Go Inside Chucky Season 3, Episode 4's Deadly Climax & That Shocking Transformation

SYFY WIRE Chucky

Go Inside Chucky Season 3, Episode 4's Deadly Climax & That Shocking Transformation

The creators of the hit series go behind the scenes of Chucky's latest look and the deadly climax of Season 3's mid-season finale.

By James Grebey

Halloween on Chucky never gets old — except, in the fourth episode of Season 3 of the USA Network and SYFY series, Chucky himself gets old. Now that fans have gotten a chance to see Chucky’s horrifying aged visage (and a chance to see the bloody, deadly All Hallow’s Eve mayhem that show is known for), let’s go inside the episode with interviews from the creators of this latest installment, “Dressed to Kill.”

What a Drag It Is Getting Old

How to Watch

Watch Chucky on SYFY. Stream from the beginning on Peacock.

Last week’s episode, “Jennifer’s Body,” revealed why Chucky is in the White House in the first place: Because of the exorcism he was a part of in Season 2, Chucky has been infected with Catholic magic, and as a result, Damballa has abandoned him. Chucky’s growing old, and although the initial signs of his aging were some light hair loss and a few wrinkles around the eyes and on the hands (same, tbh), the ending of Episode 4 showed that the once-cherubic Good Guy Doll that served as Chucky’s vessel looks more like the Crypt Keeper than a child’s plaything. 

RELATED: Recap: We Learn Why Chucky Is in the White House and What's Up with Tiffany in "Jennifer's Body"

“At the end of Episode 4, it should be kind of shocking when you get that reveal of what he looks like under that Phantom of the Opera mask,” executive producer Alex Hedlund told SYFY WIRE before the season began. Hedlund explained that coming up with new looks for Chucky is something that’s very important to series creator Don Mancini and the rest of the writers. In every season, there have been lots of different Chucky looks, including Hello Kitty Chucky, Melty Chucky, Colonel Chucky, and Buff Chucky.  

“It’s always just trying to see what different look or outfit we can give Chucky to keep that character evolving,” Hedlund said. “It’s another way to put another spin on Chucky because he is hindered in his ability to kill and enact mischief. Stealth and being cute were always a bit of a Trojan Horse in some of the situations. And now, with liver spots and hair falling out, it really makes him much more vulnerable.”

Tony Gardner, the puppeteer whose team brings the killer doll to life, was responsible for Old Chucky’s look, too, and Hedlund notes that the puppet doesn’t only look older, but it moves in a way that feels more feeble and frail. 

Hedlund teased that Chucky’s Episode 4 look isn’t the oldest we’re going to see the killer doll, either. 

“In the back half of the season, it goes even further,” he said. “It gets pretty gnarly.” 

Slay From the Chandelier

Old age doesn’t slow Chucky down when it comes to killing (at least, not yet.) Chucky kills 10 people at the White House’s Halloween party — including the season’s second ill-fated Saturday Night Live star, Sarah Sherman, who just might’ve had a nastier death than Kenan Thompson did last episode — by loosening the bolts on a massive chandelier and causing it to crush and slice the partygoers below. 

RELATED: Inside Chucky Season 3's Bloody Amityville Horror House Homage

It’s probably the biggest setpiece of the season so far, but Special Effects Supervisor Jeff Skochko told SYFY WIRE that the hardest part of making a deadly chandelier fall was, in fact, making a chandelier in the first place. 

“We built a giant chandelier that has to fall. We’re not chandelier-makers,” the special effects veteran said with a laugh. “You’re replicating something that exists in the real world. Just to give you an idea, for the size of the chandelier that we had to replicate, all of the crystals in the real world would cost you a minimum of  $125,000. And that’s just the crystals.”

But, they built a chandelier (albeit one that cost less than $125,000) and sent it crashing to the ground to bloody results. 

“We call it ‘Mancini Red,’ the color of blood that we use,” said Makeup Department Head Sid Armour. “Don loves a lovely, high-gloss color of blood.”

“We shot at a really beautiful hotel where we couldn’t get blood on the floor — I’m sure we did!” she continued.

Skochko said that the next two episodes of the season don’t have a special effect to rival the chandelier fall in Episode 4 (but, this being Chucky, there will probably be some insane moments regardless).

“Then we have a huge episode in 7, and 8 as well,” Skochko teased. “The bigger gags are coming.”

Looks like old age won’t be slowing Chucky down. 

Watch all of Chucky on Peacock.

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