Don Mancini, creator of the Child's Play franchise and the man behind Chucky the killer doll, is heading to Portland's Hollywood Theatre for a Halloween night double feature. The event pairs 35mm screenings of Bride of Chucky and Seed of Chucky with a live question-and-answer session with Mancini himself, giving Portland horror fans a rare chance to hear from the writer directly responsible for one of slasher cinema's most enduring icons.
According to KOIN.com, the event, billed as Halloween with Chucky and Don Mancini, begins at 6 p.m. on October 31 at the historic Northeast Portland venue. Mancini wrote both featured films along with the rest of the mainline Child's Play franchise and served as writer and showrunner for the Chucky television series, per the outlet's report. Tickets are priced at $25, per the Hollywood Theatre's website.
Bride of Chucky screens first, followed by the Q&A, with Seed of Chucky closing out the night. Both films will be shown on 35mm, the station's report notes. Anthony Hudson, known locally for curating the Hollywood Theatre's Queer Horror series, will moderate the discussion with Mancini.
A Franchise Built on Camp and Queer Representation
Released in 1998, Bride of Chucky was directed by Ronny Yu and introduced Jennifer Tilly as Tiffany, a character who became a recurring fixture in the franchise, per the same account. The film also portrayed one of the first openly gay teen characters in a slasher movie, a distinction that has helped cement its status as a cult classic. The film helped shift the franchise toward self-referential comedy, according to Collider.
Seed of Chucky marked Mancini's directorial debut and features John Waters in a supporting role, depicting Chucky and Tiffany as they attempt to raise their nonbinary child. Brad Dourif returns as the voice of Chucky, with Tilly reprising Tiffany and Billy Boyd voicing their child, the station's report states. After Universal rejected the idea as “too gay,” Focus Features agreed to produce the screenplay six years later, according to Frame Rated.
Why the Hollywood Theatre, Why Now
The Hollywood Theatre, which the Hollywood District takes its name from, opened on July 17, 1926, and spent this year celebrating its centennial with archival screenings and special guest events, according to OPB. The 1,500-seat theater originally opened during the industry's shift from silent films to sound, functioning as both a movie palace and a vaudeville house. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, per Wikipedia.
The Hollywood Theatre became a nonprofit in 1997 and purchased Movie Madness in 2017. The venue has kept its milestone year busy with special programming, including a recent event pairing live bands with silent films.
A Decade of Queer Horror Programming
Anthony Hudson, who also performs as drag clown Carla Rossi, created the Hollywood Theatre's bi-monthly Queer Horror series in 2015, which marked its 10th anniversary in 2025 as the nation's only recurring LGBTQ+ horror film and performance series, according to Rue Morgue. Each Queer Horror event features a drag pre-show. Hudson, an artist of Grand Ronde and Siletz Native heritage, previously appeared in Hoodline's coverage of the crowdfunded short Skate Dreams at Hollywood Theatre.
The Chucky television series was canceled in September 2024, roughly two years before Mancini's visit. The Q&A gives local fans a chance to hear directly from the franchise's creator about where Chucky goes from here.
The Hollywood Theatre described Mancini as a queer horror legend in promoting the event, per KOIN.com's report. With the venue's centennial year winding toward its close and Halloween falling on a Saturday, the double feature offers Portland horror fans a fittingly theatrical way to mark both occasions at once.
