Dr. Giggles (1992)
The deranged adult son of a town doctor/murderer escapes from the mental institution and heads to his old stomping grounds in order to give many of the residents a house visit. DR. GIGGLES is a comedic slasher that flies by easily thanks to its black humor and overabundance of one-liners. Character actor Larry Drake plays the titled role and makes the character a lovably evil menace; he nails the medical-related quips on the mark and give you small shivers thanks to his awkward high-pitched chortles. Director Manny Coto livens us the proceedings with some artsy-craftsy shots and sequences, including a surreal visit to every filmmaker's favorite amusement ride, the darken hall of mirrors. Though I coasted through the film with a retaining smile, I will say that it falls hard in the tough rut between comedy and horror. The jokes are cheeky but not fantastically laughable and despite nearly using every and all medical equipment for the kills, the film is relatively low in the blood bank. Though on the flip-side, the shortage of noticeable blood spilling does make the film's money shot even more graphic and disturbing; let's just say that Giggles was born into this world twice. The film also has a few glaring technical problems, like how one sequence has some teenagers teleporting between a fair and the school's music room within seconds, and unexplainable plot details, namely how did a fully furnished hospital be built underneath a house. Nevertheless, DR. GIGGLES is a passable flick and a nice curiosity piece for those who want a different kind of medical horror or just want to see a pre-fame Holly Marie Combs as the final girl.
FINAL REVIEW: 3 / 5
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