The Child’s Play movie franchise has introduced a wide variety of characters – including Chucky himself – that remain relevant to this day. There are other characters that fans are hoping to see return, however, and one deleted scene might actually change everything when it comes to one Child’s Play character in particular.
Brad Dourif’s character Chucky, otherwise known as Charles Lee Ray, uses voodoo to possess inanimate dolls and the occasional human victim. His voodoo powers have been a recurring element throughout the original film and within every sequel. Of course, the rules that surround his voodoo spells have changed from film to film. Some fans have been amused by the more comedic interpretations, while others hope for a return to the darker themes of the original classic.
As it turns out, one deleted scene from director Tom Holland’s original Child’s Play actually expanded upon the franchise’s voodoo elements. It’s a short scene but one that paints a clear picture as to how Ray Oliver’s Dr. Death, aka John Bishop, operated in the voodoo world. It also illustrates why he was so upset with Chucky’s manipulation of his teachings.
The deleted scene introduces Dr. Death in a full voodoo priest outfit. He begins a ritual in an effort to heal a sick infant. His ritual includes a chant in Haitian Creole, not unlike Chucky’s own iconic chants, and he ultimately rubs an amulet on the baby. This seems to cure the child and John proceeds to give its family the amulet. It’s after they leave that Chucky makes his presence known as we see in the final film. It’s an interesting moment that changes the film because of how much it expands the voodoo magic that exists in this universe. Especially when we only ever see it used for Chucky’s evil.
Unfortunately, this deleted scene from Child’s Play is currently lost. This happens to be the case with most deleted scenes from the movie. It’s possible that someone owns a copy of it that can be shared someday with the public. Until then, however, fans will simply have to accept the few stills that exist. Here are some photos from the sequence, which include Dr. Death and the infant’s parents, that were shared via Reddit:
RARE: more shots of the deleted Dr. Death scene where he heals a Baby’s sickness
byu/itsgottabehim inChucky
Many fans have expressed their desire to know more about Charles Lee Ray’s history with voodoo, including his mentorship under John Bishop, and what that part of his life was like. Though the recent television series does explore his past, it focuses more on his relationships with a young Eddie Caputo and then Tiffany Valentine as an adult. His voodoo practices are relegated to a simple book that Charles happens to read in his free time. Of course, one can assume that this book is what led him to John Bishop in the first place.