Chucky gay icon
To kick off Self-acceptance month, the streaming service Peacock displayed an image on its home screen of Cher, Alan Cumming and Chucky, the red-headed doll from the horror franchise.
Some social media users were perplexed by Chucky’s inclusion, writing on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it was “certainly a choice,” while others pointed out Chucky is an ally to the LGBTQ community.
Peacock did not have any comment, but Don Mancini, who is gay, created the Chucky horror films franchise in the ’80s ― and in the 2021 TV series “Chucky,” the doll is brought to experience by Jake, a 14-year-old gay male child. In episode 2 of the series, Chucky tells Jake that he has his own gay and gender-fluid child.
“You’re cool with it?” Jake asks.
“I’m not a monster, Jake,” Chucky replies.
Chucky is so much of an ally that in the first season, he murders Jake’s homophobic father.
The storyline of a gay teen in “Chucky” was one of the reasons the Syfy channel signed on.
Alex Sepiol, executive vice president for drama series at NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, told The Brand-new York Times in 2021 that they “embraced the notion” of Jake’s sexuality and “how personal that was to” Mancini.
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'Chucky' Creator Don Mancini Shares His Favorite Queer Slasher Icon
Summary
- The Child's Play franchise has always been inclusive of the Homosexual community, with representation from gender non-conforming characters and appearances by Gay icons.
- Chucky's new caretaker, Jake, is a young gay bloke who faces homophobia at place and school, leading Chucky to use the murders as a form of justice for the discrimination Jake has experienced.
- The creator of the franchise, Don Mancini, considers Chucky to be a supportive character for the LGBTQ+ community and discusses other horror characters who could also represent the community, including Michael Myers and Hannibal.
While it may not come right out and slap audiences in the face, there’s no disbelief that the Child’s Play franchise is a queer one. Don Mancini, the man behind all seven movies and now the three-season-running Syfy, USA Network, and Peacock series, Chucky, has made it a point to design a space within his projects to include the LGBTQ+ society. W
Photo: Universal
Chucky, with his fiery red hair and frighteningly loyal pledge to be "your friend till the end," was never same-sex attracted by design. But in 1998, four films into the "Child's Play" franchise, the undying slasher flicks centered on a ghastly '80s-era talking doll took a campy, gay twist with the sequel "Bride of Chucky."
We have out Chucky creator Don Mancini to hail for the queering of Chucky, who fathered a gender-fluid toddler named Glen / Glenda with goth-turned-glam lady doll Tiffany Valentine in 2004's "Seed of Chucky," notably featuring filth king John Waters and a Britney Spears look-alike (Chucky's reaction to running her off the road? "Oops, I did it again").
Doubling as Tiffany and herself is lesbian fave and voice of the plastic assassin Jennifer Tilly, who returns for the Good Guy doll's seventh film, "Cult of Chucky," to wreak havoc on the patients and staff at a mental institution, among them a gay nurse named Carlos (Zak Santiago). Chucky is scary again, as "Cult" begins where his reentry into straight-up, decamped horror via 2013's "Curse of Chucky" left off.
Tilly, gay-adored star of screen and stage (and also an Oscar nominee for her memorable role in Wo
From Chucky to M3GAN, Why Killer Doll Movies Continue To Spawn Queer Icons
Summary
- Horror movies hold long embraced LGBTQIA+ themes, providing a platform for homosexual icons like Chucky and M3GAN to shine.
- The genre reflects lgbtq+ experiences with outsiders forming found families, challenging societal norms, and celebrating "otherness."
- Killer dolls like Chucky oppose gender norms, offering a mix of campiness and deeper themes that resonate with the homosexual community.
In a genre like horror, there is always room to receive a little resourceful. Lower budgets and grindhouse expectations represent that horror directors can include far more subversive content than films from other genres. That includes countless topics that other films won't cover, and thanks to that freedom of phrase, horror movies include traditionally been well-accepted by the LGBTQIA+ community. Furthermore, horror has created a number of iconic LGBTQIA+ characters, creatures and icons, including killer do