Anyone in their 30's will remember their first video recorder and how exciting it was!
Not because you could record the usual rubbish that frequented our television screens at the time, but because with a little skill and persistence, you could persuade your parents to rent out x-rated films (18)!

Before the video revolution, a teenager wouldn't have had a hope in hell of seeing one of these without first; climbing on a pair of stilts, donning a long overcoat, developing an accent twice as low and finally convincing the cashier at the local cinema you were over 18. Easier said than done!

For some reason parents were reluctant to get their teenage kids blue movies out. That top shelf, seedy back room hang up, I think. Yet for some reason they didn't seem to mind getting, the 'local psychopath, hacking, slashing, blood and guts film, for their little angels.

Death was preferable to unwanted pregnancies I suppose.

What has this got to do with 'The bride of Chucky' I hear you scream, as you point the mouse toward the 'off topic' button. Well if you'll indulge me a few seconds longer, I'm getting to it.

Film companies at the time must have cottoned onto this new popularity with gore and a host of horror films began to grace the shelves of the local video shops.

Such was the fascination with such films, that the best ones created a whole new genre of their own. They later became known as cult 80's horror movies.....

...One such film was called 'Child's play'.

This saw the introduction of a serial killer called Charles Lee Ray, or 'Chucky' to his friends.

Caught by the cops Chucky is desperate to avoid being executed but the inevitable happens. One of Chucky's friends is skilled in the black arts of voodoo and in his final moments Chucky reaches out and plants his spirit into the closest thing to hand; a life-size, toy doll. The doll is supposed to be the perfect companion to a toddler (being about the same size) and is supposed to talk in a friendly way.

Chucky's task from then on, is to find an unwitting human host that he can take over and implant his own spirit into!

Before Chucky gets the chance to embark on his mission, he gets parcelled up by some dodgy geezer and sold off to a desperate mum, at a lot cheaper price, who takes him home to her little boy!

Making the most of his opportunity Chucky spends the rest of the movie pursuing the poor child, hacking up people the kid loves and desperately trying to implant his spirit into the little cherub. Hence the title Childs Play.

The most memorable scene in the whole film is when the kiddie first takes him out of the box and tries to get him to speak. Instead of the usual words which should have been something like 'hi, I'm a good guy doll, want to play?' he looks at the kid and says, with one of the scariest faces imaginable 'Hi, I'm Chucky! Want to play?'

This line was to be used time and time again in the sequels that followed.

Two of the sequels followed quickly and were pretty much same old, same old! These were still popular with cult fans, but nothing out of the ordinary. Both ending with Chucky being killed off!

After the third, most fans, including myself, thought we had seen the last of Chucky.

Then, out of the blue, in 1998, adverts began appearing for 'The Bride Of Chucky'. Could it be true, we asked ourselves is it really another Childs Play sequel. Undoubtedly, when we saw the posters it was.

Is it going to be as good as the first though, was the next question, or is it going to be as crap as the other sequels were?

Boy, were we in for a shock.

The Bride Of Chucky is, in my opinion, without doubt the best of all the Child's Play films.

Ok, die-hard fans will say, how could you have number 4, without number 1? Fair comment, I answer. However if the first had never been thought of, with a little bit of background carefully inserted into it, the Bride Of Chucky' could have easily (and does) stood out as one of the best horror films of all time. In its own right!

The film is different to its predecessors in a number of ways.

Its first difference is noticeable as soon as the film starts. The first pictures that greet your eyes when you press play, is a stunning, wanton, sex goddess, in the guise of Jennifer Tilly. She proceeds to gyrate and slink around the screen dressed in a black pvc suit, that little to the imagination!

At which point half of the die hard fans screamed, 'what the hell has this got to do with Childs Play?' The other half (I confess I'm one), didn't care! I could have spent the next two hours watching Jennifer strut her stuff, without seeing Chucky, and wouldn't have blinked an eyelid! I don't think my wife would have been too happy though!

In the previous films, Chucky was always the leading character, with woman playing weak, homely, 'I'm going to be another murder statistic' type people. Suddenly here is a sexy, confident, 'I don't give a ****' type female.

Jennifer plays Tiffany, the shunned, taken for granted, used and abused, girlfriend of Chucky. Or at least had been when he was in his human form.

It turns out Jennifer has been keeping tabs on the Childs Play Killings through the media.

*Here, the writer has used another clever ploy. By showing clips of news articles that track the heinous crimes that have been committed by the leading character, the viewer can nearly believe that the legends are true. This also helps with continuation of the sequels after long breaks. It has also been done with re-makes of other 80’s horror films after lengthy breaks, such as H20.

Longing to get her hands on the notorious doll, to find out if her boyfriend really is inside, she bribes a guard in the warehouse to steal him!

Once in her grips she uses a book on DIY voodoo to resurrect the charmer! Once again a new concept is introduced into the Childs Play series-Humour! Previously, most of them had been dedicated to being as scary as possible and little else. Its obvious this is about to change when you see Tiffany learning the resurrection spell from 'Voodoo for Dummies'.

Once Chucky is back from the beyond, he wastes no time getting back to his old self and promptly does away with Tiffany's 'would-be' boy friend by pulling the metal piercing out of his lip!
Hurray shout the die-hards, as copious amounts of blood sprays everywhere! Chucky's back!

Bitter that Chucky takes her for granted, she locks him in a baby's playpen with a female toy doll that has a wedding outfit on and tells him he can marry her!

What's this? I hear you say. An evil doll that's gone soft. Don't worry, as soon as Tiffany goes to sleep, Chucky escapes, kills Tiff and then puts her spirit into the very conveniently placed bridal doll! Imagine Tiffany's surprise when she wakes up. LOL!

Chucky smoothes it over with her and realises he needs his medallion (Childs Play1) that the witch doctor gave him, to put their spirits back into humans. Unfortunately for them, the medallion is across the country in his coffin with his human corpse.

This leads us nicely on the main plot of the film. Tiffany enlists the help of a local teenager to get them there. She phones him and offers him money to pick up two dolls, (Chucky and Tiffany) and transport them across country.

The teenager desperate to elope with the local Sheriff’s niece accepts the offer, and off they go on a murderous spree, dragging the unwitting teens into the mayhem too!

One of the most amazing scenes is where the bridal doll is transformed from dull and boring into a miniature, carbon copy, of the life-size Tiffany. Full marks to the special effects teams.

Along the way, to their final destination, the kids stop off to get married at a chapel of love! Tiffany thinks its sweet, but Chucky is unimpressed and thinks they are suckers.
Tiffany changes his mind in the only way she could. Not by being sweet and innocent, but by hideously murdering a couple they come across at a local hotel.

Inspired by his partner in crime, Chucky proposes with the ring from the dead girls finger! Sweet! Tiffany accepts and the two have an impromptu wedding. Hence, 'The Bride Of Chucky!'

Probably the most humorous scene in the whole film is when the dolls have sex. Silhouetted Tiffany asks Chucky if he has any protection before they go all the way. Chucky asks her what she means. 'Do you have a rubber?' she asks him.
'Are you serious?' he responds 'I AM RUBBER!'
Maybe one of the funniest lines in a horror movie I've ever heard.

The rest of the movie is equally as action packed, with Chucky forgetting his wedding vows, trying to use the love struck teenagers by taking over their bodies, and doing away with his new wife as she wouldn't do the washing up. More laughs.

In the end chucky gets what's coming to him and everybody relaxes, sighs with relief and wonders if there will be a Child's Play 5?

Just as you are about to go and put the kettle on the film twists and makes you jump out of your skin. Just as good horror films do.

All in all an outstanding film that any true horror fan couldn't live without. I know I couldn't.

For those reading this review that are already familiar with the Childs Play films I am sorry about going on about them but I thought it would be handy for those who aren't.