The ‘90s often get a bad rap with horror fans. After the numerous successful slashers and creature effects films of the ’80s, the ‘90s offered a different variety of horror fare. Though there were plenty of hits, hidden gems, and misunderstood classics, the ‘90s usually don’t get the kind of love that other decades get when it comes to horror. It’s time to change that.
Part of the reason ‘90s horror doesn’t get the love it deserves is that the decade doesn’t have an easily identifiable and definitive tone. While all decades have a variety to their horror output, the ‘70s and the ‘80s have a generalized conception about what their tonal consistency was. Granted, this prevailing read of a decade is never true but it nonetheless colors the perception people have of the decade. The ‘90s was a time where mainstream horror was delightfully diverse, but that also means there are more movies that don’t click with an audience because they are so wildly different.
Such is the case with Dr. Giggles, the 1992 horror/comedy from director/co-writer Manny Coto. The story is a kooky riff on a tried-and-true “town legend” campfire tale. This time, the boogeyman is the son of a disgraced doctor, Dr. Evan Rendell, who went mad trying to save his dying wife by extracting the hearts of his patients. After the town killed Rendell, his son escaped but was eventually committed to a mental institution. At the start of the film, Dr. Evan Rendell Jr. breaks out and decides to take his revenge on the town that murdered his father.
It’s easy to see why Dr. Giggles didn’t click with audiences at the time. Director Manny Coto basically made a Tales from the Crypt episode into a full-length feature – appropriate as he’d directed the episode “Mournin’ Mess” which premiered a year earlier – and that kind of heightened comic-book riff on horror is tough for wide audiences to get into. But, almost thirty years later, we’re able to appreciate Dr. Giggles for what it is.
And it’s an absolute riot of a film.
Dr. Giggles is unashamed of its goofball riff on the slasher movie, and it takes every opportunity it can to have fun with its premise and character. If you think Mr. Freeze in Batman & Robin tests the limits of pun humor, you need to witness the brazen attitude of Dr. Giggles when it comes to making doctor jokes. It’s so impressive and so relentless that you can’t help but love it.
A huge part of that tone managing to work is thanks to Larry Drake as the titular doctor. Drake doesn’t get enough praise for his incredible talent in general, but his work in Dr. Giggles is one of the few times he got to stand in the spotlight. He clearly understood how to toe the line with this kind of material – he’d appeared in two Tales from the Crypt episodes before this – and it’s his deft tonal balance that makes Rendell such an entertaining and engaging villain. Drake knows that he’s there to be fun and silly, but that doesn’t mean he’s playing the part as a party clown. Drake plays Rendell’s motivations as genuine, and it’s that sense of earnestness that bolsters the character into something more than a dad joke.
Drake’s performance alone would be enough to recommend Dr. Giggles, but the film is also a smorgasbord of directorial flair and gonzo effects/gags. Coto clearly has more than a little love for Sam Raimi, and his energetic setups and over-the-top gags reinforce that the movie wants you to be laughing along with it. From killer liposuction to thermometer impalings, Dr. Giggles does everything it can think of in regards to its psycho doctor gimmick. Which is exactly what you want from this type of movie! Anyone faulting the film for diving headfirst into its marquee value just isn’t here for this kind of splatstick humor.
Thankfully, time has been extremely kind to Dr. Giggles. The exaggerated approach and solid lead performance mesh together so perfectly in a way that the early ‘90s just wasn’t jiving with. If you’re looking for something to put a smile on your face, Dr. Giggles will prove that laughter is the best medicine.
