The kid’s clearly terrified of reaching out for the connection he wants, a fact complicated by his struggle to accept his sexuality. Snarky and emotional, Jake may be intense, but he’s also very endearing.

The doll resurfaces at a yard sale and gets purchased by artistic loner Jake Wheeler (Zackary Arthur), who’s working on a piece made of doll parts, thereby meeting the criteria of being a strange enough boy for this series to follow. This newest chapter in Mancini’s long-running continuity picks up with the residents of Hackensack, N.J., as they become the latest victims of Chucky’s bloodthirst. After over 30 years, it feels like the Child’s Play franchise has found its equilibrium: Syfy and USA’s Chucky works both as a celebration of the many-faceted doll’s history and a fresh take on what he can represent going forward. While always experimenting with new ways to delight horror fans, the movies always felt true to what Mancini wanted to say as a filmmaker at the time. After two increasingly tongue-in-cheek sequels, the series moved into more slapstick territory in the ‘90s before Curse and Cult of Chucky brought the series more in line tonally with the first few movies. What started as a clever take on the slasher in Child’s Play has morphed over the years in line with creator Don Mancini’s evolving tastes and sense of self. Spoilers follow for Season 1 of Chucky, which is now available to stream on Showmax.Ĭhucky may stand in the shadow of other horror giants like Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger - give him a break, he’s three feet tall - but his movies have arguably been the most consistent in quality.

Murder set pieces