There is no horror series out there quite like Chucky. Think about it: how many slasher stories have extended over multiple films and now three seasons of television? In a world in which expansions of iconic horror films can feel painfully soulless, Chucky is a rare gift that keeps on giving as it has only gotten better over time. Riffing on its own rules at every turn while never getting too tangled up in itself that it forgets to be a bloody good time, it feels like one of those shows that could carry on for ten seasons without ever growing tired. As long as it keeps reinventing itself, finding new settings and scenarios to explore, then that wild doll first introduced in the classic film Child’s Play will always be worth playing around with. Just watch your neck or you’ll soon find your insides on your outside. With its third season, four episodes of which were provided for review, the series sets its ambitions higher than ever before and creates what is shaping up to be its best outing to date.

‘Chucky’ Season 3 Flips Its Horror Foundations on Their Head
Image via SYFY

For those who have forgotten, the end of Season 2 culminated with a whole lot of death and disappearances. We pick up when the dust has settled with Chucky (Brad Dourif) in a bit of a new place. Specifically, he has set his sights on world domination by infiltrating the first family currently residing at the White House. Instead of taking over a neighborhood or a religious school, the killer doll is taking down the country from the inside. While this is certainly a ridiculous escalation, the basics of the way this is all constructed still is Chucky at its most basic. This is by no means a bad thing as seeing the pint-sized murderer roam around taking down person after person inside the various rooms of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue feels fresh. The seriousness with which the political and family drama plays out, with Devon Sawa hilariously returning as the President, then makes all the creatively gruesome kills that much more absurd. Honestly, just dropping Chucky into every single show out there would probably make them better.

Can you imagine how much more the stakes in The Diplomat would hit home if there was the possibility for one of the various players to get stabbed by a ginger-haired Good Boys doll? Maybe Outer Banks, which is briefly referenced in one scene, would be more trashy fun if there was the possibility that the teen melodrama involved also having to figure out who is behind a growing number of deaths? Look no further to how wonderfully done this is with the returning cast of charming human characters in Chucky. Whether it is the ongoing developments in the romance between Jake (Zackary Arthur) and Devon (Bjorgvin Arnarson), which remains as humorous as it is heartfelt, or Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind) making silly Internet videos to capture the attention of their mark at the White House, everything just sings. Chucky isn’t going to win over any new audience members who weren’t already bought in with what preceded it, but those looking for the new season to push things in even more absurd directions could not be better served.

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‘Chucky’ Season 3 Doesn’t Jump the Shark as Much as It Filets It
Image via SYFY

Throughout all of this, there is the question of whether there could eventually be a point when Chucky starts to run out of steam. Once you’ve made it to the White House, where do you go from there? Could there eventually come a point where even Chucky starts to feel like it is out of escalations that still feel earned? Maybe, but that doesn’t feel like it is going to happen anytime soon. The beauty of a show like this is that it is already operating on such an exaggerated level and there is nothing that feels like it is too much. There will always need to be creativity in how it executes this, just as the iconic slasher executes his victims, but the imagination needed to pull these off has never been lacking.

Whether you want to call it camp, satire, or a spoof, everything is firing on all cylinders on an emotional level as well. Even with all the chaos around Chucky, we care about the central trio of characters. We’ve seen them grow up over these last few seasons, facing down a whole host of challenges along the way that aren’t likely to go away anytime soon, and we could spend many more with them. That is especially true with Jennifer Tilly who, while little can be said about her character just yet, will always be a joy to see no matter how much we get with her over the course of the season. Her performance is just so finely attuned to a unique comedic wavelength that always kicks everything else up a notch whenever she cycles back through.

For any moment that feels like it could be dragging just a bit, the season still gets things back on course for punchlines that make these setups worth it. In a year that has seen a bit of a resurgence of horror comedies, Chucky is absolutely one that is leading the charge. It is all killer with almost no filler, pushing its own mythology and characters into exciting new places with each episode. For a series all about death, Chucky still has plenty of life. Its cast is impeccable, the kills wonderfully unhinged, and the humor remains as sharp as ever. The future of the country in this world may be grim, but this show has bright new horizons ahead.

Rating: B+

The Big Picture

Chucky is a rare horror series that keeps getting better over time, reinventing itself with new settings and scenarios. Chucky’s third season sets higher ambitions and shapes up to be its best outing yet with a fresh premise of infiltrating the White House, creating absurdly gruesome kills in a “serious” political and family drama. Chucky continues to boast an impeccable cast, unhinged kills, and sharp humor, making it one of the leading horror comedies in a year that has seen a bit of a resurgence in the genre.

Chucky Season 3 premieres October 4 on SYFY and the USA Network.