HER LAST WILL

Most of the cast of Her Last Will

HER LAST WILL (aka Beneficiary/2016). Director: Anthony DiBlasi. 

Dina Cotton (Harriet Samson Harris) is a wealthy widow who keeps strict control over the lives of her three children -- or else. When she announces that she's leaving millions -- annually -- to the Philharmonic, her daughter Iona (Fiona Dourif of Cult of Chucky) exclaims that it's their (her children's) money, to which Dina replies that it's actually hers. Dina won't tolerate that one son, Harold (Michael Grazeidei), is gay, so he has to meet up with boyfriends in secret. The other son, Gil (Patrick Fischier), is a creep who constantly cheats on his wife; his latest conquest is his mother's lawyer, Leslie (Lauren Bowles). Dina may be an unsympathetic harridan, but her three children are spineless losers who allow her to dictate their every action. Together they decide to hire Maggie (Rya Kihlstedt) -- a woman with a past (both in the Army and in the penitentiary) -- to rig their mother's mansion in order to drive her crazy. Then her will can be declared invalid.

Samson and Grazeidei

Her Last Will is well-acted and suspenseful, with some very interesting twists. Harriet Samson Harris made her mark in sitcoms as a brash and sarcastic character but while the plot certainly contains occasions for comedy, the movie is basically played straight. In spite of this, Samson gives a very good performance. Patrick Fischier, who plays Gil, wrote the story for the film. Her Last Will was apparently released in theaters, but it comes off more like an above-average made-for-cable movie. In any case, it's quite entertaining. 

Verdict: Nasty people doing nasty things -- and loving it! ***. 

CULT OF CHUCKY

CUL

CULT OF CHUCKY (2017). Writer/Director: Don Mancini. 

In this inferior sequel to Curse of Chucky, the killer doll is on the loose in a mental institution where, naturally, no one believes the "loonies" that the deaths of inmates and staff are caused by a walking, talking doll. Nica (Fiona Dourif), the heroine of the last film, is now housed in the psych ward after being convicted of murdering her family members, the deaths actually caused by nasty little Chucky. While this is a great setting for a Chucky movie, the ultra-goriness only takes away from the effectiveness of the film, a cheap way of exciting some audience members who have no interest in plot or craftmanship (aside from the logistics of, say, a beheading). I must say that the puppetry is very well-done and Brad Dourif is still on top of things as the voice of Chucky. Don Mancini's camp sensibility does nothing for the picture, and neither does the freak queen Jennifer Tilly. Followed by the TV series Chucky. 

Verdict: Hopefully the last Chucky movie. **1/4. 

CURSE OF CHUCKY

CURSE OF CHUCKY (2013). Writer/director: Don Mancini. 

Nica (Fiona Dourif), who is in a wheelchair due to a condition she was born with, lives in an old house with her mother. When her mother is brutally murdered, Nica's sister, Barb (Danielle Bisutti of Insidious Chapter Two), suggests she go to a special home and they sell the place, as she and husband Ian (Brennan Elliott) need the money. Ian doesn't know it, but Barb is having an affair with their daughter, Alice's, nanny, Jill (Maitland McConnell). Nica comes to realize that there may be something strange and sinister about little Alice's doll, Chucky. The family priest (A Martinez) is killed in a grisly auto accident, then other people in the old house also start dying as Chucky -- or rather serial killer Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif) -- gets his long-awaited revenge on the family. 

Curse of Chucky is better than the Child's Play sequels, including Bride of Chucky and Seed of Chucky. For the most part Curse eschews the camp approach of the other Chucky flicks until the very end when -- alas -- Jennifer Tilly shows up again. Until then, Curse is suspenseful and creepy. Some of the gore is overdone, of course -- far too many modern-day horror directors rely too much on blood and guts instead of building suspense -- but Curse delivers some of the scares and creepiness that true horror fans enjoy. The acting in this is also very good -- Fiona Dourif is the daughter of Brad Dourif, and eventually she would sort of play Charles Lee Ray; Father Dourif's voice acting is excellent. The cinematography (Michael Marshall) and music (Joseph LoDuca) are also top-notch.

Verdict: Little Chucky has a pretty good vehicle in this. ***.