Rating: 2.5/5
For extreme illnesses, extreme treatments are most fitting. — Hippocrates
Evan Rendell escapes from a mental institution. The folks at the institution call him Dr. Giggles because he believes he’s a surgeon and has an ominous giggle. The former is because of a surgeon father who included his son in his activities.
Jennifer Campbell has a heart condition that will require an operation. Before the doctor can get to her, he gives her a strict regimen — specifically, no strenuous activity. So what do she and her friends do? They break into the old Randall house. There’s a jingle and everything about Dr. Rendell’s murder spree. How were they to know Evan would be there?
Horror fans know this film best as a proto-Scream. In 1992, the slasher was dead. This script knew that and tried to play with the genre by pumping the movie with as many cliches as possible. The result lacks the dialed-in humor and intelligence of Scream.
The film picks up at the fair — specifically the funhouse labyrinth. There’s also one pretty singular flashback scene. The problem is that it never tops that moment and is pretty early on.
Holly Marie Combs writes the performance script for Neve Campbell in Scream.
It’s fun seeing Sara Melson, who was in an episode of Frasier, despite getting little more to do than fawn.
If you can never get enough 90s whatever, this is… whatever. It’s a slasher with groan-worthy jokes. That said, the film is goofy and hard to hate.