Top 20 Scariest Chucky Scenes
#20: Charles Transfers His Soul
“Child’s Play” (1988) When you think of the “Child’s Play” franchise, you undoubtedly think of Chucky running around and killing people. But the series opens with a different type of scare. Brad Dourif appears in person as Charles Lee Ray, a serial killer on the run from Detective Mike Norris. Ray is shot by Norris and transfers his soul into a Good Guy doll using a nasty bit of black magic. It’s a well-directed sequence, with Dourif’s creepy chanting accented by the booms and flashes of lightning. The scene sets a suitably moody atmosphere and gives a quick, easy reason for the living doll. It’s a great intro to a great series.
#19: Chucky Fries Jill
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“Curse of Chucky” (2013) Following a bizarre and divisive swerve into black comedy, the “Child’s Play” franchise got back to its horror roots with 2013’s “Curse of Chucky.” The first person on Chucky’s hit list is Jill, the live-in nanny of young Alice. Jill is talking to her girlfriend Barb when Chucky appears, a horribly malicious look plastered on his plastic face. He proceeds to fry Jill with a bucket of rainwater and a power socket. The results are grisly and grotesque, and that look on Chucky’s face will replay in our nightmares forever. Chucky is so back.
#18: Warren Becomes Pinhead
“Bride of Chucky” (1998) Pinhead. Chucky. Two horror icons briefly converge in “Bride of Chucky” via John Ritter’s Warren Kincaid. Warren becomes another victim of Chucky and Tiffany, with the former sending a ton of nails into the police chief’s face. Unfortunately, this does not kill him right away, and he later makes a great jump scare when he barges out of the van’s storage compartment. It’s even enough to scare Chucky and Tiffany, and that’s saying something! However, Chucky is quick to respond and stabs Warren multiple times in the back. It’s a brutally violent and disturbing death, even for the standards set by this series.
#17: Miss Kettlewell’s Lesson
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“Child’s Play 2” (1990) And speaking of brutally violent deaths, how about poor Miss Kettlewell? Chucky pays a visit to Andy’s teacher as she’s giving the young boy detention. Popping out of the storage closet, Chucky stabs Kettlewell with an air pump and proceeds to beat her to death with a meter stick. It’s certainly not the way we’d want to go, and the horrific death is depicted through some great direction. The puppeteering on Chucky is fantastic, especially as he approaches Kettlewell with the meter stick, and the creepy music adds a frightening dimension to the sequence.
#16: Andy & Chucky
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“Cult of Chucky” (2017) “Curse of Chucky” ends with a great bit of fan service, with Alex Vincent reappearing as Andy after 23 years. While that was just a quick cameo, his story continues in “Cult of Chucky,” with Andy being rather unkind to his old tormenter. We mean, do you blame him? Andy is keeping Chucky’s disfigured head in a safe, and he brings it out on occasion to tease the living doll. The whole sequence is rather troubling, with Chucky’s gaping head wound proving horribly disgusting. But however disgusting it is, it’s still a great piece of practical effects work. The scene also packs a great jump scare, with Chucky lunging at Andy after taking a hit from his joint.
#15: Chucky Visits the Hospital
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“Child’s Play” (1988) The first “Child’s Play” is very effective at blending tension with the typical slasher thrills, and that’s exemplified by the great hospital sequence. Andy is taken to a psychiatric hospital, which is an effective story beat that keeps the young boy trapped in place. The movie mines a great deal of tension from the scenario, as Andy watches Chucky approach while remaining completely powerless to stop him. The killer doll later breaks in and chases Andy throughout the hospital. It’s a great cat-and-mouse sequence that is aided by some eerie visuals, a spooky score, and, naturally, a great jump scare.
#14: Chucky Comes Alive
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“Bride of Chucky” (1998) This movie introduces Tiffany Valentine, the titular Bride of Chucky who aids her lover in his quest for blood. In one of the film’s most effective sequences, Tiffany handcuffs Damien to the bed and places Chucky on her unsuspecting ex’s chest. But when Damien makes an unfortunate comment about Chucky’s, um, manhood, the doll comes alive and shows the goth who’s boss. Chucky goes full “Exorcist” and spins his head 180 degrees to face Damien, which is a startling visual on its own. But it only gets worse from there, with Chucky using Damien’s facial piercings as a makeshift weapon of sorts. We can’t watch it without squirming.
#13: Ian Watches the Nanny Cam
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“Curse of Chucky” (2013) Ian has placed a hidden camera inside Chucky to spy on his cheating wife, and he later tries to use this hidden camera against Nica to prove that she’s the killer. But he gets a dose of reality in the worst way possible. Ian switches to the camera’s live feed, which shows Chucky slowly approaching him from behind. Ian realizes what’s happening, but it’s already far too late. It’s a fun scene filled with effective tension, and the camera gimmick helps make this one of the most creative death scenes in the franchise.
#12: Acid to the Face
“Seed of Chucky” (2004) This installment goes into full-on camp territory, and what better way to celebrate than a cameo by John Waters? Waters is a famous director responsible for some of the most beloved camp, including “Pink Flamingos,” the first in his infamous Trash Trilogy. Waters plays Pete Peters, a paparazzi who meets a very nasty, and rather gooey fate. Glen tries to warn Pete about Chucky’s impending attack, but the doll scares the photographer and he bumps into a rack holding sulphuric acid. The acid then falls off the rack straight onto Pete’s head, melting half of his face. It’s one of the series’ nastiest visual effects, and we’re forced to watch the melting process in all its hideous detail.
#11: Stalking Maggie
“Child’s Play” (1988) Much like the hospital sequence, Maggie’s death is full of slow and unbearable tension. She is Chucky’s first victim, and her death is drawn out to an almost painful, but still wickedly entertaining, degree. Maggie becomes paranoid and slowly makes her way through the apartment, having heard a series of strange noises. Meanwhile, we’re given some beautiful point-of-view shots as Chucky stalks her and prepares for the killing. It’s a highly effective sequence, utilizing silence, creative camera angles, and relaxed pacing to build tension. And when the violence comes, it comes hard. And it comes loud. What a way to start Chucky’s body count.
#10: Bloody Waterbed
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“Bride of Chucky” (1998) Dolls have to get really creative with their kills. After two con artists steal Jesse and Jade’s money, Chucky and Tiffany follow them back to their hotel room and watch them getting busy on a waterbed. Their glimpse of Tiffany in the ceiling mirror comes too late. Using a champagne bottle, Tiffany shatters the mirror, and all the couple can do is scream as they’re showered in glass. This method of death was so unique and impactful that director Don Mancini decided to recreate it for “Cult of Chucky,” only with much more graphic results.
#9: Doll Eyes
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“Child’s Play 2” (1990) Of all the ways we want to go, having doll eyes stabbed into our face is probably near the bottom of the list. In the climax of “Child’s Play 2,” a factory technician investigates broken machinery - crawling right beneath the mechanism that attaches the doll’s eyes. Director John Lafia expertly builds tension as Chucky creeps closer and closer. Subverting expectations, however, the technician emerges with a satisfied smile . . . only to have Chucky slice his face and send him back beneath the mechanism he just activated. The image of the dead technician with doll eyes is pure nightmare fuel.
#8: Madeleine’s Mouth
“Cult of Chucky” (2017) “Cult of Chucky” is far gorier than its predecessors, a fact that’s clearly evident in Madeleine’s utterly disgusting death scene. When her Good Guys doll returns from the grave, the guilt-ridden Madeleine allows it to kill her. Promising that it will hurt, the doll proceeds to stick its entire freaking arm down her throat! It then pulls out…something from her mouth and looks at it with pure elation. It’s a horribly grotesque death, and the eerie music combined with the doll’s terrifying facial expressions make this an incredibly dark and unsettling sequence. And just when you thought the franchise had veered too far into comedy…
#7: Haircut
“Child’s Play 3” (1991) “Child’s Play 3” is often considered the worst movie of the series, but it does have its fair share of spooky scenes. Case in point, the famous barbershop sequence where the military barber decides to…give Chucky a haircut. Why, we have no idea, but just go with it. Character motivations aside, it’s a tense sequence, especially as the camera slowly pans to Chucky’s deceptively still face while the music gradually builds. Then he slits the barber’s throat, cracks a silly one-liner, and laughs that brilliant Chucky laugh. It’s all a little silly, but it’s easily the most unique scene in “Child’s Play 3.”
#6: Alice Meets Chucky
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“Curse of Chucky” (2013) “Curse of Chucky” helped bring the franchise back to its horror roots after the wacky “Seed of Chucky,” and this change of tone was evident from the start. After young Alice senses something behind the shower curtain, she slowly approaches before pulling the curtain back and unveiling the freakiest Chucky we’ve ever seen. There’s something horribly disturbing about Chucky’s expression of false innocence, with his bulging, manic eyes and fixed smile. Alice, at least, is fooled, and delighted . . . until the doll suddenly reaches for her. Welcome back, Chucky. We missed you.
#5: Chucky’s Disfigured Face
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“Child’s Play 3” (1991) We love seeing the sadistic doll get beaten up, and “Child’s Play 3” features what’s easily the most twisted Chucky injury. Just when Chucky is about to kill Tyler, an animatronic scythe swings down and slices half of Chucky’s face off. We then get to see the inside of his face, complete with tendons and moving muscles. It’s highly detailed makeup work (perhaps even the best in the series), and Brad Dourif’s anguished screams cut right to the bone. Of all his different looks, we think Two Face Chucky is the scariest of all.
#4: Strangling Mattson
“Child’s Play 2” (1990) It’s everyone’s worst nightmare. You’re driving when you realize there’s someone in the backseat. Oh, and that someone is a murderous, possessed doll. “Chucky Play 2” started off with a bang, with Chucky pulling a gun on Play Pals executive Mattson. Chucky toys with him first, “shooting” him with water to relieve the tension. But it’s just a fake out. Once Mattson looks into the rear-view mirror, Chucky strangles him with a plastic bag while lightning flashes and rain pounds the roof. Just goes to show, slasher scenes don’t always need blood and gore to be terrifying.
#3: Burned Chucky
“Child’s Play” (1988) Like most classic slashers villains, Chucky never stays dead. The end of “Child’s Play” is a relentless gauntlet of hope and despair, as Chucky seems to die over and over again, only to come back meaner and stronger than ever before. The first false death comes when Andy burns Chucky in the fireplace. Everything seems well and good, until Andy is tripped by a horribly burnt Chucky, who stalks towards him holding a knife. It’s arguably the most haunting shot of the series, with Chucky’s melted face the stuff of nightmares.
#2: Discovering Chucky’s Scars
“Curse of Chucky” (2013) “Curse of Chucky” is arguably the best installment in the series since “Child’s Play,” with a terrific blend of deep dread and visceral thrills. While looking for Alice in the attic, Barb comes across Chucky and curiously picks at the fake skin on his face, revealing the scars hidden beneath. It’s an excellent piece of fan service, as we finally see Chucky’s signature scars again, but it’s also a terrifying sequence that riddles viewers with anxiety and foreboding. We know that Chucky is going to reveal himself – we just don’t know when. A gold medal to the person who can watch this scene without flinching or putting their fingers in front of their eyes.
#1: No Batteries
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“Child’s Play” (1988) A lot of people have a fear of dolls. Now just imagine if a doll turned its head 180 degrees and spoke to you without having batteries installed! That’s exactly what happens to Andy’s mom Karen, and it is easily the scariest moment in the Chucky-verse. The way the scene slowly builds uneasiness, the sudden head turn, and the abnormally loud doll voice all combine to create an instantly memorable and chilling moment. It sums up just what makes Chucky so uncanny, and how he’s remained so scary and relevant throughout the years.
