All The Chucky Movies Ranked, From Best To Worst
We were first introduced to Chucky the killer doll in 1988, thanks to the mind of Don Mancini, director Tom Holland, and actor Brad Dourif. The Chucky movies collection has since expanded to eight films, and a popular television series. But are they all worth watching?
Below, you will find the Chucky movies ranked from best to worst, per the Ranker audience. Perhaps you are a purist, and prefer the original film. Or maybe you like to follow character Andy Barclay’s (Gabriel Bateman / Justin Whalin / Alex Vincent) journey throughout the series? You could also be a big Nica Pierce (Fiona Dourif) fan, which means you love the later films in the franchise, as well as the SYFY TV series (also created by Mancini).
Regardless, horror fans who love camp and a great villain know that there are no bad Child's Play movies (unless you count the 2019 one - no shade to Aubrey Plaza - it's just weird not having the Charles Lee Ray plot). Of course the show also has Nineties (and 2023) heartthrob Devon Sawa, so there's really no losing.
1. Curse of Chucky (2013)
Curse of Chucky is written and directed by creator, Don Mancini. It brings Brad Dourif's daughter Fiona into the fold, as paraplegic Nica Pierce, whose family faces Chucky's wrath. Curse of Chucky was much more well-received than its predecessor. It is rated fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics saying, “The franchise hex of disappointing sequels is broken by going back to basics in this chilling entry.”
Starring: Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, Jordan Gavaris, Chris Sarandon, A Martinez
2. Child's Play (1988)
The movie that started it all. Tom Holland directed this cult classic, written by Don Mancini, about a children's doll that ends up becoming the vessel for a fearsome serial killer named Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif). Desperate and cornered by the cops, Ray uses voodoo to transfer his soul into one of the popular Good Guy brand talking dolls. And so Chucky, and this wild franchise, was born.
Starring: Catherine Hicks, Chris Sarandon, Alex Vincent, Brad Dourif, Dinah Manoff
3. Child's Play 2 (1990)
Two years after the events of the first film, we find Andy (Alex Vincent) in foster care, while his mother (Catherine Hicks) is institutionalized, since no one believed her story about a killer doll. We're introduced to Kyle (Christine Elise), who will go on to appear in Cult of Chucky, and the TV series. In addition to the beloved new character, Child's Play 2 also offers a killer final fight scene in a toy factory.
Starring: Alex Vincent, Jenny Agutter, Gerrit Graham, Christine Elise, Brad Dourif
4. Chucky (2021)
With the Chucky series, Don Mancini is back, and so is the playful yet brutal energy that made the franchise so beloved to begin with. Chucky follows Jake Wheeler (Zackary Arthur), a sensitive artist, who purchases the titular killer doll at a yard sale. The outrageously fun series also sees the return of Nica (Fiona Dourif), Andy (Alex Vincent), Kyle (Christine Elise), Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), and, of course, Chucky himself, voiced by Brad Dourif. The series gets a big bonus for featuring nineties heartthrob Devon Sawa in numerous roles.
Series premiered: October 12, 2021
5. Bride of Chucky (1998)
Bride of Chucky is full-on, non-stop camp. It's also the film that introduces the incomparable Tiffany Valentine, played by Jennifer Tilly, and the origin of that famous goth girl meme. Marketed with the tagline, “Chucky gets lucky,” Bride of Chucky sees the Chucky and Tiffany dolls having a romantic rendezvous, and even somehow conceiving a child.
Starring: Jennifer Tilly, Katherine Heigl, Nick Stabile, John Ritter, Alexis Arquette
Directed by: Ronnie Yu
6. Cult of Chucky (2017)
Cult of Chucky sees the killer doll wreak havoc in a common horror location, a psychiatric hospital. Nica (Fiona Dourif), from the previous film, has been there since the doll murdered her family. This movie plants seeds that come to fruition in the USA/SYFY television series. if you've always wished the films featured even more Chucky, then this may be your favorite.
Starring: Fiona Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, Alex Vincent, Elisabeth Rosen
Directed by: Don Mancini
7. Seed of Chucky (2004)
Seed of Chucky took the franchise in a bit of a different direction, moving into full camp, while also commenting on the toxic nature of Hollywood. There's even a cameo by John Waters, playing a photographer who has been spying on Jennifer Tilly. It is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, and may have been hated upon its release, but if you love the campiness of Child's Play, this movie is anything but boring.
Starring: Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, Billy Boyd, Hannah Spearritt, John Waters
Directed by: Don Mancini
8. Child's Play (2019)
Child's Play with Aubrey Plaza and Gabriel Bateman is an outlier in the franchise, as creator Don Mancini was not involved. That led to the film using a different name for the doll - instead of a Good Guy, it's Buddi (who is voiced by Mark Hamill, instead of franchise regular Brad Dourif). That also means that the “Charles Lee Ray” serial killer backstory is not a part of the film, either. This doll is more like M3GAN than Chucky. Buddi is high tech, syncing with the other tech in your home, and the doll's homicidal tendencies are because an overworked and abused employee at the Buddi factory disabled all of its safety protocols to sabotage his boss.
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Hamill, Gabriel Bateman, Brian Tyree Henry, Tim Matheson
Directed by: Lars Klevberg
9. Child's Play 3 (1991)
Eight years after the events of Child's Play 2, Andy (Justin Whalin) is sent off to military school, and Chucky manages to follow him there, too. When the regenerated killer doll sets his sights on Ronald Tyler (Jeremy Sylvers) for his next Voodoo ritual, his friends, Andy and Kristin da Silva (Perrey Reeves), have to find him before it's too late.
Starring: Justin Whalin, Perrey Reeves, Jeremy Sylvers, Travis Fine, Dean Jacobson
Directed by: Jack Bender
This was originally published on Ranker.com.
