Nica Pierce

Nica Pierce is a fictional character in the Child's Play franchise. She was created by Don Mancini and is portrayed by Fiona Dourif. She appears in two of the seven films, first appearing in Curse of Chucky (2013) and subsequently in Cult of Chucky (2017).

Nica Pierce
Child's Play character
Fiona Dourif portraying Nica in Curse of Chucky
First appearanceCurse of Chucky (2013)
Created byDon Mancini
Portrayed byFiona Dourif
In-universe information
RelativesDaniel Pierce (father, deceased)
Sarah Pierce (mother, deceased)
Barb Pierce (sister, deceased)
Alice Pierce (niece, deceased)

Appearances

Films

In Curse of Chucky, Nica Pierce is a paraplegic woman with an unspecified heart disease triggered by stress.[1] She lives with her mother Sarah in a large house with a cage elevator she uses to move between the levels. One day a package arrives containing a Good Guy doll. Later that night she finds her mother dead and her death is ruled a suicide. She is later visited by her sister Barb, her sister's husband Ian, her niece Alice, their live-in nanny Jill and Father Frank. That night, Nica begins to investigate the doll she received on the internet, and discovers the doll's link to serial killer Charles Lee Ray. But Barb ignores Nica's warning, suspecting the 'secret' that Barb refers to is the hidden webcamera which Ian had planted in Chucky's overalls to spy on Barb.

Chucky soon begins killing off Nica's guests and when she hears Barb's screams, Nica crawls up the stairs, unable to use the elevator due to the electricity going out. When she gets to the top she finds Barb dead, and discovers that Chucky is alive. Chucky flees and Nica wakes up Ian, who then takes Nica to the garage where she has a heart attack as Ian accuses her of being a murderess as Chucky is behind him stealing the car keys.

She wakes up taped to her wheelchair, restrained by Ian. Nica tells him that Chucky is responsible for the murders. Ian ignores this, but looks at footage from the camera he had placed on Chucky to catch his wife having an affair on him with Jill. Just as he begins to know the truth about the doll, Chucky murders him with an axe. Nica manages to break the restraints and attack Chucky but gets pushed over the balcony. Nica begs to know his motive, and Chucky reveals himself as a family friend who was secretly in love with Nica's mother Sarah. He says he killed Nica's father and kidnapped Sarah. When Sarah contacted the police and staged his arrest, he stabbed her in the stomach causing Nica's impairment.

Nica fights off Chucky before he can kill her but when a police officer walks in and sees Barb's corpse with Nica holding a bloody knife, she gets blamed for the murders and committed to a mental hospital.[2]

Nica returned in the seventh installment with Fiona Dourif reprising her role.[3][4][5] She subsequently becomes possessed by Chucky at the end of the film, and he/she escapes the mental hospital with Tiffany.

Reception

Nica has been regarded as one of the greatest contemporary heroines of the horror genre by critics and audiences. Joey Keogh noted how she is different from other final girls stating that "she is confined to a wheelchair throughout and thus completely unable to revert to typical Final Girl conventions, like running around, screaming her head off. Nica is a remarkably resourceful young woman, who is more than a match for Chucky, even though his main focus is on a younger, more vulnerable charge entirely."[6] Clark Douglas praised Dourif's performance in Curse of Chucky, saying:

Most of the performances aren't worth writing home about, but Fiona Dourif (Brad's daughter) does a fine job as the disabled Nica. While some of the other supporting players suffer from the sort of overacting or stiffness that often plagues low-budget horror films, Dourif delivers a consistently convincing – and even affecting – piece of work. Her dad continues to bring gleeful menace in his voiceover work as Chucky, but gets the opportunity to do some memorable live-action work in the film's third act (which features a terrific black-and-white sequence that elegantly ties this film to Child's Play in a strikingly direct way).[7]

Matt Molgaard praised the character saying "Handicapped, forever wheelchair-bound, Dourif’s character, Nica, doesn’t look too imposing or powerful. In fact, initially she looks a bit fragile. And then shit gets crazy in the film and Nica’s defensive mindset spins 180 degrees. Survival instinct takes over, and whether handicapped or not, she’s not going down without a fight for the ages."[8] Adam Frazier, who gave the film a mixed review, praised Fiona's performance, stating "Aside from Fiona Dourif, who makes a solid Final Girl, many of the performances are amateurish."[9]

References
  1. "Nica, I am worried about your heart. Okay?" .. "Dr. Masur said I was fine, Barb." .. "You're at significant risk of it happening again, you know that." .. "13% of all T5 paraplegics...I know the statistics." .. "Dr. Masur said that extreme stress, any kind of even mild shock could bring it on."
  2. "Blu-ray Review: Curse of Chucky". Crave Online. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  3. Barton, Steve (February 18, 2015). "New 'Child's Play' Still In the Works!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved February 24, 2016.
  4. "Fiona Dourif Coming Back for Child's Play 7". iHorror. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  5. "Chucky 7 Is Shooting Soon, Jennifer Tilly Will Return". Movie Web. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  6. Keogh, Joey. "Curse Of Chucky (2013)". Zombie Hamster. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  7. Douglas, Clark. "Curse of Chucky".
  8. Molgaard, Matt. "10 Powerful Women of Now Streaming Horror". Dread Central. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  9. Frazier, Matt. "Blu-ray Review: Curse Of Chucky". Geeks of Doom. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
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