This Is Still the Best Chucky Sequel (And I Can Prove It)

What binds the Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and, in my opinion, Friday the 13th franchises? They all feature high body counts and iconic antagonists, sure, but they’re also all cases of franchises where the first is the best. But the Child’s Play franchise is different because Chucky was at his best the second time around. Child’s Play 2 isn’t just the best sequel of the film series, it’s the best installment, period. The voodoo stuff is toned down, there are more interesting character dynamics, and the kills are turned up a notch. If you’ve seen a Chucky movie on TV at some point and there’s a scene you remember, it’s likely from Child’s Play 2.

What specifically makes it such a great slasher sequel? Let’s dive in.

More of What Worked the First Time, Less of What Didn’t

There’s no Child’s Play or, more specifically, Chucky, without Brad Dourif. And if there’s any entry where Dourif is really allowed to have some cackling fun while also working with a decent script, it’s Child’s Play 2.

Yes, Bride of Chucky also has a solid script, but it’s a little different. There he had to share space with Jennifer Tilly. Here it’s all Chuck all the time, at least when there is unhinged menace to unleash. Child’s Play put Chucky on the map, but Child’s Play 2 turned him into a horror icon.

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They key element of Child’s Play that worked was Chucky’s pursuit of Andy Barclay. The major thread of voodoo didn’t quite work, but in Child’s Play 2 we get more of that pursuit and less of the voodoo. Yes, his goal upon capturing Andy is to switcharoo his way into Andy’s body, but it just doesn’t feel like such a strong undercurrent. However, there’s an aspect of the original film that is missing from the sequel, and that’s the dynamic between Andy and his mother. What we get instead is Andy and his relationship with his foster parents and foster sister.

Karen Barclay is undoubtedly missed because of the strength of Catherine Hicks’ performance. But putting Andy in a position where he’s both out of his element, away from the individual he loves most, and has to once again convince those around him that Chucky is sentient, ups the tension considerably. Not to mention, Gerrit Graham and An American Werewolf in London‘s Jenny Agutter are note-perfect as, respectively, the stern and hesitant stepfather and the devoted and kind-hearted stepmother.

However, the true replacement of Karen Barclay is Andy’s stepsister, Kyle. Andy and Kyle’s dynamic is the best the series has ever seen, hence their reprisal of their roles in the Chucky show way down the line. It’s fully convincing and endearing.

One of the Best Finales in Slasher History

Is Andy and Kyle’s dynamic the best thing about Child’s Play 2? Very nearly. It absolutely would be were the sequel not equipped with its absolute blast of a finale.

The film wraps up by having Chucky kidnap Andy so he can complete his voodoo ritual. The location of this soul transference? The close by Play Pals factory, where the Good Guy dolls are crafted. Like most factories, it’s a death trap if not traversed carefully. This is something the not-so-Good Guy learns multiple times. That is, until he gets an air hose shoved in his mouth, which makes him expand to the point of explosion…finally killing him. Well, until Child’s Play 3.

In the end, Child’s Play 2 was a great movie for a ’90s kid to grow up with. It also shows a franchise in its early stages that is already well aware of what works for it. For instance, Chucky’s quips are a bit wittier and more personal to what has already been established about him as a character. He’s also shown to be one-minded, without a doubt, but not as bland a one-minded killing machine like the Michael Myers and Jason Voorhees of the world. He has a goal, but he’ll also kidnap a young woman to get to the young man whose soul he needs to inhabit. Chucky stands apart from his contemporaries, often in pretty interesting ways.