There is perhaps nothing more iconic or frightening than the fiery-haired doll of nightmares: Chucky. The main character of the popular movie franchise has haunted nightmares for decades. Whether you’re looking to partake in this horror tradition for the first time, or eager for a rewatch, we’ll go over all of the Chucky movies in order.
Who is Chucky?
Chucky really is the heart and soul of this franchise. The story in the first films contains supernatural elements when the mind and soul of dying serial killer Charles Lee Ray transports into the body of a doll. A mother is buying a doll for her son in a back alleyway at the time and thus, Chucky lives on to cause havoc and murder.
He’s able to use his new form to his advantage to continue his murder spree. In the form of a seemingly innocent doll, Chucky worms his way into familial settings. As he continues the murder spree he began as a man, Chucky destroys the lives and credibility of those around him, notably Andy Barclay.
Andy Barclay is the main character Chucky chooses to pursue and torment through the first three films. Against all odds, Chucky returns in each of the first three films to pursue Andy.
About the Successful Franchise
Although the series has colloquially become known simply by the main character’s name, Chucky, the film franchise began under the title Child’s Play. While the antagonist Chucky has become iconic, Child’s Play is the franchise name and title for three films and a remake. The franchise spans the years from 1988 to 2021 and includes eight full-length films, two short films, and a TV show.
The series has ebbed and flowed with different adaptations over the years. While the first films are proper, gritty horror movies, the fourth film – Bride of Chucky – was a shift towards more comedic slasher themes. This persisted for a few films before the series rounded back on itself to its terrifying origins with Curse of Chucky.
Also with the Bride of Chucky, Chucky finally became acknowledged in the title of the film. It also features a shift away from the torture of Andy to build up the character of Chucky and his equally terrifying bride: Tiffany Valentine.
This theme of comedy-slasher continued until the sixth film when Chucky returned to his horrifying, murderous glory. This time Chucky arrives in the mail to a new family’s home before beginning another murderous rampage. The sixth film, Curse of Chucky, is also the first full-length film with a straight-to-DVD release.
These themes persisted for one more full length-film, before a remake of the first film was made in 2019. Aubrey Plaza spearheaded this iteration, and it is the only film in the series that does not include Mancini on the creative team. The remake stars Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker from Star Wars) as the voice of Chucky and takes the origins of Chucky in a brand-new direction.
However, the franchise brought back many familiar voices, faces, and lore with a TV show that premiered in 2021.
Will There Be Another Chucky Movie?
There does not appear to be a new movie on the horizon, especially with the recent premiere of the TV show adaptation. Chucky premiered on October 12, 2021 on SyFy and the USA Network.
As mentioned, the TV show returns to the canon of the original franchise with writer and creator Dan Mancini at the helm, but for a more modern audience. Mancini is the executive producer and showrunner for the TV series. This new version of the franchise also brings back familiar cast members such as Brad Dourif and Jennifer Tilly, the original voices of Chucky and Tiffany.
In this iteration Chucky appears as a vintage doll at a yard sale, following which an idyllic all-American town becomes a whole lot less idyllic as Chucky begins a murderous rampage.
There are eight episodes from the first season available to binge, and the show has already been renewed for a second season. A release date for the second season isn’t available just yet, but you might see it launch as early as late 2022.
Dourif is joined by Zackary Arthur as Jake Wheeler, a new boy for Chucky to torment. The rest of the main cast includes Björgvin Arnarson as Devon Evans, Alyvia Alyn Lind as Lexy Cross, and Teo Briones as Junior Wheeler. All are expected to return for the second season.
Now that we know a bit more about the franchise, let’s get on with our list of two ways to watch the Chucky movies in order.
1. Chucky Movies in Order of Release Date
There are two ways to watch the Chucky movies in order, in order of release date or in chronological order. However, the changes between the two aren’t very big.
Both orders feature the first five movies in the same order, which is important if you are looking to begin this franchise for the first time. Watching the first five films in this order will introduce you to the original lore of Chucky and also allow you to analyze the shift in tone and theme with the fourth installment.
Our below list includes the two short films in the franchise that were originally DVD extras. Chucky’s Vacation Slides and Chucky Invades fall under the franchise’s more tongue-in-cheek and comedy-slasher themes. If this intrigues you, make sure to check them out for quick, entertaining watches.
- Child’s Play (1988)
- Child’s Play 2 (1990)
- Child’s Play 3 (1991)
- Bride of Chucky (1998)
- Seed of Chucky (2004)
- Chucky’s Vacation Slides (2005)
- Chucky Invades (2013)
- Curse of Chucky (2013)
- Cult of Chucky (2017)
- Child’s Play (2019)
2. Chucky Movies in Chronological Order
The other way to watch the Chucky movies in order is chronologically. For this we’ve divided our list into series and standalones. The first five films remain the same, but this list omits the short films and dives straight into Curse of Chucky.
If you’re in the mood for an ultimate movie marathon binge, this might be the right way to watch the Chucky movies in order for you. Because, like we said, the changes between the two lists are very subtle.
We’ve organized the two short films as standalones, as you can watch those at any point after Seed of Chucky and they do not pertain to the main storyline of the franchise. We’ve also separated out the 2019 iteration of Child’s Play.
While you could watch both iterations in succession with one another, this isn’t really a recommended way as the two films are so different from one another. The 2019 remake of Chucky falls into a different chronology as it completely changes the origins of Chucky. Therefore, you should watch it as a standalone film outside of the chronological list to ensure you enjoy it to its fullest.
Series
- Child’s Play (1988)
- Child’s Play 2
- Child’s Play 3
- Bride of Chucky
- Seed of Chucky
- Curse of Chucky
- Cult of Chucky
Standalones
- Child’s Play (2019)
- Chucky’s Vacation Slides
- Chucky Invades
A Summary of the Chucky Movies in Order
If you’re eager to begin your movie marathon, we’ve included the synopses for the Chucky movies in order of release date. This will help you understand what you’re getting yourself into. Get the popcorn ready, but maybe leave the lights on for this movie franchise.
1. Child’s Play (1988)
This is where it all began. In the original 1988 version of Child’s Play a single mother gives her son a much sought-after doll for his birthday, only to discover that it is possessed by the soul of a serial killer.
After almost dying from a bullet to the chest, Charles Lee Ray – a serial killer and a voodoo practitioner – manages to transport his mind and soul into a doll. Once inside the Barclays family home, Charles – from here on out known as Chucky – continues to commit the murders he would have done in his human body, while also tormenting the young boy Andy Barclay.
Directed by Tom Holland, it stars Brad Dourif as the voice of Chucky. As well, it stars Alex Vincent as Andy Barclay, Catherine Hicks as Karen Barclay, and Chris Sarandon as Mike Norris. The story was written by Don Mancini, who also wrote the screenplay alongside John Lafia and Tom Holland.
2. Child’s Play 2
The next installment in the franchise picks up two years after the events of the first film. Due to the torturous activity of Chucky in the first movie, Andy’s mother Karen is now in a psychiatric hospital and Andy is in foster care.
But Chucky is persistent in his mission to claim Andy’s soul, and he’s not far behind them. Chucky returns to life following a strange electrical malfunction and his hunt begins once more.
The director of this installment is John Lafia. The screenplay was again written by Don Mancini. Both Brad Dourif and Alex Vincent return for the roles of Chucky and Andy Barclay respectively. They are also joined by Jenny Agutter as Joanne Simpson, Gerrit Graham as Phil Simpson, and Christine Elise as Kyle.
3. Child’s Play 3
In the third film Chucky once again returns for revenge against Andy Barclay. While the young boy has seemingly defeated him twice now, Chucky’s torment continues. Andy is now sixteen and living in a military academy.
This time Chucky is reincarnated at the doll factory. The Good Guys factory is trying to re-mold their toys and start afresh after the fallout from the previous two movies, but a drop of Chucky’s blood is in the melted wax they use. This is enough to bring Chucky’s soul into a new doll and ignite a murderous rampage once more.
The director for this installment is Jack Bender. The screenplay is once more written by Dan Mancini. While Brad Dourif returns as the voice of Chucky, the older role of Andy Barclay was recast to star Justin Whalin. It also stars Perrey Reeves as De Silva, Jeremy Sylvers as Tyler, and Travis Fine as Shelton.
4. Bride of Chucky
As previously mentioned the fourth movie features a shift towards comedy, while still being pretty drenched in murder. This installment features the introduction of a new doll to lurk in your nightmares: Tiffany Valentine. Tiffany is the former lover and accomplice of Chucky when he was human, and the film focuses on the interesting dynamics of their relationship.
Ronny Yu directed this film and Don Mancini once more wrote the screenplay. It stars Jennifer Tilly as Tiffany Valentine, and Brad Dourif returns as the voice of Chucky. Katherine Heigl also stars as Jade, Nick Stabile as Jesse, and John Ritter as Chief Warren Kincaid.
5. Seed of Chucky
The Seed of Chucky was the last Chucky film with a theatrical release and the title is just what it suggests. The slasher-comedy themes continue as Chucky and Tiffany are resurrected by their innocent gender-confused child: Glenda or Glen. Together they then hit Hollywood, where a movie depicting the killer dolls’ murder spree is underway.
This was the directorial debut of Don Mancini, who also wrote the screenplay once more. Both Brad Dourif and Jennifer Tilly return as the voices of Chucky and Tiffany respectively, with Billy Boyd voicing their child.
6. Chucky’s Vacation Slides
This is the first short film in the franchise. Chucky’s Vacation Slides is also known as Chucky’s Family Vacation. It was initially a bonus feature with the Seed of Chucky DVD and blu-ray release.
In it the family of three are looking back at photographs from their family vacation when Tiffany notices corpses in the background of their photos. She had, mistakenly, been under the impression that Chucky had stopped his murderous rampage. Tiffany and Glen, or Glenda, depart in a huff leaving Chucky to do what Chucky does best…
All three actors returned to reprise their voice roles. Brad Dourif as Chucky, Jennifer Tilly as Tiffany, and Billy Boyd as Glen or Glenda.
7. Chucky Invades
This is more short, bonus material. Chucky Invades is four short clips that were originally teasers before Curse of Chucky, the next film on our list, had its DVD release.
The clips feature Chucky superimposed into four iconic horror films: Psycho, The Purge, Mama, and Drag Me to Hell.
8. Curse of Chucky
With this installment of the franchise, the series returned to its humble horror beginnings. This is also the first film in the franchise that had a straight-to-DVD release, with no theater run.
In this film a family receives Chucky in the mail and unknowingly accepts the mysterious parcel. Once Chucky is within their home he begins to murder each one of them in succession.
The director for this installment is Don Mancini, who also wrote the screenplay. Brad Dourif returns to reprise his role as the voice of Chucky. He is also joined by his daughter, Fiona Dourif, who stars as live-action protagonist Nica. As well, the actor who plays Andy in the original films, Alex Vincent, makes an appearance.
The original cast is joined by Chantal Quesnelle as Sarah and Danielle Bisutti as Barb.
9. Cult of Chucky
This is the last film in the chronological list of the Chucky movies in order. And if you don’t want spoilers for the end of the last movie, skip over this synopsis to retain some of the mystery.
You may have gleaned this by our list of actor credits in the previous synopsis, but the end of Curse of Chucky really brought the franchise back to its beginnings with Andy Barclay receiving a mysterious package in the mail. Andy, hardened from his horrific childhood, promptly shot Chucky in the head when he opened the parcel.
Alas, a mere bullet isn’t enough to stop Chucky. The film also features the return of Nica, who is now in a mental hospital and that is where Chucky visits her.
As you might have gathered, this installment features performances from much of the original cast and crew. Don Mancini is once more the director and screenwriter. Brad Dourif returns as the voice of Chucky, Alex Vincent returns as Andy Barclay, and Fiona Dourif returns as Nica. They are joined by Allison Dawn Doiron as Rachel.
10. Child’s Play (2019)
Finally, we have the last full-length film in the list of Chucky movies in order. Child’s Play, as the title would suggest, is a remake of the 1988 version. It does not tie into the previous films and sets aside the existing canon to create a new iteration of Chucky.
In this film Chucky is created through specific programming in a toy factory. Facing deployable working conditions, a worker programs the doll without the ordinary safety features before he commits suicide. The factory creates Buddi dolls which are artificial intelligence toys that use the internet to control smart technologies in homes – an eerie twenty-first century twist on the franchise.
This modern twist on the iconic doll that has haunted nightmares for decades has all of the violence and gore you would expect from a Chucky film.
The film was directed by Lars Klevberg and the screenplay was written by Tyler Burton Smith, using the writing of Don Mancini, John Lafia, and Tom Holland as the inspiration. It stars Mark Hamill as the voice of Chucky, Tim Matheson as Henry Kaslan, Ben Doan as Ben, and Aubrey Plaza as Karen.
Final thoughts on Chucky movies in order
And there you have all of the Chucky movies in order, as well as all you need to know about the short films within the franchise and the new TV show. We hope this article has helped you prepare for your next movie night.
Looking for more movies in order?
If you’re looking for something a bit less nightmare-inducing, check out our list of the Jesse Stone movies in order.
