Reign of Chucky: The True Hollywood Story of a Not So Good Buy
Published by Harker Press, 2022. 470 pages
By Dustin McNeill & Travis Mullins

We have read and reviewed a few other titles from McNeill and Mullins, specifically the Taking Shape volumes that are essential for any serious Halloween fans. The same must be said for their latest volume for those fans of the Child’s Play movies. The real beauty of these books is that no matter what you think of the series, it has been very hard to read through the book and not want to check out the films again. The main reason for that, I feel, is the details the authors give you about the production and behind-the-scenes information on them. You can’t help seeing the final product a little differently.

I’ve always enjoyed the first Child’s Play for the most part and was pretty entertained by Bride of Chucky as well. What I wasn’t expecting was to really enjoy Curse and Cult as much as I did. I really liked the way that creator Don Mancini took the storyline, using the old as well as the new, creating some interesting characters and plots. But even reading through Reign of Chucky, it did have me going back to the first two sequels, watching them with a little more educated eye and a little less critical. I mean, we are talking about a series of films about a killer doll.

The book covers the 7 features and then mentions the TV series but didn’t go too much into it because of the timing of the book release. It also doesn’t mention the 2019 remake, and probably for good reason. But what we do get is tons of interviews with the people involved, both in front and behind the camera. From the directors, producers, actors, special effects artists and so much more. It is this input that shows the talent that went into making the films, even when the final product might have been a little lackluster. It also does a great job showing what is going on before the film even starts shooting, with production issues, even going to the financing and the studios. It really is amazing that any film gets made!

Bottom line is that if you’re a fan of the Child’s Play series, then you’ve probably already ordered this book. But I would recommend it to anybody that not only likes the series but wants to get a good look at behind this series that has been going on for over three decades.