Photo: Universal Pictures/New Line Cinema
Mandatory’s latest showdown comes in the form of a couple of our favorite possessed dolls. In the red corner, we have serial killer Charles Lee Ray inhabiting the freaky-looking Good Guy, Chucky, versus based-on-a-true-story Annabelle, who was taken over by a demon that enjoys masquerading as a young dead girl, Annabelle Mullins, who owned the doll before she was killed in an accident.
Chucky and Annabelle have quite a few similarities, including dedicated fan bases, undergoing physical transformations from one movie to the next, and stretching their canon into expanded universes. What matters here, though, is what sets the dolls apart. With Child’s Play arriving in theaters on June 21 and Annabelle Comes Home following only a few days later on June 26, we felt now was the best time for a Mandatory Movie Battle of doll versus doll as Chucky takes on Annabelle.
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Chucky vs. Annabelle
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Kill Count
Killing is Chucky's specialty. The doll was possessed by a professional serial killer, after all. Charles Lee Ray, also known as the Lakeshore Strangler, murdered a dozen people before inhabiting the Good Guy doll. Once Chucky was born, the body count continued to tick up well over 60 kills throughout the franchise (so far). Annabelle may specialize in terrorizing her victims, but she has only scored a handful of kills in comparison.
Winner: Chucky
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Scare Factor
What Annabelle lacks in body counts, she makes up for in pure terror. Sure, Chucky might pack a few jump-scare punches, but Annabelle is based on an actual real-life doll allegedly possessed by a girl's spirit who spends her days hanging out in the now-passed Ed and Lorraine Warren's Occult Museum in Connecticut.
Not only is the potential reality behind the haunted doll creepy enough, but the porcelain version of the doll in the film, complete with a dead-eyed stare and a face that not even a mother could love, quickly sends chills down your spine every time she appears onscreen.
Winner: Annabelle
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Iconic Status
Chucky and Annabelle have both made a name for themselves in the horror world, and neither show signs of slowing down. Annabelle has appeared in more titles of The Conjuring universe than just her own namesakes, including a brief tie-in with the recently released The Curse of La Llorona. Meanwhile, Chucky is not only being remade into a modernized version of himself in his next feature film, but original creator Don Mancini and voice Brad Dourif will revive the character in a new SYFY TV series.
The Conjuring universe has quickly become a fan favorite series among horror fans, offering a world of scary explorations for a new generation. However, Chucky's veteran status as one of the most iconic cinematic villains still sets him apart from the demonic doll. Annabelle has a few years before she reaches his status, and even then her chances of ever being as wildly known and beloved as Chucky could be a long shot.
Winner: Chucky
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Sense of Humor
This one isn't really much of a contest, is it?
Winner: Chucky
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Supernatural Abilities
Chucky may have a little voodoo knowledge under his sleeve and will transfer his soul into your body (though his success rate hasn't been the greatest). He might even play with a couple of voodoo dolls here and there to get revenge on old friends, as you do.
Annabelle is possessed by an actual demon that latched itself onto the doll and is capable of everything you would expect from a demon. Chucky's supernatural abilities definitely don't hold up to Annabelle's paranormal skill set.
Winner: Annabelle
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New Installments
This one is a little tricky. Annabelle Comes Home will arguably be an overall better and more well-received horror movie, especially with the growing popularity of The Conjuring films in contrast with those who have issues with a Child's Play reboot. There's also the issue of hit-or-miss previous installments in Chucky's movie career after the original trilogy.
With that being said, the marketing team behind Child's Play are absolute geniuses for pitting Chucky against Disney•Pixar's innocent Toy Story 4 characters (as the two movies come out the same day) and they deserve a win for the brilliant posters of Chucky killing off the beloved characters one by one.
Winner: Chucky
Let's be honest, if Annabelle and Chucky were to go head to head in an actual battle royale, the demonic doll would rip the Good Guy to pieces. But, the little dude just keeps coming back. Cinematically, Chucky remains beloved by generations of horror fans who will never get enough of his serial killing snarky attitude.
Overall Winner: Chucky
