’re having with the stories you’re telling and the people’s responses coming back. That’s old as time — that’s the appeal of shows and stories. The immediacy of what we’re doing with this TV show is something all of us have really been revivified by. It’s really fun, and exciting, and stimulating.
To get into spoiler territory… the mid-season finale has Chucky abandoned by his voodoo deity, Damballa. And in turn, he ages significantly in what will be, as he’s told by a modern witch doctor, his last vessel. Does this mean his young protege, Caroline, will have to get her hands dirty in coming episodes?
I can tell you that you haven’t seen the last of Caroline and her story. Yes, her story does develop and become even more harrowing and interesting. In the first season I never in a million years thought that character would develop into what she has. And that was partly because in Season 2 we had written ourselves into a corner in a way, which I won’t belabor. But the solution was to explore Caroline’s character more.
And in the three years working with the actress, Carina Battrick, she is only getting better. She is so talented. She’s a smart kid, and is getting more comfortable. And she’s learning. We had this opportunity to do a ‘creepy kid’ storyline that we’ve never done with Chucky. The kids in this franchise for the most part have always been dupes and they then learn the truth and try to stop the monster. I’m a huge fan of The Omen. That came out when I was a kid. I really love that whole sub-genre of creepy kid movies, and I just knew Carina would knock that out of the park.
You’ve really built this community of recurring cast members and young actors who are really coming into their own with each season of the Chucky series. How has it been for you to navigate the third season while your cast has effectively been sidelined by the SAG-AFTRA strike?
The first strike — the writer’s strike — was a difficulty of its own before SAG even joined the party. Going into the season we knew that there was the possibility of a strike, so we had to allow for it. And it’s a good thing we did because the strike did come to pass. We had to prepare for it, and so we had to finish all eight scripts by May 1st. And that was really hard. I think that is a real tribute to the team. My fellow writers and I did that together and we did it really well. We succeeded with it. We’re in our third season so we’re in this sort of groove.
I’m just watching these actors grow and develop their talent, and watching them grow as people. I don’t have kids of my own. I have nieces and nephews in other cities. So this is the first time in my life that I’ve been around kids and teenagers for sustained amounts of time. Watching them get older… it’s fascinating. In a way, I have this view of what parents go through without the agony of being a parent.
That’s an honest response. There’s a lot of on-the-job training when it comes to teenagers. They’ll be quick to point out something like a dated reference or if something doesn’t quite work with the dialogue. I imagine they must be a valuable resource for the writing.
Oh absolutely! And very often they’ll look at me like I’m insane and I know they’re thinking ‘Oh my god, why are you so old?’
But still relevant!
Still relevant, true!
2024 seems like an eternity away. Obviously, the fans are excited to see what happens next. What can we look forward to when Chucky returns from his mid-season retirement?
Chucky’s existential dilemma is getting worse. He’s aging. His doctor, Dr. Rosen — you haven’t seen the last of him. That aspect of the story we’ve never dealt with before. Part of what this season is about is Chucky dealing with his own mortality and fears of dwindling influence. And in a way, it’s fun to see a now 35-year-old horror icon who has presided over his little throne for a while but now, in recent years, there have been challengers like Annabelle and M3GAN. And we’re just using that as part of the story. Chucky is grappling with those real issues of life, which is both hilarious and also affords some really creepy new stuff that we’ve never done in this franchise before.
I do have to say that I love Chucky’s Lon Chaney moment with the Phantom of the Opera mask coming off, revealing his age. This is new territory and it takes the narrative in an exciting new direction.
And since we’re running out of time I just have to say, as a fan, that your contributions to the horror industry at large — just legendary.
Thank you so much.
Chucky has been with me for so long. I never thought it would give me any kind of career motivations, but here we are! The original Child’s Play was my first horror movie at six years old.
Really!? The first horror movie you watched was the original Child’s Play?
Yes! I saw the VHS sitting there in West Coast Video. I had to beg my parents to see it. BEG! It took probably months before I wore them down. I wrote an essay about the experience for FANGORIA two years ago. And now it continues. And I know I speak for everyone at FANGORIA when I say, we just fucking love Chucky.
Oh wow, thank you so much — and Chucky and I love FANGORIA. I mean, we did that wonderful crossover in Seed of Chucky…
Yes — loved that! I love all of the references in Chucky over the years. You can obviously see where your influences lie. Even season 2 with the Apocalypse Now reference — never in my life did I think I’d see a Brando-Chucky. But the horror and the comedy just blend so perfectly.
Humor is part of the DNA of this franchise.
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity*
