Living with Chucky written and directed by Kyra Elise Gardner. The film does a great job at not only examining Chucky’s role in the slasher genre but also the sentiment its brought to all those who worked on the films. The documentary covers the origins of everybody’s favorite killer doll Chucky as well as the technology behind bringing it to life but has an emotional aspect as well.

I got the chance to check out the film at Fantastic Fest last year which had Kyra Gardner in attendance followed by a Q&A. I was very excited to watch the film and was at the top of my list as a Child’s Play fan. The film has some very cool montages in between of the crafting of the doll which I found fascinating. Kyra interlaces footage from the films in the franchise with interviews with the people behind bringing the story to life.

We of course have the man behind it all Don Mancini as well as Brad Douriff the voice of Chucky, Alex Vincent who plays Andy in the first two movies, Jennifer Tilly who plays Chucky’s better half Tiffany, and Fiona Douriff who has recently joined the Child’s Play franchise since Curse of Chucky. It was quite nice to see the different perspectives all these individuals had when it came to making the films and makes you appreciate the movies even more. There was a lot I learned as well which is always a plus from documentaries.

I also enjoyed seeing the film also have a shift from not only Chucky’s origins but also showcase director Kyra Gardner’s personal relationship with the doll. Living With Chucky has a lot of heart and in it’s second half is where it really shines as we hear stories of their first encounters with the dolls. Tony Gardner being Kyra’s father and also taking over the special effects since Seed of Chucky meant that the doll would come home with him. This constant interaction with the doll has Kyra referring to Chucky as almost a brother of sorts.

The documentary really came whole for me when Gardner adds their personal story to the franchise as a whole. I went in thinking we were getting a documentary that would just go down the history of the movie. We instead got a film that not only explored the history of Chucky but also dived into the way these movies created bonds with all those involved. This made me appreciate so much more the power of art as a way to bring people together. Overall we enjoyed the documentary and highly recommend it not only to lovers of the franchise but also anyone into filmmaking. There’s a lot of love and passion that went into making this film and it really shows throughout. We also got the chance to chat with Kyra about making the documentary which you can check out below.

You Can Watch Living With Chucky on April 4th on Screambox and Digitally As Well!