Curse of Chucky doesn't surpass the original Child's Play, but it makes a strong case for being the second best film of the series. First things first: I have no idea why this wasn't released in theaters. The overall quality of this movie deserved a theatrical release. It's especially confusing when you consider how famous Chucky is as a character. Even Seed of Chucky grossed double its budget. What gives?
All of the central creative figures of the series have returned. Chucky is once again voiced by Brad Dourif, who has the scariest voice box in North America. It was also written and directed by Don Mancini, who created the character of Chucky and has written every script in the series. Without those two, I couldn't imagine this movie being as effective.
Of all the returning figures, the Chucky doll itself is most important. Unlike the original Child's Play, where Chucky initially seemed benign and friendly, he immediately looks creepy in this one. He's given just the right amount of menace, where the audience can tell he's evil, but the characters on screen have no clue. He doesn't even need to be doing anything violent to have this effect. Chucky sitting in a chair is scary enough.
What's truly genius about Chucky is not just his looks, but his omnipresence. Don Mancini keeps Chucky in the background constantly, and you never know just when he'll strike. This works on multiple levels. While one character tells us about her family history, Chucky is sitting on the couch, two feet away. The audience never stops being afraid, and now we have a greater understanding of, and sympathy for, the characters. That is great synergy.
My only wish is that these horror directors put more effort into choosing the soundtrack. The right soundtrack is essential to horror, more than any other genre. In The Shining, there's several scenes in which characters are simply walking around a hotel, with no ostensible threat in sight. But the background music is so unnerving, so threatening, that you are scared every time they turn a corner. Curse of Chucky has an average soundtrack. It doesn't take away from the movie, but it doesn't add much, either.
Another thing: why do horror writers insist on changing the rules of their main villain? In earlier movies, two important rules were established. 1) If Charles Lee Ray remained in Chucky's body for too long, he would eventually fuse with it, growing organs and blood like a regular human, and 2) the only way he can escape is by transferring his soul to the first person he revealed his identity to. Here, both of those rules are ignored like a crying baby in church. Maybe this is how vampires wound up with 500 different weaknesses. People just kept making new stuff up.
Though not flawless, this is a very good horror movie. Considering the genre, the characters have more depth than you'd expect. The director does a great job of keeping shots simple, establishing the environment, and staying out of the way. But most of all, Curse of Chucky fulfills its purpose as a movie by being entertaining. You have Chucky, some disposable characters, and a solid storyline. What else needs to be said?