More Than Chucky: All Of Brad Dourif Horror Movies
What acting skills are needed to play an iconic horror villain? The truth is that the answer to this question is complex. With all due respect to brutal icons like Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers, their characters are primarily static, don’t speak, and are covered with masks. Hence, the actor (and sometimes, different actors) who play the character are relatively unknown.
On the other hand, some characters do require careful acting, whether under the mask (the obvious example is Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger, the legendary actor who was recently honored with a star on the famous Hollywood Boulevard) or in the dubbing role of a puppet. Decorated actor Brad Dourif is the actor who has voiced Chucky in almost every series in the movie-laden “Child’s Play” franchise and proves that you can take your acting to the extreme even when playing a murderous doll.
Here’s everything you need to know about the person who played Chucky, plus a bonus: Other Brad Dourif horror movies you should check.
Flowers To Forman: What Movies Did Brad Dourif Play In The Beginning?
Bradford Claude “Brad” Dourif, or Brad Dourif for short, was born in 1950 in Huntington, the second largest city in West Virginia. His father died when he was three, and his mother was a theater actress.
Young Dourif got into the field of acting at an early age. At the beginning of his career, he studied art and acting at a private preparatory school. Later, Dourif returned to the standard high school and university courses. At some point, he decided to drop out of school and go to New York to become a professional in acting.
The young Dourif, who up to this point mainly had taken part in school plays, shows, and community theaters, participated in Off-Broadway productions in the Big Apple. Fortunately, in one of the plays (“Would You Comin’ Back, Red Ryder”), the excellent Czech director Milos Forman was in the crowd. Forman recognized the talent and cast Dourif in a supporting role in “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” based on the book by Ken Kesey.
The rest is history. Dourif played Billy Bibbit, the stuttering patient at the psychiatric hospital where the film’s hero, Randle McMurphy (Jack Nicholson), is hospitalized. Dourif played the role so terrifically that many found it hard to believe he doesn’t stutter in real life. Billy is responsible for some of the most moving scenes in the film, right up until its tragic end.
“One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” won the five most important Oscars: film, director, actor (Nicholson), actress (Louise Fletcher), and adapted screenplay. Dourif also got a nomination for an Oscar for a supporting role. Although he lost it to George Burns for “The Sunshine Boys,” he was consoled by the British Academy of Film and Television (BAFTA) award and the Golden Globe.
The exemplary role opened many doors for Dourif. In the decades that followed, we saw him in quite a few significant roles, such as in the films “Dune” (1984) and “Blue Velvet” (1986) by David Lynch, in the crime drama “Mississippi Burning” (1988) by Alan Parker, and even the two Lord of the Rings films by Peter Jackson: “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers” (2002) and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003), in which he played the character of Gríma Wormtongue, the servant of Saruman the White (played by Christopher Lee, another horror icon who played “Dracula” in Hammer’s films, among other significant roles).
Here’s a video showing Brad Dourif’s standout moments in the Lord of the Rings movies:
The Voice Of a Genre: The Art Of Portraying A Killer Doll
If you ask horror fans who played Chucky – yes, that murderous red-haired doll from the “Child’s Play” film series, who is considered one of the biggest and most famous horror icons – it’s likely that most of them will be able to name Brad Dourif. In most movies, we only hear his voice, but it seems enough to recognize him with Chucky’s character.
The truth is that in a character whose verbal element is a large part of her charm, Dourif does an outstanding job of creating a creepy character, with lots of dark humor and comical comments (which instantly turn some scenes from the series into classics, such as the scene where Chucky proposes to Tiffany Valentine in “Bride of Chucky”). One of the hallmarks of the character Brad Dourif voice of Chucky is his rolling laugh, which has become one of her hallmarks.
Dourif played Chucky in most of the franchise movies, and also the TV show, namely:
- Child’s Play (1988)
- Child’s Play 2 (1990)
- Child’s Play 3 (1991)
- Bride of Chucky (1998)
- Seed of Chucky (2004)
- Curse of Chucky (2013)
- Cult of Chucky (2017)
- The successful television series “Chucky,” which is actually the sequel to the movie “Cult of Chucky”
The only film in the franchise in which Dourif did not step into the doll’s plastic shoes is the rather unnecessary reboot of “Child’s Play” from 2019, in which Mark Hamill – who played Luke Skywalker in the “Star Wars” films and also voiced dozens of films, such as “The Joker,” “The Green Giant,” “The Fantastic Four” and others – was responsible for dubbing the murderous doll. Many people want to know why didn’t Brad Dourif voice Chucky in this remake, and it is connected to the professional relationship between Dourif and Don Mancini, who guided most of the Chucky films but wasn’t involved in this movie. Mancini was involved in the Chucky TV series but not in this movie, and so did Dourif.
In most films, Dourif contributed only his voice, and he did it in a unique and frightening way. However, in two films – “Child’s Play” and “Curse of Chucky” – he also appeared as Charles Lee Ray, the serial killer who transfers his twisted soul into the doll. By the way, his daughter Fiona Dourif plays in two films in the franchise (“Curse of Chucky,” “Cult of Chucky”) as Nika, the protagonist paralyzed with heart disease, who receives the doll and tries to understand what evil is behind it.
Not Just Chucky: Brad Dourif Horror Movies List
Brad Dourif’s career in the horror world is not limited to the Chucky movies, even if it is clear that they earned him the honor of starring on our site (and other lists of famous horror icons).
In several roles throughout his career, Dourif was the ultimate guy to play a crazy villain, partly due to his unique voice and extraordinary facial control. He said he “would like to play the guy next door, but nobody’s going to hire me for that kind of role.” Brad Dourif’s career is quite diverse and includes some more “positive” roles in independent films or blockbusters. From the perspective of horror fans, however, he is almost distinctly identified with the darker side of the cast.
You can understand why this happens: His appearance, the deep voice that we can recognize even from a mile away, and the characters he played made him an actor who is mainly associated with the villain, but it may be that, in reality, he is not really like that. “Gee, I certainly hope I’m not a scary person in real life,” he said. “It’s not like people run from me when they see me. People are usually pretty nice when they meet me. If they’re scared, they keep their shuddering to themselves.”
Perhaps for this reason, his characters do manage to evoke sympathy, no matter how cruel or murderous their behavior may be. “I am really looking for something that is moving or enlightening or something with depth as an actor,” he described. “I look for these kinds of roles.”
The Exorcist III (1990)
In 1990, Dourif took part in “The Exorcist III,” the second and underrated sequel to the 1971 masterpiece, responsible for one of the biggest jumps in cinema history. If you’ve seen the movie, you know which scene I’m talking about.
In “The Exorcist 3,” based on the story “Legion” by William Peter Blatty (who also directed the film), Dourif played the serial killer James Venemon, better known as “The Gemini Killer,” who was executed about 15 years ago. The film deals with a series of murders investigated by detectives Kinderman and Father Karas, who also appeared in the original film, during which a “Gemini killer” takes over the body of Father Karas (sound familiar to you from somewhere?). In this case, Dourif managed to steal with a masterful and very crazy display of play.
Alien: Resurrection (1997)
“Alien: Resurrection” is probably not the best film in this great franchise, which is undoubtedly one of the most important in horror and science fiction cinema ever. Its plot takes place about 200 years after the events of the third film and Ripley’s suicide, when a team of scientists manages to clone her and remove the alien tumor from her body.
An upgraded version of Ripley, with inhuman strength and alien blood, faces the desire of scientists and military personnel to bring the aliens back to life to be used for various purposes, such as the military, as part of this research. The problem is that the situation gets out of control unexpectedly; the aliens kill the crew, and Ripley tries to prevent the spaceship from reaching Earth along with the monstrous aliens.
Brad Dourif played Dr. Jonathan Gediman in the film, is one of the shady scientists involved in Ripley’s revival and alien research. The role may be a little less crazy than others – although the character has a ponytail – but Dourif did an excellent job portraying the pursuer who becomes the hunted, to the bitter end.
In the following video, Dourif tells a little about the character and his connection to her:
Rob Zombie’s “Halloween” (2007 and 2009)
Remember Rob Zombie’s two adaptations of the “Halloween” movies? The truth is that even among horror fans, these films arouse controversy. Some argue that Zombie was able to revive the franchise and Michael Myers and even change the nature of the movie, with more reference to the character and motivations of Michael Myers. Others believe Zombie was lost and most of the footage should remain on the editing room floor. I, by the way, am somewhere in the middle.
In the remake of “Halloween” from 2007 and the sequel from 2009, we got to see some icons of the horror world, such as the veteran Malcolm McDowell (as Samuel Loomis) and two of the prominent Final Girls of the last decades, those whose resumes have dozens of horror films: SScout Taylor-Compton stepped into the very large shoes of Jamie Lee Curtis, and the legendary Danielle Harris played her friend Annie Brackett.
But we’re here to deal with Brad Dourif, who played Sheriff Lee Brackett here and is also Annie’s father. As far as I remember (and it’s hard because I try to suppress most of the sequels to “Halloween”), he did a reasonable job as a traumatic character with some depth and a dark side.
However, in my opinion, it’s not one of the best roles in Brad Dourif horror movie career.
Wildling (2018)
A very likable horror fantasy starring Bel Powley (“The Diary of a Teenage Girl,” “Mary Shelley” and the Disney Plus TV series “A Small Light”), Liv Tyler (“The Strangers,” “Armageddon”), and of course, Brad Dourif. The film is about a girl whose “father” (Dourif) is raising her alone in an attic because of a murderous monster outside. When the girl manages to escape, she discovers who that monster is, why the hell she has the sharp teeth and claws of a monster, what happened to her mother, and who is actually that “father.”
“Wildling” can be seen as a horror drama with good performances by the cast, a few disturbing scenes, and some tension in the plot. It’s not a classic horror film, but even in this case, Dourif stands out as a character with a very dark past. Oh, and he also knows how to tell bedtime stories in such a scary way that it might make it hard for you to sleep.
Other Brad Dourif Movies And TV Shows
Brad Dourif’s filmography includes several other horror films, some minor and some in small or even symbolic roles, among them:
- “Urban Legend” (1998), as Michael McDonnell. If you don’t remember him from the movie, that’s fine. This role involves minimal guest appearances of a man arriving at the gas station. According to the description, he can be seen next to one of the characters (Michelle) in the opening sequence
- “The Prophecy 3: The Ascent” (2000), alongside Christopher Walken and Steve Hytner, in the supporting role of a religious psychopath named Zealot
- “Pulse” (2006) – a disappointing remake of a very scary Japanese film based on a script by Wes Craven. Dourif was here in a brief guest appearance as a “Thin Bookish Guy,” or whatever that is
- The Wizard of Gore (2017) – a splatter film that is a remake of the 1970 film of the same name, where Dourif plays the supporting role of a doctor
- “Chain Letter” (2010) – American slasher about a group of young people who receive a letter that they must deliver to five other people. Otherwise, somebody will kill them with the help of chains, just by coincidence. Dourif played Mr. Smirker, a high school teacher who opposes technology and may also participate in a malicious program that says something about the use of technology
We can also hear Brad Dourif’s unique voice outside the big screen. He played in The X Files”, of course, a serial killer who is on trial before the imposition of the death penalty, claims to have supernatural powers following a near-death situation, and helps Mulder and Scully investigate a kidnapping case. We saw (or rather – heard) him dubbing characters in popular series, such as “Family Guy” and “The Simpsons”. He voices characters in popular computer games such as “GTA V,” “Myst III: Exile,” and “Mass Effect 3”.
The End Of Brad Dourif’s Career?
Last April, we heard Brad Dourif has decided to retire from acting – except for projects related to Chucky’s character. Although he did not announce as much, sources who worked with him on the TV series stated that he defines himself as a retired actor, except for the character that built him. According to the same source, Dourif only returned to play Chucky since his daughter is starring in the series, and that he calls Chucky’s creator, Don Mancini, “family.”
We all hope we will see him continue playing our favorite murderous doll in future projects as well. Dolls don’t live forever, but they can have a soul in horror movies – The soul of a terrific actor.
