With the Lars Klevberg's remake being released in theaters last month and a television series on the way from franchise creator Don Mancini, the Child's Play franchise is still one of the reigning names in horror.
Of course, with a massive fan base and three decades in existence, fan films are going to happen, and one of the more original fan film ideas to come along in recent years is director Chris Notarile's Tiffany + Chucky, a prequel to the original 1988 movie.
In the film, "Long before being fatally wounded and transferring his soul into the body of a Good Guy doll, Charles Lee Ray aka Chucky, was better known as the Lakeshore Strangler; a serial killer who wrought havoc all over the Chicago area. But Chucky’s killing spree wasn’t a solo venture. He had a little help from the only woman crazy enough to stand by his side – Tiffany Valentine. This is how they met."
Tiffany + Chucky stars Llenelle Gibson, Kevin Caliber and Tess Speranza.
Notarile explains, "I was always intrigued by Chucky and Tiffany as humans. And if you haven’t already gathered from my body of work, I really enjoy digging into the pasts of characters and building onto their already vague backstories. Jennifer Tilly’s portrayal as Tiffany is iconic. She is adorable and psychotic, yet you always empathize with her. You can easily feel sorry for her, and I always liked that. So when I decided to make this story, I knew I wanted to put the focus more on Tiffany than Chucky. Chucky has had 8 films, a remake and a new TV series coming out, he’s hogged the spotlight enough. So when I began writing, I knew she was going to be our main character. I wanted to focus on how the world treated her, and how she could so easily end up with someone like Chucky. Unlike Harley Quinn, I don’t see her being manipulated into loving a serial killer. I think that side of her was always there, she just needed the right opportunity to let that part of her out."
"The entire short was filmed in one day in downtown Los Angeles in my favorite alley," he continues. "Llenelle Gibson gave a hauntingly spot on performance as a 13 years younger Tiffany. She was able to successfully capture Tiffany’s flightiness, naivety, temper and of course, her instant connection with Chucky. Kevin Caliber played (a much more hunkier) Chucky. Since this story was from Tiffany’s perspective, I was okay with hunkifying Chucky, rather than casting a skinnier, smaller guy for the part. Tiffany is head over heels for her man, and I want the audience to see what she sees, thus Chucky now has pecks. Since the story was set in the 80’s, I wanted to go for a more punk-rockabilly vibe. I tried to make things colorful, fun and lighthearted."
Check out the fan film below.
