The best the Child's Play series a slasher staple. 1988's Child's Play started out as a script called Batteries Not Included by writer Don Mancini, which was later retitled Blood Buddy. The initial concept was that a boy named Andy was given a doll that was filled with fake blood but would later come alive when Andy accidentally mixed his own blood with it. The doll, who would become known as the infamous Chucky, would come to life when Andy went to sleep, acting out his unconscious desire to kill.

When Tom Holland (Fright Night) came on board to direct Child's Play, the concept was completely changed. A serial killer named Charles Lee Ray transfers his soul into a Chucky doll just before his human body dies. With his soul trapped in a toy, he needs to transfer his evil spirit to a human body or be trapped in the doll for good, so he selects Andy as a host. The 1988 movie was a smash hit, and Chucky would return many times in the years that followed, although the tone and genre of each Child's Play movie would vary wildly.

8 Child's Play 3 (1991)

Directed By Jack Bender

The only entry in the franchise that's a true disappointment is 1991's Child Play 3. Directed by Jack Bender, the sequel to Child's Play 2 was released a mere nine months after the second movie, and is still considered to be the worst Chucky installment. The rush to shoot a new sequel and cash in on the success of 1990's Child's Play 2 ultimately hurt the final product, and risked Chucky's on-screen rampages ending as a trilogy rather than the long-standing franchise fans know and love today.

The premise finds Chucky coming back to life eight years after part two and tracking his old nemesis Andy to a military school. While the setting is unique, and Brad Dourif (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers) is typically excellent as Chucky's voice, the third movie lacks suspense and new ideas. While Child's Play 2 was incredibly innovative with the various ways Chucky tormented Andy, Child's Play 3 didn't break any new ground. Outside the occasional inspired touch like a showdown in a fun house, Child's Play 3 is a relative dud.

7 Seed Of Chucky (2004)

Directed By Don Mancini

Interestingly, since it arrived 16 years after the 1988 release of the first movie, 2004's Seed of Chucky was series creator Don Mancini's directorial debut. Having Mancini take the helm of the fifth Child's Play movie was a positive move for the series, as Seed of Chucky in many ways helped set the tone for the likes of both the following sequels and the 2021 Chucky TV show. Rather than leaning into the horror and scares, Mancini decided to completely embrace a cartoonish tone instead of making a straightforward slasher.

Seed of Chucky picks up after the ending of Bride of Chucky, which features Chucky's girlfriend Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly) giving birth to a baby doll. The movie has been accurately described as an over-the-top farce with numerous creative stretches, such as Tilly playing both herself and Tiffany and cameos from John Waters and Redman. While it's silly and fun in its own right Seed of Chucky hardly feels like a horror movie at all, which is why it's one of the least loved entries.

6 Cult Of Chucky (2017)

Directed By Don Mancini

Don Mancini returned to the director's chair for the third time in 2017's Cult of Chucky, and the end result was better received than 2004's Seed of Chucky (though it wasn't as strong as its follow-up, 2013's Curse of Chucky). Cult of Chucky finds the survivor of the previous film, Nica (Fiona Dourif), in a psychiatric rehabilitation center. The unique aspect of Cult of Chucky is that, in the seventh Child's Play movie, Chucky can split his consciousness into multiple bodies, creating a whole army of demonic dolls (as well as some human beings, too).

The movie also features surprise cameos by previous cast and ends on an intriguing note that sets up a further story.

Cult of Chucky is arguably the most experimental installment of the series and features bizarre visuals and creative deaths likely inspired by Mancini's work on the Hannibal series. The movie also features surprise cameos by previous cast and ends on an intriguing note that sets up a further story. While Cult of Chucky is a solid and suspenseful entry, it feels a little underwhelming after the home run that was Curse of Chucky.

5 Child's Play 2 (1990)

Directed By John Lafia

Chucky and the Child's Play franchise arrived at an interesting time in the world of slasher films. Major series like Halloween and Friday the 13th were starting to wind down after disappointing sequels. This meant there were mixed expectations around Child's Play 2, though the 1991 sequel to Child's Play managed to defy genre trends at the time and (almost) lived up to the 1988 original. Child's Play director Tom Holland didn't return, with John Lafia instead at the helm. Lafia co-wrote the original Child's Play alongside Mancini and Holland, which might be in part why the franchise stayed true to its roots for its second installment.

Child's Play 2 picks up two years after the original, with Andy (Alex Vincent) taken in by a foster family. The toy company behind the Chucky doll decides to rebuild the destroyed doll which comes to life and seeks out Andy. Child's Play 2 embraces a more comic tone and features a number of fun set pieces. One scene features Chucky a Terminator-style showdown in a toy factory. The sequel doesn't go too far outside the standard but it's a lean, energetic follow-up regardless.

4 Child's Play (2019)

Directed By Lars Klevberg

Director Lars Klevberg's Child's Play remake has proven somewhat controversial. It didn't have any of the creative time associated with the franchise behind it, with creator Don Mancini distancing himself from the film while he focused on the Child's Play TV show, Chucky. The 2019 Child's Play remake also marked the first time Brad Dourif hadn't voiced Chucky — though he had a great replacement in Mark Hamill. Despite this outside drama, the remake is a surprisingly fun reinvention of the Child's Play franchise.

2019's Child's Play takes the basic concept of a lonely boy being given the Chucky doll only to discover he has advanced A.I. built in, which gives him control over gadgets.

After forming a bond with the new Andy, the defective doll takes offense to anyone hurting Andy and starts murdering victims in gory yet darkly comedic ways. The cast is also a highlight, especially Gabriel Bateman (Light's Out) as the new Andy. The humor in the remake can be too broad at times and Chucky's backstory is rather thin, but the Child's Play 2019 reboot was much better than expected (and stands as an example of a particularly strong horror movie remake).

3 Child's Play (1988)

Directed By Tom Holland

It's little surprise to fans of the Child's Play franchise that the 1988 original still ranks as one of the best. It was, after all, Child's Play that gave viewers their first taste of Chucky, and had it not been so successful, the franchise simply wouldn't exist. After a decade of slashers with a repetitive but unique gimmick like A Nightmare on Elm Street's Freddy Krueger, Child's Play introduced the murderous doll Chucky to the world.

The original 1988 movie, which was directed by Tom Holland and co-written with John Lafia and Don Mancini, is quite tame for much of its runtime, playing out more like a suspenseful thriller than a bloody horror flick. The central relationship between Andy and his mother is sweet, and director Tom Holland milks a good amount of tension from the stalking sequences. The 1988 movie might be a touch slow for modern tastes, but Child's Play is still a great and efficient thriller.

2 Bride Of Chucky (1998)

Directed By Ronny Yu

Following the lukewarm response to Child's Play 3, many thought that the Child's Play franchise and movies about Chucky were effectively done. However, the series' fortunes changed with the arrival of 1998's Bride of Chucky. Releasing almost exactly a decade after Child's Play, Bride of Chucky reinvented Chucky as a character and is arguably the most important movie in the series outside the original.

This led to Bride of Chucky, where Charles Lee Ray's former girlfriend, Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), brings him back to life once more, and they go on a romantic killing spree.

Horror movies in general entered a weird time in the 1990s. It wasn't until Scream revitalized the horror genre that studios regained interest. This led to Bride of Chucky, where Charles Lee Ray's former girlfriend, Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), brings him back to life once more, and they go on a romantic killing spree. Bride has all the gore and creative kills fans could ask for, but the comedic interplay between Dourif and Tilly, combined with Ronny Yu's (Freddy Vs Jason) energetic direction, is what makes it click. Bride of Chucky also introduced Chucky's iconic scarred look, and remains as perhaps the most popular entry outside the 1988 original.

1 Curse Of Chucky (2013)

Directed By Don Mancini

Following the box-office disappointment of Seed of Chucky, Mancini considered remaking the original and revisiting his Blood Buddy idea. When untangling the rights proved too difficult, he instead opted for Curse of Chucky, a tonal reboot that was also the first to go straight to DVD. While this has spelled the death of other horror franchises like Hellraiser, it surprisingly resulted in the best entry in the Child's Play series to date. Everything about 2013's Curse Of Chucky works superbly.

The best features include Fiona Dourif's strong new heroine Nica, the overall gothic tone, the intriguing family drama, the impressive set pieces, and the surprising links to past entries. Curse of Chucky is a love letter to the franchise and to its dedicated fans, proving that Chucky actually could be a hit again. These qualities solidify Curse of Chucky as the greatest movie in the Child's Play series.

Where Does The Chucky TV Series Rank?

When it first premiered in 2021, Chucky was a major step in a new direction for the franchise, and the first time the iconic character would be featured in a show rather than a movie. The swing paid off brilliantly, as Chucky is one of the very best entries in the entire Child's Play franchise. In fact, it might just be the best thing the franchise has ever made. It serves as a sequel to Cult of Chucky and Don Mancini continued to have a major hand in the franchise, as Chucky's showrunner.

Chucky features all the bloody fun fans of the franchise have come to expect, as it isn't afraid to get gory, absurd, campy, silly, scary, basically everything that makes Child's Play as a franchise so much fun to watch. Given that it ran for three seasons, Chucky was able to dive deeper into the lore and character than ever before, while continuing to up the stakes at every turn. It's absolutely worth watching for both fans of the Child's Play franchise, and just horror in general, as it ranks among the best the series has to offer.