Bride of Chucky - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Overview -
After two tongue-in-cheek follow-ups, Bride of Chucky turns the adventures of a maniacal doll possessed by the soul of a demented serial killer into a dark horror-comedy territory and introduces the world to Chucky's mangled look, which has become the staple of the franchise and a cultural horror icon. Chucky and Tiffany take their wedding vows on 4K Ultra HD with a bloody gorgeous Dolby Vision HDR video, an awesome DTS-HD MA track but ports over the same bonus material as before. Nevertheless, this UHD edition is a welcomed and Recommended surprise that's sure to be happy marriage for years to come.
For ten years, the tortured soul of serial killer Charles Lee Ray has been imprisoned inside a child's doll. "Chucky" is reborn when his old flame, Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), rescues his battered doll parts from a police impound. But Chucky wants his favorite playmate cut down to size, so he transforms his blushing bride into a stunning little terror. Chucky and Tiffany can't wait to start their own homicidal honeymoon. When this demonic duo hits the road and hooks up with a pair of unsuspecting newlyweds, they leave a trail of murder and mayhem behind them.
Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take
To celebrate the ten-year anniversary of Charles Lee Ray transferring his soul into a children's Good Guys doll, the filmmakers bring Chucky back from the dead in Bride of Chucky thanks to the help of a greedy cop, who steals the plastic toy from a police evidence locker where other horror icons have been retired. Well, truth be told, Jennifer Tilly has more to do with Chucky's resurrection by stitching him back together and performing a voodoo ritual — which for some reason requires a satanic pentagram — inside her ornately-decorated trailer. Tilly plays Ray's former girlfriend Tiffany, a demented woman with a disturbing fascination for death and murder who's been scouring the country in search of the doll for the last decade. It's the sort of twisted love story only the horror genre could embrace.
After a heated argument over a mistaken marriage proposal that ends with Tiffany inside another doll, the deranged couple goes on a killing spree looking for the perfect human pair to possess, except they're missing a special amulet to complete the ritual. The story suddenly turns into a road movie where runaway love birds, Jesse (Nick Stabile) and Jade (Katherine Heigl), unknowingly take the dolls to Ray's grave. Adding good amusement to the journey about not knowing the person we love until living with them is the clueless pair thinking the other is guilty of murder as corpses keep piling up around them. John Ritter also makes a great cameo performance as Jade's corrupt police-chief uncle and falls victim to the best, over-the-top kill scene.
Although the script written by Don Mancini follows the continuity of the series — supposedly picking up within a few months after the events of the last movie but made seven years later — Bride of Chucky marks the point where the franchise embraces the silliness of its premise and becomes a dark horror comedy. Not only does it make references to James Whale's classic horror films, but it doesn't shy away from poking fun at itself when the occasion arises. Chucky is also given a new look, the face that has pretty much become the staple of the franchise. From commenting on Chucky's killing methods to at the time contemporary cultural jabs, the movie offers a variety of twisted laughs and humor, including a bizarre romantic moment between the two dolls while encouraging protection as a priority. Three Child's Play movies had already made Chucky a genre favorite, but this fourth installment turned the maniacal doll into a cultural horror icon.
Vital Disc Stats: The Ultra HD Blu-ray
Scream Factory brings Bride of Chucky to 4K Ultra HD as a two-disc Collector's Edition combo pack. The triple-layered, UHD100 disc sits comfortably opposite a Region A locked, BD50 disc on the opposing panel, and both discs are housed inside the standard black keepcase with a cardboard slipcover. At startup, the disc goes straight to a static screen with the usual selection along the bottom left side of the screen and music playing in the background.
Video Review
Chucky and Tiffany take the plunge into Ultra HD matrimony, proudly flaunting a bloody gorgeous HEVC H.265 encode that easily surpasses its Blu-ray predecessor. Struck from a brand-new remaster of the original 35mm camera negatives, the native 4K transfer is surprisingly razor-sharp throughout, showing distinctly clean lines in the interior of various rooms and Jessie's rocking van. Facial complexions appear natural with a healthy, rosy peachiness in the cast while revealing the pores, minor wrinkles and negligible blemishes. The Dolby Vision HDR presentation also enjoys an improved contrast and brightness balance, supplying the gory action with immaculately clean whites, inky-rich blacks and excellent shadow details even in the darkest corners of the frame, providing 1.85:1 image with a lovely cinematic appeal. All the while, specular highlights are radiant with a crisp, brilliant sparkle in the various light fixture and a realistic sheen along watery surfaces.
The only caveat is several instances of very mild dirt and random white spots sprinkling some sequences, evidence that the elements were not giving the full restoration treatment. However, the source has aged extraordinarily well and is in outstanding condition. Awash in a very fine layer of natural film grain, the 4K video is simply beautiful and film-like. (Dolby Vision HDR Video Rating: 92/100)
Audio Review
Compared to its 2013 Blu-ray counterpart, this DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack is also a massive improvement, quickly exhibiting a clean, well-defined mid-range with excellent background activity flawlessly panning across the three-front channels, creating a broad and spacious soundstage. Graeme Revell's score also enjoys better clarity and definition within the instrumentation while nicely bleeding into the surround channels to fully immerse the viewer. Various atmospherics subtly but effectively fill the room with the sounds of thunder or the ricochet of bullets, and when applying the receivers' Dolby Surround or DTS: Neural:X up-mixing functionality, those effects convincingly spread echo across the overheads, generating an amusing and satisfying soundfield. Vocals are very well-prioritized and crystal clear above the rest of the hilariously gory mayhem. Although the low-end could be a bit more commanding, bass nonetheless provides the music and over-the-top visuals with a great sense of presence and a weighty impact, making for a fun listen. (Audio Rating: 84/100)
Special Features
Chucky and Tiffany walk down the 4K UHD aisle with the same set of supplements as its Blu-ray predecessor, which is not terrible but still disappointing for a reportedly collector's edition.
- Audio Commentaries - First is up is director Ronny Yu, adn the second is screenwriter Don Mancini chatting with stars Brad Dourif and Jennifer Tilly.
- The Making of (SD, 11 min)
- Spotlight on Location (SD, 10 min)
- Additional Scenes (SD, 3 min) from the television version
- Trailers (HD, 2 min)
After one serious horror flick about a maniacal doll possessed by the soul of a demented serial killer and two tongue-in-cheek follow-ups, Bride of Chucky is the fourth installment in the series that fully embraces the silliness of its premise and leans heavily into a dark horror comedy. With allusions to James Whale's classic horror films while also poking fun at itself, this entry also introduces the face and look that has become the staple of the franchise and turned the maniacal doll into a cultural horror icon. Chucky and Tiffany take the plunge into 4K Ultra HD matrimony with a bloody gorgeous Dolby Vision HDR presentation and an awesome DTS-HD MA soundtrack, easily surpassing its ten-year-old Blu-ray counterpart. However, this walk down the aisle ports over the same bonus material as before. Nevertheless, this UHD edition is a welcomed and Recommended surprise that's sure to be happy marriage for years to come.
All disc reviews at High-Def Digest are completed using the best consumer HD home theater products currently on the market. More about the gear used for this review.
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