There are also a number of intriguingly-filmed setpieces, including one shot where a patient is strapped to a gurney, immobilized, and is staring up, at the snow falling outside gently covering a skylight. The initial shot is almost abstract; it’s all shapes and shadows and moving dots, and at first you’re not even sure what you’re seeing until the reverse-shot shows us the patient on the operating table. It’s disorienting, and strangely beautiful.

The final act of the film takes place over one day, and especially that night, as the snow falls harder and faster. There are too few horror movies that take place in the wintertime.This October has been unusually warm, so I had a bit of a disconnect while watching it this first time, but I can see Cult of Chucky quickly becoming a cult classic, a staple of wintertime horror-viewing; the snowy scenes are filmed so well, with such atmosphere, that you’ll want to curl up under a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate while you watch.

The performances are all great, especially Adam Hurtig as Nica’s fellow patient, Michael. Michael has multiple personalities, at times suave, at times gruff, sometimes evil, and, in one memorable scene… Mark Zuckerberg. Hurtig’s impression of Jesse Eisenberg’s The Social Network portrayal of Zuckerberg is spot-on; I picked up on what was happening the instant before Nica calls him out. Hurtig excels at all of the above. He doesn’t have a particularly extensive IMDb resume yet, but I’m hopeful that this role leads to bigger and better things for him.

My biggest (and only) complaint about Cult of Chucky is that in some ways it doesn’t feel like a complete film. The ending is bleak and a bit of a cliffhanger; it’s clear that, on one level, the final act of this movie is putting pieces into place for the next movie. In an interview with Forbes, Mancini discusses the ending of the film being “designed” to fit in with “plans” for where the continuity can go from here. That’s fine, as far as it goes; I’m a big fan of the franchise and I’ll absolutely follow it wherever it goes next. Cult of Chucky does a decent-enough job tying up various loose ends from this film, to the point where I don’t really feel like I have lingering questions beyond where the story goes next, but I can’t help feeling like it’s Cult of Chucky: Part One.

That’s a small thing, though. Mostly, I’m just glad Cult of Chucky A) exists at all, and B) is anywhere near as good as it is. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait another four years for the follow-up.