Dr. Giggles (Scream Factory) Blu-ray Review + 1080p Screenshots

Dr. Giggles is one of my favorite slasher films from the 1990s and I was very excited when Scream Factory announced their blu-ray release. Does the release live up to the film?

Studio: Scream Factory
Release Date: October 23rd, 1992 (theatrical) / March 21st, 2023 (blu-ray)
Run Time:
Region Code: A (locked)

Disc Count: 1
Picture: 1080p (2.39:1 aspect ratio)
Sound: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Subtitles: English SDH
Slipcover: No
Digital Copy: No
Starring: Larry Drake, Holly Marie Combs, Cliff DeYoung, Glenn Quinn, Keith Diamond

Richard Bradford

Written by Manny Coto, Graeme Whifler
Directed by Manny Coto
Rating: R (horror violence and gore, and for language)

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Poster

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What's It About?

The psychopathic son of a mass-murdering doctor, escapes from his mental institution to seek revenge on the town where his father was caught. The giggling doctor kills his victims with a surgical theme. His goal being to give one of the townfolk a heart transplant.

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Video/Audio

Presented in the film's original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, and taken from a brand new 2K scan of the interpositive, DR. GIGGLES looks good but not great. There is a softness to the picture that I can't tell if the film was shot that way or DNR was applied. Almost all of the faces in the film look unnaturally smooth like DNR was applied. There are also some scenes that are flat and ugly. The picture quality varies throughout the entire film. The film is perfectly watchable but I was disappointed with how it looked.

The 2.0 track sounds nice.

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Extras/Packaging

Laughter is the Best Medicine: Making Dr. Giggles (25m 54s, HD, 1.78:1) Interview with director Manny Cooto and archival interview with actor Larry Drake. He directed a short film called "Jack in the Box" which was about a killer Jack in the Box. His father was a doctor and would bring a young Manny into the operating room and made him watch surgeries. He says that surgeons don't talk about the surgery they are performing but they do talk about movies. He was given the script to rewrite and was also offered the chance to direct the film. Larry Drake was Coto's first choice but the producers made him meet with Matt Frewer. Coto and Frewer got along and everything was set to go but the producers couldn't make a deal with his agent. KNB did the effects. Drake had a very different take on the character of Dr. Giggles but realized during the readthrough of the script. Drake speaks about how he got the role as well as what he brought to the role to make it his own, Drake only pops up twice but it is great to see, no matter how long it is for. This is a great making of but one thing I noticed. The footage from the film in this making of is presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio. Not 1.78:1 but 1.85:1, which I found very weird.

Melodies of Madness: The Film Scores of Brian May (17m 2s, HD, 1.78:1) Interview with film music historian Randall D. Larson. He gives us a brief history of May's life. Goes through each score one by one giving us a breakdown of what May brought to each film.

Vintage Featurette (4m 34s, SD, 1.33:1) We got interviews with cast and crew and some nice BTS footage.

Theatrical Trailers (5m 8s, SD, 1.33:1) 3 trailers

VHS Teasers (1m 4s, SD, 1.33:1) 2 spots

TV Spots (1m 40s, SD, 1.33:1) 3 spots

DR. GIGGLES comes to us from Scream Factory. The front cover features the film's original theatrical poster. There is some inner artwork that features a scene from the film. The disc

This release is REGION A (locked)

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Overall

DR. GIGGLES is one of my favorite 90s slasher films. The premise is neat and Larry Drake makes the role his own and is the standout among a talented cast. The film's director, Manny Coto, keeps things moving at a brisk pace. I wish that Universal had done at least one straight-to-video sequel like they did with TREMORS and DARKMAN. I think they. would have made some serious cash but they didn't.

The blu-ray is nice if a little disappointing. The picture quality could have been so much better but everything seems to be about right. I do wish that there was a commentary track or more special features. Other than that, this is a fine release that most fans will enjoy.

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Extras/Menus