Todd Tolces Movies

Jumping fairly late on the slasher-movie bandwagon, this stylish but hollow effort from director Manny Coto stars L.A. Law's Larry Drake as the psychopathic Evan Rendell, who fancies himself a misunderstood medical genius. In an inventive opening scene, Rendell performs a bit of impromptu surgery on his keepers at the asylum (who had given him the title nickname due to his fits of nervous laughter) and escapes to his hometown to set up his "practice." This medical mania seems to run in the family, as we are shown in flashback: Evan's daddy once butchered several local women in his search for a replacement heart for his wife, and although he was unable to save her, Pops managed to spirit away young Evan and keep him safe (in a very, very nasty hiding place) before being lynched by the locals. Hiding out in the abandoned family home, "Dr. Giggles" begins a random killing spree in town with his bag of medieval-looking surgical instruments... but he finds new purpose when he sees the medical records of young Jennifer (Holly Marie Combs), who is in line for a heart transplant, and vows to "cure" her himself. This film eschews the possibilities of its demented premise, choosing instead to serve up a flavorless hash of '80s slasher clichés (wisecracking killer, stupid teenage victims, virginal heroine, 20-years-later motif, etc.). The only truly inspired moment occurs in flashback, when we discover the actual hiding place the elder Dr. Rendell chose for his son. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

As usual, the USA network's ad copy for their TV-movie The Haunting of Sarah Hardy was a model of understatement: "She has beauty, wealth, love, and a past that's driving her insane." Sela Ward stars as Sarah, a newlywed who is obsessed with the memory of her late mother. Sarah is convinced that her mom, who committed suicide years earlier, has returned to haunt her on her wedding night. Various friends and relatives (Polly Bergen, Morgan Fairchild, Michael Woods, Roscoe Born) try to convince the girl that she's just imagining things and that there's nothing to worry about. Actually, they're half right: her imagination is being worked overtime. . .by someone who wants to drive her out of her mind. This Gaslight wannabe first aired May 31, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi