Dr. Giggles Review (spoilers)

**Titanosaurus** · 02-26-2009

Director: Manny Coto

Year: 1992

Starring: Larry Drake, Holly Marie Combs, Cliff de Young, Glenn Quinn, and Keith Diamond.

Well, what to say about "Dr. Giggles"? First off, I'll start with the characters. Holly Marie Combs and Glenn Quinn as young lovers Jennifer and Max are simply forgettable, textbook characters, although Jennifer is differentiated a tad due to her heart problems. Quinn is nothing more or less than the usual caring and cheating boyfriend. Keith Diamond is also okay as a heroic deputy and de Young as Jennifer's loving father are good as well, more likable than Combs and Quinn both. Of course the real star here is Larry Drake as the titular Dr. Giggles. He plays the character with both menacing gusto as well as a darkly comedic, pun-spewing side.

Speaking of pun-spewing, this is where the film soars but falls the the dirt as well. Dr. Giggles is funny. Really funny. But not scary. Menacing yes, but not scary. And neither is the film as a whole. It plays off more as a gory dark comedy than a horror movie. Luckily, it's well-paced and has a straightforward plot.

Now, the gore. Not a bad amount, but here lies another problem. The gore and makeup FX, created by the usually masterful KNB EFX, suck in plain English, for the most part. The worst contenders are a full-body cast/model of a dead woman and a bucket of human hearts. These look painfully fake and really take away from the atmosphere of the scenes in which they are present. Other instances, such as when Dr. Giggles slices a deputy with a bonesaw and the good doctor's own gory demise, are quite well-done. A good body count (18) as well, but at least two of the deaths seemed to be cut and at least one was totally offscreen.

All in all, this movie is weak. We are given lackluster, slightly likable characters and occasionally really bad gore, but it's balanced out with one fun antagonist, awesomely cheesy medical one-liners, and a brisk pace coupled with good cinematography. 6/10, but don't expect a horror movie but more of a gory black comedy.