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Customer Reviews: Average Rating:  Rating : - Looking for an Original Horror Movie? Here's One!
Most normal people are apprehensive about going to the dentist; even the kinder, gentler Dentists. How might people react if they found out their Dentist was a certifiable maniac? Thanks to Corbin Bernsen and "The Dentist" we get to find out. Taking advantage of dentistry's predisposition to make us squirm, "Re-animator" pals Brian Yuzna, and Stuart Gordon ("Re-animator", "Dolls", "From Beyond") combine with others to amplify that which makes Dentistry so feared and avoided; NERVE POUNDING PAIN! Let's drill deeper.
-TOO LATE FOR ANGER MANAGEMENT.
Bersen plays Dr. Alan Feinstone, who very early in the film demonstrates his anal clutch on perfection. Since perfection is basically subjective and unobtainable, it's quite clear no good will come of this. Add to this the fact that the guy deals with one of the most flawed and filthy environments on earth, the human mouth, the sense of tension and dread is immediate. I was just waiting for something to nudge him over the edge and then, BINGO!! He discovers that the pool service guy is getting serviced by the good Doctor's lovely wife. Like a snowball; it's all down hill from here for the good Doctor. Now all we have to do is sit back and watch him completely unravel in a most beautiful and believable performance.
- I'D BET MY CHICLETS THIS WAS MADE FOR TV.
The production values of "The Dentist" have that "made for TV" feel. I can't find much information about its original destination, but it looks TV anyway. That means lots of boo boos and middling quality all around. This would go for the acting as well with a few exceptions; Bersen, Ken Foree, Molly Hagen and Virginia Keehne. Where the other actors came off as "B-movie" filler caricatures, these four gave the film a sense of believability and plausibility. Foree's part as a detective with a toothache is a bit thin but he makes the best of it and gives the character some personality. Hagen is the savvy hygienist who keeps things together behind the scenes while the doctor starts to fall apart. Finally Keehne plays the teenage girl oft delayed from getting her braces removed. She is very believable as the anxious yet apprehensive kid. Her characters role in the film may have been the most predictable, yet it didn't work out like I thought. In the end, it's a strange mix that might have you wondering if this is played for gruesome giggles or serious cringes.
-OUUUUUCCHHHHH!!
I've seen a lot of gratuitous gore in my days; some of it more disturbing and sick than others. Never could I truly empathize with the victims like I did here. If you've ever had a tooth drilled then this film will get on your nerves in the most literal way. I don't know which twisted act of torture did it to me worse because they were all effective at chilling me to my bone, and I mean TO THE BONE!! Though there is some dispute of the accurate use of tools, there is little argument from those in the dental profession that all the right nerves are hit here, and I mean that in the most clinical sense. Of course Dr. Feinstone isn't limited by what can be achieved in the dentist chair. He also partakes in one of the more brutal and effective slashing scenes I've ever seen. I would be remiss if I failed to mention that a fair amount of sexual content also makes its way onto the screen. However, none of it is what I would call gratuitous. It is actually very effective as a tool to amplify the tension. So relax; gordity abounds!
-NEXT!
I really tried to avoid too much detail in this review. Hopefully you get the mood and feel of its quality. The story is inventive with relatively quick pacing and a little twist at the end. There is enough good acting, especially from Bernsen, to keep you interested and there is ample payoff for gordity fans. Though I wouldn't consider this a masterpiece by any stretch, it is still a very effective film. Thanks goodness I have an excellent and sane dentist. Just a note for doubters out there; this film was recommended to me by the son of a dentist who confirmed that all of the procedures practiced by Feinstone would indeed HURT LIKE A SOB!!!
Story.....4 Stars
Acting...3.5 Stars
Gordity...4 Stars
Quality...3 Stars
Average....3.63 Stars
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