Horror often resonates with LGBTQ+ individuals. Don Mancini’s Child’s Play franchise is no exception. Horror gives a voice to those who don’t fit in. Tales of outcasts finding their place often mirror queer experiences of finding where we belong in a world usually represented on screen through a heteronormative lens. The Child’s Play films are a staple in queer horror. Mancini is an openly gay filmmaker who brought the franchise to life, imbuing each installment with reflections on the queer experience.
Beginnings of a Queer Franchise Identity
The first three films are lighter on LGBTQ+ references, but they are still present. In Child’s Play, single mother: Karen (Catherine Hicks) raises Andy (Alex Vincent), who feels rejected by his father, which queer youth often experience when rejected by their homophobic parents. Andy latches onto Chucky (Brad Dourif) as a replacement father. Andy always wanted a Good Guy doll, so even though he knows Chucky is not like the others, he sleeps with him every night, and even takes him to school as his constant companion. When Andy goes downtown with Chucky, he shows how far he will go for the doll’s approval, even though he knows Chucky’s words to him are not programmed ‘Good Guy’ phrases. Andy desperately wants Chucky’s approval–like a child wanting their parents to love them–so he does whatever Chucky says. Taking the doll for a train ride to a bad area of town shows how much Andy is willing to do to maintain Chucky’s affection and approval.
Andy’s mother is institutionalized after backing up his story about a killer doll story following the events in Child’s Play. Child’s Play 2 revolves around Andy’s new foster parents Joanne and Phil — especially his foster father’s resentment toward him. The queer lens is prominent when Andy finds Phil and Joanne talking about him. Phil says, “You have to admit he’s a very troubled little boy. […] he hasn’t come to terms with this doll thing.” Andy enters the room, keeping himself hidden as his foster parents discuss his problems. This scene demonstrates queer youth being seen as troubled for acting differently than their heterosexual parents.
In Child’s Play 3, Andy is sent to military school after being rejected by foster families. His constant rejection reflects the abuse queer youth often face when raised in homophobic environments. Setting the film in a military school opens up discussions of masculinity. Mancini and director Jack Bender’s narrative explores how the design of a military school is meant to turn boys into traditionally masculine men, even though the school has female students. During a drill scene where female students are present, one of them, De Silva (Perrey Reeves) stands up for Andy against Sergeant Shelton (Travis Fine). The military school is an allegory for a very real threat that queer youth face: conversion camps.
The homophobia of the setting is evident when Colonel Cochrane reprimands Tyler (Jeremy Sylvers) — an eight-year-old student — for playing with dolls when he finds Chucky. Later, Tyler gets mad at a girl for putting lipstick on Chucky, saying she’s “making him look like a wuss”. This idea that femininity will enfeeble Chucky demonstrates Tyler being indoctrinated into the homophobic teachings of the school. We find queer representation in the first three films underneath the surface, while future installments more obviously establish the franchise’s queer horror representation.
The Saga of Chucky and Tiffany
Bride of Chucky brings queer aspects of the series to the foreground. It follows Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) — Charles Lee Ray’s (Brad Dourif) girlfriend — who gathers Chucky’s body parts to rebuild him. Chucky–stuck in a doll’s body–kills the human Tiffany. As dolls, Tiffany and Chucky decide to transfer their souls into humans, marking a young couple, Jesse (Nick Stabile) and Jade (Katherine Heigel) as targets. Bride of Chucky introduces the first gay character in the series, David (Gordon Michael Woolvett) — Jade and Jesse’s best friend. When we meet David, he’s pretending to be Jade’s date to her uncle Warren Kincaid (John Ritter), who does not approve of Jade’s boyfriend. During their conversation, David’s personality comes through and Warren sees through his act. David answers Warren’s questions about his college plans stating that he’s set to attend Princeton on a figure skating scholarship. Stereotypes exist in David’s characterization but we see him accepted by his friends, which was uncommon in 2000s teen films.
Bride of Chucky takes inspiration from queer horror history. Pioneer gay filmmaker James Whale directed Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. We often analyze his work for queer subtext. Bride of Frankenstein sees Victor Frankenstein (Colin Clive) pulled away from his bride Elizabeth by Dr. Pretorius with the men leaving to create the monster’s mate. In addition to the film’s director, rumors suggest Colin Clive was bisexual. Bride of Chucky prominently depicts Clive as Victor when Tiffany watches Bride of Frankenstein. Bride of Chucky brings queer icons into the franchise, notably Jennifer Tilly, a queer icon since starring in Bound – a 1996 queer crime thriller following the relationship between Violet (Jennifer Tilly) and Corky (Gina Gershon) – directed by the Wachowski sisters. Tilly became a central figure of the film series — portraying Tiffany in all her forms. The film also features trans actress Alexis Arquette in the supporting role of Damien, who Tiffany sacrifices to resurrect Chucky.
Seed of Chucky introduces a groundbreaking nonbinary character. It follows Glen/Glenda (Billy Boyd), Chucky, and Tiffany’s child. During their first meeting, Tiffany refers to Glen/Glenda as “she” while Chucky refers to them as “he.” The film examines Glen/Glenda’s journey of self-discovery by exploring how they differ from their parents while exploring the queer struggles of coming out. Chucky tries to bond with Glen/Glenda by killing a tabloid reporter together in an effort to make Glen/Glenda more like him. While Tiffany and Chucky argue about whether Glen/Glenda is a boy or a girl, they say, “Sometimes I feel like a boy. Sometimes I feel like a girl. Can’t I be both?” Tiffany responds with acceptance, while Chucky responds with negativity.
Like its predecessor, Seed of Chucky casts queer actors in supporting roles. Out gay filmmaker, John Waters — known for cult films and representing the queer community within them, most notably in his long-term collaboration with drag queen Divine — cameos as a tabloid reporter. Before meeting their parents, Glen/Glenda didn’t have a name. The names chosen by Chucky and Tiffany reference queer film history. Ed Wood’s Glen or Glenda (1953) tells the story of a genderfluid man and choosing these names harkens back to an early example of transgender acceptance and representation in film.
A New Direction for Chucky
Curse of Chucky presents a thematic tone that has shifted once again, but the queer themes return. Curse of Chucky follows Nica Pierce (Fiona Dourif), a paraplegic woman living with her mother Sarah (Chantal Quesnelle). After Nica receives an unexpected delivery: a Good Guy doll, her life unravels when her family dies from mysterious accidents, starting with her mother. After Sarah’s death, Nica’s sister Barb visits with her husband Ian and daughter Alice, as well as their live-in nanny Jill. A priest, Father Frank also visits at Barb’s request. Father Frank offers his condolences for the family’s loss, but Nica says, “my mother and I both left the church a long time ago”. Frank replies, “But not in the eyes of God”. Members of the LGBTQ+ community often have the religious ideologies of their homophobic families forced upon them.
Curse of Chucky hints at a romance between Barb and Jill. When Jill searches for Chucky, Barb joins her and they share a passionate kiss. We later see the couple having sex rather than just being clued in about their romance, without seeing any intimacy. The relationship between Jill and Barb develops through Jill’s acute care for Barb and Alice. When Jill and Nica talk, Jill’s honest concern for Alice surprises Nica. Jill says, “Anything that keeps her this happy is fine by me.” This concern sets the stage for more developed queer relationships throughout the franchise. Showing genuine concern between Jill and Barb sets up how the series will eventually explore its queer relationships–especially Jake and Devon’s in the TV series.
Curse of Chucky explores how Nica’s family treats her like a problem. Barb treats Nica like a child because of her disability. When Alice asks Nica to read her a bedtime story, Barb says, “Auntie Nica’s tired.” Nica tells Barb she’s fine, but Barb doesn’t accept this. Nica says, “Don’t you think I’m the best judge of when I’m overextending myself”. Barb replies, “Frankly, no.” Nica finally says, “I’m disabled, Barb. I am not a child.” Barb’s conversation with Nica shows she doesn’t respect Nica’s ability to take care of herself. Barb forces religion on Nica by inviting Father Frank into her home and belittles Nica for her disability. Barb rejects what she views as other mirrors queer experiences. We are often told that our queer identities are something that needs to be amended.
Throughout the film, Chucky kills Nica’s family, while she receives the blame. In Cult of Chucky, Nica is institutionalized for her mental health in an attempt to get her to let go of her delusions about Chucky. This parallels the struggles queer people face, especially children when homophobic families try to change them. Cult of Chucky introduces Nurse Carlos (Zak Santiago), a gay character who shares personal details about his husband — specifically his husband’s disability — with Nica. The heartwarming exchange showcases the importance of queer representation. Carlos connects to Nica about her disability, highlighting their similarities rather than their differences.
Tiffany Valentine visits Nica and leaves her a gift: Chucky. Murders soon begin and the other patients blame Nica. In Cult of Chucky, Tiffany shows romantic interest in Nica, who is being possessed by Chucky. This interest in a woman with Chucky’s soul explores Tiffany’s bisexuality. Throughout the franchise, Chucky’s sole goal is to possess a human. He finally succeeds by possessing Nica. The confidence Chucky feels in Nica’s body opens up questions about his place in the queer community. Is Chucky as cishet and misogynistic as we thought? Does Chucky feel at peace in Nica’s body? The romance between Tiffany and Chucky/Nica is an electric one. When Chucky/Nica says, “So, this is different”, Tiffany replies, “Works for me,” establishing her acceptance of a romance with Chucky in a woman’s body.
Jake’s Journey with Chucky
The Chucky series brought back our favorite killer doll with Brad Dourif reprising the role. This step in the franchise finally introduced a gay protagonist. Jake Wheeler (Zackary Arthur) is a lonely teen figuring out where he fits after his mother’s death. He’s a troubled, out gay character experiencing teen crushes, unlikely friendships, and conversations with a killer doll. Chucky tells a complex story with a queer character in the spotlight. The series is for queer people who have always wanted to see themselves as a protagonist. Chucky balances gore with emotional depth, especially with Jake’s coming-of-age romance with Devon (Björgvin Arnarson). Romantic moments among the carnage take the franchise’s combination of horror and queer representation to its culmination. Jake and Devon defeat Chucky together and bike off to share their first kiss, after flirting throughout the first season.
To coerce Jake and get him on his side, Chucky shares details about his family, making for a memorable moment that highlights the importance of queer representation in the franchise. Chucky says, “I have a queer kid.” To which Jake replies, “You have a kid?” “Genderfluid,” Chucky says. Jake asks, “And you’re cool with it?” To which Chucky exclaims, “I’m not a monster, Jake.” This moment suggests that even though Chucky is a killer, he draws the line at homophobia and transphobia.
Glen/Glenda joins Chucky in season two. Their story follows Seed of Chucky, with Glen/Glenda in human bodies. Nonbinary actor Lachlan Watson plays nonbinary twins Glen and Glenda. The inclusion of major nonbinary characters is another groundbreaking step for the franchise’s queer representation. Glen shares a moment with their mother Tiffany asking who Nica is, to which Tiffany responds, “She’s my girlfriend and sometimes your father,” highlighting Tiffany’s bisexuality. Watson explores how the twins’ personalities differ, expanding the characters’ portrayals from the film. Glen wants to help Nica escape, while Glenda wants to help kill Tiffany. In Seed of Chucky, Glen doesn’t want to kill, while Glenda enjoys killing.
Lexy (Alyvia Alyn Lind), an unlikely friend to Jake and Devon, organizes a reunion for the couple. Jake and Devon spend Christmas together — even after death surrounded them. This celebration explores the wholesome spirit of Chucky, with particular concern for its queer representation. Throughout the years, the Child’s Play franchise has consistently told compelling queer stories, and we can expect this trend to continue.
