or “Side Effects May Include Excessive Cheese”
Director: Manny Coto
Cast: Larry Drake, Holly Marie Combs, Cliff DeYoung, Glenn Quinn
Screenplay: Manny Coto, Graeme Whifler
95 mins. Rated R for horror violence and gore, and for language.
I’ve got a fever, and the only prescription…is more horror!
When the psychotic Evan Rendell (Larry Drake, The Karate Kid) escapes from an institution, under the belief that he’s a doctor, and he heads toward Moorehigh, slaughtering all those in his path. This leads him into direct conflict with a young woman and her friends looking for summer break fun.
It’s odd that Dr. Giggles is seen by some reviewers, especially upon release, as an unintentionally cheesy horror movie. Honestly, I can’t understand how anyone would think this movie was attempting to be serious at any time. Perhaps when Ted Danson was considered to play the titular “doctor,” or even when Matt Frewer was considered, but Larry Drake obviously knew what type of character he was playing, and he’s clearly having a blast. His energy transfers to the audience and has that effect of building what could’ve been another horror icon in the making. Though not perfected here, there’s enough going on with Dr. Giggles as a killer to make an argument for a continuation.
No, the problem with Dr. Giggles is not Larry Drake, it’s that the script gives him very little to do, and his cannon fodder (aka all those young people ready for the slaughter) are incredibly boring. Our lead victim here is Jennifer (Holly Marie Combs, Ocean’s Eleven), and the only captivating part about her character is the relationship she has with her father, played by Cliff DeYoung (The Craft). There’s an element of health scare with her heart condition, but it’s never developed enough to really make an impact. As for the rest of them, there’s not much to report, and they’re mostly forgettable bodies to increase the death count.
Larry Drake is doing most of the heavy lifting. His character is rather boring on the page and he’s doing the most he can to elevate it. Director Manny Coto (Zenon: The Zequel), who co-wrote the script with Graeme Whifler, doesn’t imbue his horror tale with style. The reason why the big three (Michael, Freddy, and Jason) all succeeded was that each franchise had a strong style, something this film is missing. It’s also a rather tame film at times. I imagine that the various slashings could’ve used a doctor’s touch, but the MPAA was particularly hard on horror in the early 90s (as seemingly with all time periods), which resulted in a bland film for an interesting character outline.
Dr. Giggles struggles to maintain for its 95 minutes. While Larry Drake is working really hard to make an iconic character (something he also developed in the Darkman franchise), he’s surrounded by an underwhelming production that never really makes good use of its ideas. It’s a shame because so many viewers with white coat syndrome could’ve had a good time prescribing to this potential franchise.
2.5/5
-Kyle A. Goethe
GOAT Film Reviews 
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