After escaping from prison and returning to his hometown, a deranged doctor sets about a blood-soaked rampage of vengeance on the citizens in town and forcing one of the locals to find the cause of his rampage before he can finish his work.
An impressive and highly enjoyable slasher, DR.GIGGLES dwells in the shadows of an era that brought us the most iconic serial killers. And yet even if this wise-cracking doctor who uses hilarious one-liners during kill scenes is reminiscent of Freddy Krueger, he’s different enough to set this movie apart.
I still remember my first viewing. My aunt and uncle had a huge movie collection and pretty much bought new films to watch every week. One warm august afternoon, while scanning through their collection I came across a title I had never seen before… DR.GIGGLES. From the moment I laid eyes on the cover I was obsessed as to what it might be about.. weeks passed by before I finally got the courage to watch it alone.
As a slasher, DR. GIGGLES suffers from some of the run-of-the-mill scenes you might expect: from the suspenseful stalking scenes, an ultra-creepy sequence in a house of mirrors, as well as a sequence in the hospital waiting room which is worth the movie alone. Fans of the gore won’t be disappointed either, as the bad doctor employs various medical instruments to slash his way through his victims.
As a fan of the slasher genre, this movie is a must-watch. The entire vibe of the movie, from the trailer to the DVD cover art, ticks off all the right boxes. The late Larry Drake’s performance is extremely underrated and should have been enough to squeeze at least one sequel from the franchise. Drake delivers his one-liners with a straight face, while also making it seem he is in on the joke. Pair this with his insane giggle and a usual small town slasher jingle, and we have ourselves one great little slasher for those cold winter nights.
Laughter really is the best medicine…
