Chucky producer promises season 3 will be the scariest and darkest chapter yet

When Child's Play, the first Chucky movie, came out in 1988, it was pretty darn scary. Sure, it had a wild concept; a foul-mouthed serial killer possesses a toy doll and terrorizes a young boy and his mother, but the film played things surprisingly straight around Chucky's wise-cracks. Over the years, the franchise has embraced its absurd comedy – particularly when it comes to the deliciously meta and progressive TV series. With season 3, though, things are set to get a little more frightening again…

"It's very unexpected," producer Alex Hedlund teases in the upcoming issue of SFX magazine, which features The Exorcist: Believer on the cover. "It is unlike anything that we've seen in the previous seasons or the films. It may be, dare I say, the darkest agenda yet.

"There's also a personal interest for Chucky that is very unique for this season," Hedlund adds. "Truly, Don really wanted to make this the scariest season yet, and I think he succeeded."

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Following on from the events of the wild season 2 finale, which saw Chucky transfer his soul into Caroline's Belle doll and hitch a ride to New York with the youngster and her "real mother" Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), season 3 sees the pint-sized killer weasel his way into the White House – because, of course it does. According to Hedlund, the instalment was pitched by creator Don Mancini as "House of Cards meets The Shining.".

Comparing the DC residence to The Overlook Hotel, Hedlund describes it as another "creepy old house that's full of secrets." It's there that Chucky exploits Devon Sawa's grieving President and his loved ones. "It's a great family drama that then has awesome Chucky mischief at the center of it, some great iconic kills and just fun," he continues. We can't f**king wait.

Chucky season 3 releases on USA, Syfy, and Peacock in the US on October 4. The above is just a snippet of our interview, available in the latest issue of SFX Magazine, which features The Exorcist: Believer on the cover and is available on newsstands from Wednesday, October 4. For even more from SFX, sign up for the newsletter, sending all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.