“Hi I’m Chucky your friend to the end” a line that started the sheer terror this horrifyingly creepy doll would utter started off the chaos of a thirty year plus franchise about a killer doll who gets possessed by a crazed killer. While Kyra Elise Gardner’s documentary, Living with Chucky does touch on all of Chucky, it really becomes intimate and more passionate when it dives into Seed of Chucky until now with the television show (which is briefly touched upon) as that is when she became involved (so to say) with Chucky. However what it does do, is shine a light behind the scenes on passion, love, and family all centered around this crazed doll.
Kyra’s father, Tony Gardner, was brought on to Seed of Chucky after the budget was slashed so much that the original puppeteer and studio could not come to an agreement on salary and without finding a new puppeteer the film would never have been made and the legacy of Chucky would’ve died. David Kirschner whose been a producer of the series since Child Play, called up Tony who he’s worked with on Hocus Pocus and asked him to join, at first reluctant he agreed as he realized it would be him or someone else and he believed he could do it justice. Kyra got involved because, since her dad was working on the Chucky movies, he’d bring home props, bring home Chucky’s, you name it, she was emerged in this life of Chucky at a very young age.
There are some great stories that come throughout Living with Chucky, we dare won’t spoil as it deserves to be heard and seen first hand, but there is so much love and passion throughout the making of Living with Chucky that it doesn’t feel like a first time feature submission, but rather someone who wanted to make a love letter to her extended family, most of which she only got to meet because of the documentary. There are so many tidbits and fun facts about Chucky and what he means to this extensive list of cast and crew, but more importantly how he affected these peoples lives in a way no one could’ve expected. So if you’re a fan of Chucky and want to know more behind the scenes information on the killer doll Living with Chucky is for you. However, it is not a deep dive into the franchise as a whole, but rather a look at the people who brought the franchise to life, and what it means to them.
