After a genre-defining golden age from 1978 to 1984, slashers continued to proliferate cinemas throughout the rest of the ’80s. By the time the ’90s rolled around, however, diminishing returns for franchises and newcomers alike made it seem as though the slasher well had run dry. But, like its bottomless repository of knife-wielding villains, the genre has proven that it can never be stopped. During the dry period before Scream revitalized slashers in 1996, savvy filmmakers began leaning into the campy elements as a response to dwindling audiences rooting for the villains rather than fearing them. Dr. Giggles was just what the doctor ordered.
The 1992 film was a collaboration between Largo Entertainment (Point Break, Vampires), who produced the film, and Dark Horse Comics, who developed a short-lived comic book series based on the character. It may not have had the draw of Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, or Freddy Krueger, but its comedic approach to the subgenre led the charge for such cult classics as Leprechaun, Brainscan, Ice Cream Man, Uncle Sam, The Dentist, and Jack Frost to follow.
Director Manny Coto – who went on to a successful career in television, writing and executive producing for Star Trek: Enterprise, 24, Dexter, and American Horror Story – originally envisioned the film as a serious serial killer movie. The studio ultimately wanted a more traditional slasher, and Coto delivered just that, theorizing that the wild backstory in which the titular villain crawls out of his mother’s corpse is what earned the greenlight.
With a fear of doctors being a common phobia, playing the concept straight could have been quite effective, but Coto understood the assignment. Drawing inspiration from EC Comics and classic monster movies, he fully embraces the comedic aspect of the premise. But even as silly as the end result is, Dr. Giggles still manages to tap into the invasive, inequitable relationship between doctor and patient.
Coto and co-writer Graeme Whifler establish the tongue-in-cheek tone with an opening quote from Hippocrates: “For extreme illness, extreme treatments are most fitting.” Escaped mental patient Evan Rendell (Larry Drake, Darkman) has earned the nickname Dr. Giggles for his tendency of maniacal, fluttering laughter. Hell-bent on following in his familial practice of medical malfeasance, Giggles seeks revenge on those that killed his father 35 years prior and anyone else who crosses his path.
As the mad doctor stalks and slashes his way through the fictional town of Moorehigh, he sets his sights on Jennifer Campbell (Holly Marie Combs, Charmed), a teenager with a preexisting fear of doctors due to her heart condition. Other townspeople who find themselves in Giggles’ crosshairs include Jennifer’s father Tom (Cliff DeYoung, Flight of the Navigator), her boyfriend Max (Glenn Quinn, Angel), their friend group, and the police. From hypodermic needles to autopsy saws to stomach pumps, no medical instrument is off the table.
Dr. Giggles succeeds in large part because Drake fully commits to the absurdity. He earns top billing – fairly uncommon for a slasher villain in its first outing – by spouting enough medical puns that even Freddy Krueger would tell him to tone it down. He chews so much scenery that Combs isn’t left with much to sink her teeth into as the final girl, and his is certainly not a progressive portrayal of schizophrenia, but the focus on Drake as Giggles proved to be the best decision for the movie.
Cinematographer Robert Draper (Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, Tales from the Darkside: The Movie) – who whom Coto had previously collaborated on a Tales from the Crypt episode – captures some fun visuals, including a mouth interior point-of-view shot, Giggles performing surgery on himself using mirrors, and a funhouse chase scene. Production design by The Exorcist‘s Bill Malley and Brian May’s (Mad Max, The Road Warrior) orchestral score further elevate the production.
Although not particularly gory – thanks to MPAA censorship – the film features some solid practical effects by KNB EFX (Scream, From Dusk Till Dawn), with The Walking Dead‘s Greg Nicotero taking the lead on the project. The opening credit sequence features surprisingly adept for the time visual effects by Gene Warren Jr. and Fantasy II Film Effects (The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day).
The doctor is in… high definition, courtesy of Scream Factory. It’s the sixth and final title originally released on DVD as part of Warner Bros.’s Twisted Terror Collection in 2007 (the others being Deadly Friend, Eyes of a Stranger, From Beyond the Grave, The Hand, and Someone’s Watching Me) to make its way to Blu-ray. The interpositive has been newly scanned in 2K with 2.0 Stereo DTS-HD Master Audio.
A 26-minute featurette edits together a new interview with Coto and a never-before-seen interview with Drake. Coto is featured more heavily, but both are proud of the movie despite its flaws. The filmmaker mentions that, although Drake was always his first choice thanks to his killer Santa role in the first episode of Tales from the Crypt, Max Headroom‘s Matt Frewer nearly got the part of Giggles.
Film music journalist Randall D. Larson provides a new visual essay documenting May’s genre film scores, including a deep dive into his work on Dr. Giggles. A vintage making-of featurette has soundbites from Coto – who expresses his desire for Dr. Giggles to be for doctors what Psycho was for showers. – and actors Drake, Combs, Quinn, Doug E. Doug (Cool Runnings), Keith Diamond (Men In Black: The Series), and Denise Barnes. Three theatrical trailers, two VHS teasers, and three TV spots are also included.
Laughter is the best medicine, so if your funny bone is tickled by a madman delivering such quips as “Time to do what doctors do best” before pulling out a golf club to beat a victim, you need a prescription for Dr. Giggles, stat. Trust me, I’m a doctor.
The post ‘Dr. Giggles’ Blu-ray Review – The Doctor Is Now in High Definition Thanks to Scream Factory appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
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