The concept of the Child’s Play horror franchise—now spanning 7 main series feature films, a reboot film, a TV series, and all sorts of assorted media from there—isn’t super complicated. It’s a toy doll who kills people. And the new series, Chucky, which airs on both SyFy and USA Network, does a wonderful job of keeping its focus on that simple but oh-so-juicy modified-slasher concept. Where some other modern horror series tend to get distracted with B-plots and side-stories, Chucky knows what it’s viewers want to see: tension that leads to scares and kills at the hands of its titular evil little guy.
The simplicity of the concept behind the Child’s Play series—and it’s antagonist, the foul-mouthed and wise-cracking Chucky, who was born as a real person named Charles Lee Ray, who became serial killer—is probably what’s given it so much longevity. It’s not super complicated or out there, and, thus, it’s easy to just pick up and enjoy from any given point.
But that’s not to say that Child’s Play doesn’t have lore. It’s easy enough to get into at just about any point, but there’s enough history for longtime fans to feel like their time was really worth something. The Chucky series, for example, has some easter eggs and references for longtime fans, but just about anyone interested in the concept should be able to hop on and enjoy the ride.
And if you want to enrich yourself with some of that lore, well, you’re in luck. Those Child’s Play movies are all available to watch right now, most of them even available on some of the most popular streaming services out there.
So, without further ado, here’s how you can watch every movie in the Chucky or Child’s Play universe:
Child’s Play (1988)
The long-running franchise starts here, with a ‘Good Guy’ doll bought in a back alley (by a mom who can’t afford it at retail price) and a demented serial killer who uses voodoo magic to transfer bodies to a little doll. Casual stuff, and just the beginning of what would become one of the wildest franchises in all of horror movies. Alex Vincent, as a very young child, makes his first appearance as Andy Barclay, and Brad Dourif is both the live-action form of Charles Lee Ray and the voice of Chucky; both still portray those characters to this day.
Stream Child’s Play on Starz
Stream Child’s Play on Amazon Prime Video
Child’s Play 2 (1990)
The story continues, as the manufacturer of ‘Good Guy’ dolls repairs the destroyed Chucky doll, planning to prove he wasn’t defective and reviving a psychotic murdering oll in the process. And now Chucky is trying to possess Andy’s body for himself once again. Andy, we might add, is now in foster care, with his mother committed to a psychiatric hospital. Basically, more fun.
Stream Child’s Play 2 on Peacock
Stream Child’s Play 2 on Amazon Prime Video
Child’s Play 3 (1991)
Child’s Play 3 was released less than a year after Child’s Play 2, but takes place nearly a decade later, with Andy now played by a different actor and a teenager in military school. The ‘Good Guy’ manufacturer once again rebuilds Chucky, bringing Charles Lee Ray back to life and leading him on another journey to kill Andy and whoever else gets in his way. You have an idea of what to expect here, right? The only recurring actor in this one is Dourif as the voice of Chucky.
Stream Child’s Play 3 on Peacock
Stream Child’s Play 3 on Amazon Prime Video
Bride of Chucky (1998)
The series takes a turn away from the Andy storyline in its fourth installment, and instead takes a sharp veer right into (very) dark comedy territory. Bride of Chucky stars Jennifer Tilly as Tiffany Valentine, a murderer in her own right and love interest to Charles Lee Ray who, you guessed it, gets her own soul transferred into a wedding dress-clad doll. They both want to regain human form though, so you know what that means…
Stream Bride of Chucky on Peacock
Stream Bride of Chucky on Amazon Prime Video
Seed of Chucky (2004)
This entry in the franchise finds a son of Chucky and Tiffany resurrecting his parents, who, yes, try to kill everyone once again. In a fun meta-twist (centered on a fictional movie about Chucky and Tiffany) it also features Jennifer Tilly (who of course plays Tiffany) as a version of herself with Redman also doing the same.
Stream Seed of Chucky on Peacock
Stream Seed of Chucky on Amazon Prime Video
Curse of Chucky (2013)
The franchise continues nearly a decade later with Curse of Chucky, which despite being the first direct-to-video movie in the franchise, actually found high reviews from critics and fans alike. Fiona Dourif (daughter of Brad, who voices Chucky across every film in the series) plays a new live-action protagonist, and Alex Vincent (the original Andy) returns to the storyline as well.
Stream Curse of Chucky on Peacock
Stream Curse of Chucky on Amazon Prime Video
Cult of Chucky (2017)
The most recent film in the (canonical) Child’s Play world is Cult of Chucky, which continues the story of our little murderous toy, bringing all the storylines together, with protagonists Alex Vincent and Fiona Dourif joined by the villainous toys voiced by Brad Dourif and Jennifer Tilly. Here, Nica (Fiona Dourif) is confined to a facility, while things inside start to get a bit out of control when a doll is introduced to her treatment.
Stream Cult of Chucky on Peacock
Stream Cult of Chucky on Amazon Prime Video
Child’s Play (2019)
The 2019 Child’s Play reboot—the only not written by franchise creator Don Mancini—is fine, if not totally memorable. It reimagines Chucky as basically a piece of Smart technology gone very, very bad, and tells, well, basically the story you expect. It’s fun enough and has some good kills along the way; the cast—which includes Aubrey Plaza, Brian Tyree Henry, and Mark Hamill as the voice of Chucky—all do admirable jobs. One disappointing part is the complete lack of the Charles Lee Ray angle of the story. Oh well. It’s perfectly watchable, but doesn’t feel connected to the rest of the world of the series (because it’s not).
Stream Child’s Play (2019) on Amazon Prime Video
Chucky (2021- )
Mancini is back as the showrunner for the Chucky series, which will air weekly on both USA Network and SyFy. This story will focus on a group of teenagers in Hackensack, one of whom finds himself crossing paths with Chucky after finding him at a yard sale. Alex Vincent, Fiona Dourif, Jennifer Tilly, and Brad Dourif are all scheduled to return, and will be joined by Devon Sawa (Final Destination) in a new dual role. The first two episodes will be available on the SyFy and USA Network YouTube channels in full, but it’s not known of the streaming platform after that.
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