Cult Of Chucky

Cult Of Chucky brings back original Child’s Play cast member Alex Vincent as Andy Barclay, along with Jennifer Tilly as Chucky’s bloodthirsty bride. Confined to an asylum for the criminally insane for the past four years, Nica (Dourif) is wrongly convinced that she, not Chucky, murdered her entire family. But when her psychiatrist introduces a new group-therapy tool—a “Good Guy” doll—a string of grisly deaths plague the asylum and Nica starts to wonder if maybe she isn’t crazy after all. (Gary Reber)

Both the rated version (90:03) and the unrated version (89:56) are available. Special features include commentary with Director/Writer Don Mancini and Head Puppeteer Tony Gardner; the feaurettes Inside The Insanity (HD 06:43), Good Guy Gone Bad: The Incarnations Of Chucky (HD 05:03), and The Dollhouse (HD 07:37); three deleted scenes with commentary (HD 05:36); upfront previews; and an UltraViolet digital copy. Also available is the Chucky: Complete 7-Movie Collection from Universal.

The 1.78:1 1080p AVC picture, reviewed on a Sony Bravia Z9D 4K Ultra HD HDR display, upconverted to 2160p with greater resolution and luminance, was photographed digitally. Picture quality is terrific. Sharpness and clarity are terrific with fine resolution exhibited throughout. Facial features, skin pores, hair, beards, clothing, and object texture are finely resolved with incredible exactness. Contrast is excellent, with a wide dynamic range expressed in bright highlights and deep blacks. The interior of the asylum is designed with intense white walls, windows backdropped in intense white, and white furniture and accessories, all of which is exceptionally rendered. The snowfall from a storm is realistic, with pure white flakes, as is the snow-covered grounds. Darker scenes reveal excellent shadow delineation. Chucky, with his orange hair and vivid outfit, nicely contrast with the interior, as do other outfits worn by real people. The color palette is strongly saturated with bright primaries, such as reds that really pop. The range of color is naturally hued throughout. This is an impressive reference-quality 1080p release that measures up closely to the quality of a good 4K Ultra HD HDR release. Who would have thought? (Gary Reber)

The DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel soundtrack is effectively dynamic, with accentuated deep bass that punches through at intense violent moments. As such, the .1 LFE response extends to sub-25 Hz, as often energized. Atmospherics are nicely imagined, as well as exciting sound effects, all of which extend aggressively to the surrounds at appropriate moments. All throughout, the music score is haunting and exciting, enhancing the sense of imminent terror. The music extends aggressively to the surrounds with a solid bass foundation, creating a holosonic® sense of terror. Low-level ambience sounds and Foley are terrific. Dialogue throughout is intelligible with excellent spatial integration. This is a remarkable reference-quality horror genre soundtrack with excellent fidelity and dimension. (Gary Reber)