Bride of Chucky 4K UHD Review

What Would Martha Stewart Do?

The only way for Chucky to justify his return, both after a dull third movie and post-Scream, was total self-awareness. Thank Child’s Play writer Don Mancini then; his Bride of Chucky is a masterpiece of morbid mania.

It’s stupid, of course. Brain dead, ludicrous, and absurd, even for a movie starring two killer dolls embodying the souls of serial killers. Bride of Chucky is owed thanks from Team America, establishing to a wide audience the concept of hot, steamy puppet romance. Chucky did it first.

Bride of Chucky runs with this asinine idea, showing zero willingness to establish moral boundaries

With a wink and that wicked self-awareness, Bride of Chucky runs with this asinine idea, showing zero willingness to establish moral boundaries or pause for good taste. That was the right call. On a multi-state killing spree, Chucky (Brad Douriff) and Tiffany (Oscar nominee Jennifer Tilly) keep finding creative ways to off people, whether that’s an explosion or brilliantly using an overhead mirror on a couple in a water bed. Sometimes, the spectacle matters.

Mancini pads his backstory for this work, creating an amulet that can restore Chucky to human form, but said item somehow went unmentioned in three previous films. Oh well – the lack of exposition to explain that means Chucky and Tiffany can continue being absolutely vile, tossing out one-liners galore during their rampage.

Assisted by Katherine Heigl (yet another famous actress who found their stardom post-schlock horror), the murdering duo work on-screen. It’s not necessarily their chemistry, but rather their electronics that create both plausibility and artificial surrealism at the same time. Bride of Chucky and the series as a whole understood their physical existence made these characters work, playing up the ridiculous concept by making them convincingly real visually.

Bride of Chucky uses the standard horror tropes; it needs them. Drugs and sex both lead to an early demise for anyone daring to try either, with the embedded self-awareness playing up the moral panic. Flipping through the radio, Chucky discovers talk radio demonizing movie and TV violence, the irony deliciously twisted. Soon there’s more blood, more celebration about the blood, and yes, additional blood. In its final moment, Bride of Chucky issues the ultimate preposterous twist to set up a sequel, but it’s the only way to end something like this.

Video

For a fresh 4K master, Bride of Chucky shows a surprising amount of dust and debris on the print early on. It’s not severe and in many instances, so minor as to not mention anything; it’s just unusual to see anymore. However, seeing Bride of Chucky like this, with such pristine clarity, is worth it anyway. After the first 10-minutes or so, Bride of Chucky looks clean… until the last act where suddenly the specks reappear. Weird.

The level of texture on display easily bests the Blu-ray. Definition makes full use of the available resolution. Whether that’s skin texture, Chucky’s corduroy clothes, or the environments, the precision looks impeccable.

Dolby Vision brings an obvious spark, especially in the brilliant shadows; black levels cannot achieve any greater depth, and crush doesn’t pose a threat. Contrast enlivens things without pushing too far, emboldening lightning strikes and flames, with a satisfying pop overall. Grander color replication holds things in check, but doesn’t ignore the potential pop. Blood red rarely looked so precise. Chucky’s kid-friendly palette appears marvelously rich.

Audio

Rousing and bold, Scream keeps the mix at DTS-HD, but it’s a stellar soundstage. Thunder and rain make for perfect components, drenching scenes in constant ambiance. Surrounds activate constantly, with a rousing, wide score backing the action scenes. A few specific, creepier cues elicit proper scares.

Bass holds some prominence, although the range doesn’t excite; it’s standard, dropping low for thunder, heavy kills, or the score.

Extras

Director Ronny Yu’s commentary joins another commentary that features Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, and writer Don Mancini. The Blu-ray also includes a generic EPK too, along with trailers.

Full disclosure: This UHD was provided by the label for review. This has not materially affected DoBlu’s editorial process. For information on how we handle all review material, please visit DoBlu’s about us page.

The following six screen shots serve as samples for our subscription-exclusive set of 45 full resolution, uncompressed 4K screen shots ripped directly from the UHD: