Not many potential victims have faced Chucky and survived. Nica, played by Fiona Dourif (daughter of acclaimed actor Brad Dourif, the unforgettable voice of Chucky) could be one of them. In Curse of Chucky, the murderous doll is back with a personal vendetta against Nica and her family. But as Chucky stalks his prey, Nica begins to piece together who she's up against, and prepares to do battle with the killer doll. On the Winnipeg location of Curse of Chucky, Dourif told FEARnet about facing Chucky and joining the famous horror franchise.
FEARnet: With roles in True Blood and now Curse of Chucky, what grabs you about the horror/supernatural genre?
DOURIF: It’s exciting, and maybe the potential of what we could be. Vampires are inherently sexy; I think that’s what the deal with True Blood is. With Chucky, it’s just creepy. There’s the potential for destruction and death that we all have in us somewhere.
Can you introduce us to your character and the situation we find her in this movie?
Nica is a girl who is trapped in this somewhat dysfunctional family dynamic, where she’s taking care of a very high maintenance mom, has a difficult sister, and a difficult life. Chucky is delivered to the house... chaos and violence ensue.
How does she handle the crisis at hand once the bodies start piling up?
She fights for her life, and she’s a worthy opponent.
How physically and emotionally draining did this film turn out to be?
It tends to actually be quite physically and slightly emotionally demanding. I shot one major sequence so far that I actually have bruises from. You need a lot of adrenaline in small increments of shooting over a [shooting day] of sixteen hours. At the end of it, I felt like I had run three marathons. I’ve never actually been so tired in my life!
Have you had to master the perfect scream?
I think I have a little, but I absolutely lost my voice. Not only for four or five takes, but I’m screaming for ten hours, because I’m hysterical.
What’s it like interacting and acting with a doll?
Working with Chucky is fun, and surprisingly like working with an actor, because of the ability of the puppeteers to make him move, react and talk, which is pretty damn impressive. Except he takes longer. He’s a big fucking diva... it’s all about him.
In movies like this, is the gore or the atmosphere more effective?
In general, horror films are scarier when it’s the potential of a threat. Jaws was terrifying because he was creeping up and less scary when it was the giant shark. I’m definitely in the "potential" camp. This script has a lot of that: a lot of spooky [moments], unsure of where he is and what’s happening.
The horror community can be extremely vocal. Do you feel pressure joining this franchise?
One hundred percent, absolutely! It’s something I think is legendary in American kids’ minds. It’s something I grew up with. I feel like it’s big shoes to fill, so I want to make it scary and good. Yes, it’s a lot of trepidation and excitement.
Assuming you live as the heroine, how would you have preferred Nica to be killed?
Well, who says that I live or die? We don’t know. If I could die any way I want, I may want to just get my head chopped off. I’ve always been interested in heads being removed from bodies... figure that out. That would be the way I’d die.