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Updated October 12th, 2021 at 17:17 IST

As 'Chucky' returns to terrorise fans on TV, the creator couldn't be happier; Read

As 'Chucky' returns to terrorise fans on Tuesday, its creator Don Mancini couldn’t be happier. Scroll down to read more about the notorious serial killer doll.

Reported by: Vibhuti Sanchala
Chucky
Image: Instagram/@chucky | Image:self
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Many fans of the Child's Play horror films cannot get enough of Chucky, the new show which is based on the popular franchise. For the newcomers to the hit franchise, the foul-mouthed killer doll who made her first appearance in the year 1988, might be surprised to witness what happens in Episode 2.

In the episode, a 14-year-old boy, Jake (Zackary Arthur) unknowingly purchases Chucky at a yard sale and is miffed to learn the little maniac reads his diary entries about his crush on a classmate, Devon (Björgvin Arnarson). That's when the doll tells Jake about his own queer and gender-fluid child. 

Don Mancini is happy with Chucky's queer plot

For Don Mancini, the gay man who created the monster doll, Chucky is more than just the franchise's first foray into episodic television. Chucky, which is premiering on Tuesday had eight episodes that offer a chance to pursue several deep personal themes. They also include a gay boy's puppy love which was not explored completely when Child's Play was screened 33 years ago. 

According to The New York Times, in a video call from his home in Los Angeles, Mancini said, "I wanted to create a final boy instead of a final girl. It’s not something I ever saw when I was Jake’s age. Fortunately, the world has turned". The 58-year-old added that he would be friends with Jake. 

Don Mancini, who created the TV series, knows that Jake's sexuality might rattle some horror fans. He said that it would be as 'if Frankenstein came out as bi'. Speaking further on this, the 58-year-old said that the idea of causing 'some people's heads to explode was catnip to me'. 

In the 2019 oral history of Child's Play, Mancini said, "Freddy was a villain with a very distinct sense of humor, someone who could taunt victims verbally. I was quite consciously influenced by that with Chucky, the idea of an innocent-looking child’s doll that spouted filth". He said that he loves the character of Chucky and does not get tired of him. He added in order to keep it alive this long, it cannot just be about a killer doll.

After working in a couple of writers’ rooms such as NBC’s Hannibal and Syfy’s Channel Zero, the creator thought about a series as a way to take the Chucky-sphere in new directions like 'in a subversive but positive way'. In addition to its gay teen plot, a nonstarter for mainstream horror in 1988, Chucky gave fans a much-awaited childhood back story for Charles Lee Ray, the killer who supernaturally possesses Chucky.

The show was ultimately sold to NBC Universal Television because of its 'authenticity'. According to The New York Times, executive vice president for drama series, Alex Sepiol wrote in an email, "When he told us about centering this chapter of the story on a gay teen and how personal that was to him, we embraced the notion."

The series finally went on floors in Toronto and was completed in over 100 days. The creator's preference for practical effects over computer-generated ones goes back to the first film. Mancini said, "I’m old school, but I think it’s much more fun to do things practically". Mancini importantly enjoyed 'consciously injecting' queer content into the films and stated that 'Chucky is the most autobiographical work of his career.' Don Mancini also brought back longtime collaborators from the Child’s Play universe, including Brad Dourif, the original voice of Chucky, and Alex Vincent, who reprises his role as Andy, Chucky’s young owner in the first two films. 

Image: Instagram/@chucky

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Published October 12th, 2021 at 17:17 IST

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