Horror movies need to be more LGBT+ friendly so that kids can see themselves get murdered on screen.
USA Network and SYFY’s upcoming Child’s Play spinoff, Chucky will explore teen main character Jake Weber’s sexuality. The horror film franchise has been going strong since it first arrived in 1989. Back then, the tone bordered on psychological horror as Child’s Play attempted to create a genuine feeling of terror over the possibility that a dying serial killer could transfer his soul into something as innocent as a doll. In time, however, successive Child’s Play sequels transformed the concept into a campy, horror-comedy that many fans still love.
With the creation of a TV series spinoff, creator Don Mancini is attempting to do something entirely different with the franchise. Chucky focuses on teenager, Jake (Zachary Arthur), who in addition to being something of a loner, is also struggling with his own sexual identity and bullied as a result. Jake discovers a Good Guy doll at a local yard sale and forms a one-sided friendship with it. But as time progresses, a series of grisly murders begin to occur, shocking Jake’s small community. There’s clearly no doubt who is behind the murders (at least for fans) and Chucky’s presence begins to reveal a series of truths about the community and its inhabitants. The new series marks the first time that a teen cast is leading the charge to stop the killer doll, and Chucky looks to offer more than just a standard slasher plot.
