The Dentist (1996) User Reviews

Gory as hell

[youngsteve · 5/10 · 29 December 2003]

If you are looking for a comedy type slasher movie forget it, as this is an old style type horror movie with plenty of gore & tension througout. Also like many of these fims it is unintentionally funny, though in all fairness this is not badly made, & the acting is okay, particularly from Bernsen. The main cop & girl with braces are also good. I must admit a few scenes made me wince & look away, but it hasn't put me off going to the dentist.

Not too bad for its type, & worth a look, as long as you don't have a phobia about teeth or dentists.

5/10

Definitely a B-movie, but one of the more enjoyable ones...

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 6/10 · 22 December 2004]

When I first heard of this movie, I naturally just wrote it off as one of those 'formula' scary movies... you know, find one thing that a lot of people are afraid of(spiders, heights, closed rooms... and, in this case, dentists). But it was actually better than I expected. I does have some genuine scares, and the mood of the film is thoroughly creepy and unpleasant. Even though I've never been afraid to go to the dentist, I found the torture scenes to be quite painful and sometimes even hard to sit through. In fact, I might have problems the next time I go to a check-up. The plot is surprisingly original and interesting. The pacing was good... I wasn't really bored during any part of the movie. The acting is where the movie fails to surpass the low expectations towards the movie... it is exactly as bad as you'd imagine, and sometimes worse. The characters are also kind of stereotypical... there is just about every single kind of nervous girl with dental problems that you can imagine. The script also has quite a few problems... suddenly, more and more people show up to see the dentist. And even though the first couple of patients come out crying and in various states of unpleasantness, the rest of them are still (somewhat) eager to get in the chair. I did like the slow descent into madness of the dentist, Dr. Feinstone. That was surprisingly good. Normally movies like this have little to no explanation of the killers motivation, but this one had a somewhat good one. The cinematography was kind of experimental, like the camera crew and/or the director of photography wasn't sure what angles they wanted, and just threw in anything they could think of. As a result, some of it looks good, and some of it looks very first-year-of-film-school. The gore effects range from good to mediocre. I could tell how many of the effects were done, but some of them had a good... uh... effect. There was relatively little gore, which came as a surprise... most of the scares are achieved through suggestion and the eerie mood of the film. I found it to be a nice diversity when the kills were done without dental equipment... this only happens a few times through the movie, but when it does, it's a good change of pace. The film has a few good qualities, and about as many poor qualities. However, the latter group can be ignored by being a little forthcoming and looking at the good, entertaining stuff in the film. There's a good amount of attractive girls in the film, and the scares are reasonably good. I recommend this to fans of B-movies, horror flicks and possibly of the director or one or more of the actors. I urge anyone who's scared of dentists to think twice about the film, though... it might turn them entirely off to dentists. Everyone else, consider watching this movie. It's surprisingly entertaining and not as bad as many claim it is. 6/10

Open up and say AHHHHHHHH!!!

[capkronos · 6/10 · 21 February 2000]

THE DENTIST is an uneven, but quite effective little horror comedy that tries (and succeeds) at easy audience manipulation! The universal fear of dental pain will be amplified after just one viewing of this gorefest!

Corbin Bernsen (he of L.A. LAW fame) isn't bad as Dr. Allen Feinstone, a wealthy dentist whose nympho wife is having an affair behind his back with the pool boy. He is obsessed with cleanness and despises "Decay" of all kinds, not just the molar variety, but of the human variety as well. His wife qualifies, and so do many of his obnoxious patients.

After discovering his wife's infidelity, he snaps and goes on a murderous rampage, sinking various dental instruments into victims gums, ripping out teeth with pliers and taking a dental drill to the tongue. The stand-out scene is when he crushes a woman's tooth with a drill in glorious close-up. You will cringe at all this, for sure, since the make-up FX are quite effective....but you will also find yourself laughing through most of the gore.

Since this is a biproduct of some of the twisted minds that brought us RE-ANIMATOR, the script and execution is not without touches of intentional humor. Good supporting cast, also. And terrific to see Ken Foree (Peter from DAWN OF THE DEAD) again, although he's wasted in a lame supporting role as a cop.

Score: 6 out of 10.

Weird? Strange? Different!

[very_doubtful · 4/10 · 6 July 2000]

I don't know how to describe this movie. It's definitely one of the weirdest movies I've seen in a long time. It is very unsettling at times but also boring in other places. The scenes of dental torture are very elaborate and may attract anyone who's into gore & splatter. I found myself holding my teeth during some of the aforementioned scenes. The clever thing about the movie is that it plays with our fears and The Dentist is therefore quite unsettling.

The humor of the film is somehow hidden and may not be recognized by everyone. But if you're a fan of weird and strange entertainment and teeth getting drilled to dust this is just the film you were looking for.

If you read the comment and feel somehow attracted by this kind of entertainment, give it a try!

My rating: 4/10 (maybe a little too weird for my taste)

Fun little flick!

[Snake-666 · 7/10 · 27 October 2003]

After witnessing his wife (Linda Hoffman) engaging in sexual acts with the pool boy, the already somewhat unstable dentist Dr. Feinstone (Corbin Bernsen) completely snaps which means deep trouble for his patients.

This delightful semi-original and entertaining horror flick from director Brian Yuzna was a welcome change of pace from the usual horror twaddle that was passed out in the late Nineties. Although ‘The Dentist' is intended to be a cheesy, fun little film, Yuzna ensures that the movie delivers the shocks and thrills that many more serious movies attempt to dispense. Despite suffering somewhat from the lack of background on the central characters, and thus allowing events that should have been built up to take place over a couple of days, the movie is intriguing, generally well scripted and well paced which allows the viewer to maintain interest, even during the more ludicrous of moments. ‘The Dentist' suffers, on occasion, from dragging but unlike the much inferior 1998 sequel, there are only sporadic uninteresting moments, and in general the movie follows itself nicely.

Corbin Bernsen was very convincing in the role of the sadistic, deranged and perfectionist Dr. Alan Feinstone. The way Bernsen is able to credibly recite his lines, especially with regards to the foulness and immorality of sex (particularly fellatio), is something short of marvellous. While many actors may have trouble portraying a cleanliness obsessed psycho without it coming off as too cheesy or ridiculous, Bernsen seems to truly fit the personality of the character he attempts to portray and thus makes the film all that more enjoyable. Had ‘The Dentist' not been intended to be a fun, almost comical, horror movie, Bernsen's performance would probably have been much more powerful. Sadly, the rest of the cast (including a pre-fame Mark Ruffalo) failed to put in very good performances and although the movie was not really damaged by this, stronger performances could have added more credibility to the flick.

‘The Dentist' is not a horror film that is meant to be taken seriously but is certainly enjoyable, particularly (I would presume) for fans of cheesy horror. Those who became annoyed at the number of ‘Scream' (1996) clones from the late Nineties may very well find this a refreshing change, as I did. A seldom dull and generally well paced script as well as some proficient direction helps to make ‘The Dentist' one of the more pleasurable cheesy horrors from the 1990's. On top of this we are presented with some particularly grizly and (on the whole) realistic scenes of dental torture, which should keep most gorehounds happy. Far from perfect but far from bad as well, ‘The Dentist' is a flick that is easily worth watching at least once. My rating for ‘The Dentist' – 6.5/10.

"Pain has to be managed"

[cyborg-13 · 5/10 · 3 April 2002]

After seeing this and almost getting physically ill during the scene with his wife strapped in the chair, I watched the Dentist II thru scrambled cable.. :-) (ran across it by chance..). Bernsen is much more humorous in the sequel.. Will there be a 3rd movie?

I loved The Dentist, don't take it so seriously

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 7/10 · 15 November 2003]

I remember this movie in particular when I was a teenager, my best friend was telling me all about this movie and how it freaked her out as a kid. Of course being the blood thirsty gal that I am, I had to go out and find this movie. Now I don't know how to put this without loosing credibility, so I'm just going to say it, I actually had fun watching this movie! I know that it's stupid, not the best story and beyond bloody and gruesome, but that's what I was looking for and The Dentist delivers in the scares, blood, sex, and crazy psychopaths. Sometimes I just need a fun movie like this to just let loose and get grossed out by.

Dr. Alan Feinstone is obsessed with order and cleanliness. On the day of his wedding anniversary, he spies his wife Brooke having sex with their filthy pool man, Matt. At his dental practice, Feinstone's first patient of the day is young Jody Saunders, there for his very first dental appointment. Feinstone begins to clean Jody's teeth. Everything goes smoothly at first, until he imagines that Jody's teeth are brown and rotten. His dental pick slips, stabbing Jody in the gums. Jody's mother picks up her crying, bleeding child and leaves angrily. Feinstone sees his second patient, beauty queen April Reign. Alone with April, Feinstone sedates her with nitrous oxide so that he can fill a cavity in one of her molars. As she drifts off into unconsciousness, Feinstone imagines that she has transformed into his wife. He begins kissing and fondling her on the dental chair, then begins to choke her. April starts to cough and half-wakes up from the gas. Feinstone snaps out of his trance and quickly re-buttons April's blouse. Feinstone decides to end the day early and sends his staff and patients home. Later that night, Brooke meets Feinstone at his practice. He reveals his new Italian opera-themed patient room. He encourages Brooke to try out the room's dental chair. When she does, Feinstone binds her to the chair and sedates her with nitrous oxide. With operatic music blaring in the background, he begins to pull out Brooke's teeth. Feinstone has gone off the deep end and is definitely not going to let anybody stand in his way of cleanliness.

Honestly, as silly as this movie sounds, I did have a lot of fun watching The Dentist. The best scene without a doubt is when he teaches that nasty IRS agent a lesson in hygiene that I'm sure he'll never forget. Man, I don't think I've brushed my teeth so much after I watched The Dentist. Yeah, I am going to warn you, this movie is in no way for the faint of heart, it's very bloody. There's stabbing, gun shots and just these brutal dental torture scenes that will make your stomach turn. Yet somehow I just enjoyed this movie, if I ever want just a good gore movie that was made for true horror fans, I slip it in my DVD player, and that's the "tooth" LOL! I am so funny! Um, yeah, I try, give me a little credit.

7/10

I work for a dentist...

[dreba · 4 August 2002]

...and some of the scenes were technically incorrect (some instruments were used upside down and you can't diagnose lingual decay from a radiograph), but the typical viewer wouldn't notice these things. What I did like was the way the patients were portrayed as whiny, impolite a**holes and the dentist was a prick first, then a psycho. It's true!! This is how it is in the real world!! The obsessive-compulsive behavior that Corbin Bernsen displayed was right on the money. The office was gorgeous. (I could only dream of working in an office like that!) Fear and pain are the main reasons people don't like going to the dentist, so that's why this is the perfect setting for a horror movie. If you want a dental/psycho double feature, watch this along with "Little Shop of Horrors." This was a kinda cheesy, really gory, very creepy flick. I loved it!

Gory, so thats good

[Horrorible_Horror_Films · 4/10 · 1 June 2009]

Well, I do like the gore in this movie - it is genuingly unsetteling. Anyone that's been to the dentist will know why. The story really isn't that bad, Corbin Bersen's character's motivations do make a lot more sense than in most horror movies.

I've seen worse acting, directing, script, etc. but at the end of the day this is still a bad horror movie. So it comes down to if you enjoy that type of thing or not. I tried to watch the sequel, but it was exactly, exactly the same thing as this movie. Just keep in mind if you enjoy people getting tortured at the dentist, then this is the movie for you!

For what it is, it rocked!

[jluis1984 · 7/10 · 11 January 2006]

Director Brian Yuzna has had an uneven career in the horror genre, creating masterpieces such as "Return of the Living Dead 3" or "Bride of Re-Animator", but at the same time he has done awful movies such as "Faust: Love for the Damned" or the mediocre "Progeny". He is obviously better in the seat of Producer where his work producing Stuart Gordon's films has been superb.

"The Dentist", is one of his lesser works as director, but the low profile it has benefits the film and its lack of pretensions makes it a very enjoyable experience. It tells the story of Dr. Alan Feinstone (played superbly by Corbin Bernsen), a successful dentist who one day discovers that his perfect life is not really as perfect as he thought when he discovers that his beautiful wife (Linda Hoffman)has an affair with the pool boy. This event disturbs his mind and puts him in a killing spree as he takes revenge on the world for being so "filthy".

The premise is very well handled by Yuzna, as he takes us on a ride following Feinstone's day of revenge. What makes this movie different from most slashers is that we are not in the victim's perspective, we follow Feinstone because he is the main character. We witness how he goes from respected professional to psycho murder in a day. Yuzna manages to give the movie the exact amount of suspense but adds a good dose of dark humor that really helps the movie.

Most of the success of the premise is in Bernsen's performance as Feinstone. He can make you feel sympathy and hate towards him at the same time, and the subtle humor his character has is another aspect that aids the film. The rest of the cast is not as good, and I think that their sub par acting hurts the film more than it should. A notable exception is Ken Foree, as the detective trying to catch Feinstone. While his part is quite small, he makes a great job with it.

With a dentist as killer, gory scenes are expected, and Brian Yuzna delivers great SFX in the correct amount. It's good to see that he does not go over-the-top with it as he usually do, and I dare to say that this is a highlight of the film. It has the exact amount of gore that is expected, nothing less and nothing more. Yuzna restrained himself of his common excesses and the result is great.

While this is not among Yuzna's most well-known films, I would say that it is one of his best. Sure, it is not classic material as his masterpieces, but it is a movie that entertains and never gets tiresome or boring. It is a low-budget simple film, but for what it is, I think it rocked. 7/10

Another Cheesy Horror Fllim

[Johnnycitystar · 5/10 · 14 February 2008]

This film to me is just another cheesy horror film with the usual stereotypical plot of a normal person gone insane. it is used in horror films to many times. But in this film it's quite enjoyable.though the film is not all that great.with the lack of character development,A bland plot and very poor acting. But the film is saved by great camera shots, a decent pacing and a very memorable performance by Corbin Bernsen.

The film starts with Dr. Alan Feinstone a successful dentist who's got it all until things start going downhill for him. He finds out that his wife is having sex with his pool man and starts to go insane by having thoughts of killing him and her as well. when he gets to work his stress and problems start affecting him at work.he has visions when he does a little boy's teeth and hurts the boy in the process thinking he has rotten teeth.

Later the day he has a plan to get revenge on his wife he does an oral surgery by yanking all of her teeth out her mouth and removes her tongue in the process.The pool boy realize what's going on and is killed in the process and now Dr Fienstone has gone to the other side of insanity and will kill anyone who has rotten teeth or gets in his way.

The plot overall is very flat and dull.This type of plot has been done in so many films if your a fan of horror film you get tired of it.but in this film it fits perfectly but then again you could care less.

As for character development it's very weak.these characters are so flat and dull, by the end of the film whoever or not dies you could care less.The protagonist Dr. Feinstone is the only developed character in the whole film. You understand he's a neat freak and has a short temper and wants things to be done in order, making his character not very likable.But as the film progress the level of insatiny evolves into him from thinking about killing his pool boy and wife it's the anger and revenge he wants from those who can't stand him.In a way you understand what he is going through and you can't blame for going insane.

as for the acting it's very poor.though Corbin Bersen is on top of game as he gives the standout performance as Dr. Feinstone.It's the Range he pulls off in this film and stealing the show from the other actors.to be honest he never breaks character he knows how perfectly portray the insane doctor.with his visions of rotten teeth to his anger moments as he yells at people and showing no remorse of his actions as he overall takes this performance home.as for the rest of the actors I can't say much as everyone gives a bad performance and everyone acts if there reading off the script.

Overall this film is not bad worth renting but not buying.

Maybe the best gore film I've seen!

[Angeneer · 8/10 · 20 May 2001]

This gem for gore lovers is extremely underrated. It's pure delight and fun! Gratuitous servings of blood, insanity and black humor, which can please even the most demanding lover of the genre. A full exploitation of the almost universal fear of dentists and flawlessly shot. Only for the connoisseurs.

Three times a day, and no candy! Say it!

[lastliberal · 6/10 · 2 November 2008]

I am never going to the dentist again unless I see his wife beforehand. If he has some delicious piece of candy like Linda Hoffman, I'll pass.

Corbin Bernsen played a demented dentist to perfection. he wasn't demented at the start, only after he caught his precious wife with Matt (Michael Stadvec) the pool boy.

Then he used his dental powers to torture his patients, and his wife, in revenge.

Really gory, especially if you don't like dentists anyway, and really hot when Linda Hoffman was on screen.

It was a fun experience.

Brilliant subject, decent delivery

[TheOtherFool · 4/10 · 4 October 2004]

There are probably more people afraid of the dentist than of, let's say, little monsters or scary looking dolls. Which makes it a perfect subject for a horror movie, really.

Dr. Feinstone (Corbin Bernsen) has been a successful dentist for several years now, but when he catches his wife cheating on him with the poolguy he snaps, and he brings his anger and frustration to his work. Well, give a mad dentist a drill and a mouth, and you can probably guess what happens next...

As I said, brilliant idea but not delivered as well as it should. In particular the ending is a huge let down. Last note: watch for Mark Ruffalo (You Can Count On Me, Eternal Sunshine...) in this one.

5/10.

Watching this is more painful than a root canal.

[Nympho3278 · 28 September 2003]

My title summary pretty much says it all. "The Dentist" is stupid, predictable, and not even scary in the least. To add insult to injury, it is poorly acted, and the script is laughable.

The concept of a killer dentist could make for a fun movie, but this film is the opposite. It's just a bad spin on a good idea.

Unless you have insomnia and can't get to sleep any other way, I don't recommend watching this film. If you see it on the shelf and have the urge to rent it, WALK AWAY. Rent "Dr. Giggles" instead.

waste of time

[sore_throat · 3/10 · 13 May 2002]

Looking at the other user comments here I was really surprised at all the praise heaped upon it, as some of the comments have said that this film is weird, funny, and has good gore. Everyone is entitled to their opinion-but I gotta say that if one feels like the aforementioned about this film then they must not have seen many movies...

Bernsen does a good job with the mediocre script and shallow character he has, but there's too many other problems. In spite of being only 90 minutes or so it seems much longer than that as it takes too long to get where it's going. Yeah, occasionally I laughed or was entertained by the gore...but it's miniscule compared to the boredom and frustration I felt for the majority of the flick.

I will say that I thought the direction was effective (which I think accounts for many of the comments on how this film is 'weird') and the premise had promise. But weird black humor drenched gore films come in much higher quality. And the ending eats bat guano.

One other thing: the style and verve of the film reminded me a lot of horror flicks from the second half of the 80s in spite of it being made in 1996 (unless it sat on the shelf?...)

A great little sleeper horror film

[longcooljolie · 7/10 · 1 September 2009]

This would have been so much fun to see in a theater, back in 1996. There is a guilty pleasure corner of my movie taste which really appreciates really well done shocker movies.

"The Dentist" is panned sometimes probably because people usually have strong feelings over dental matters. Maybe the ADA launched a campaign against it, since dentists report they have to apologize for this movie and for "The Marathon Man" (which only has one scene comparable to the many in "The Dentist").

It's amazing to note that according to the trivia page, the movie was shot in 21 days. Of course, post production can take longer than movie shooting sometimes and the editing for "The Dentist" is picture perfect. The quick cuts heighten the tension so much that in the scene where the Dentist "takes care" of his wife there's only two quick cuts showing what is happening. The rest is left to our very fertile imaginations! Corbin Bernsen was a good choice for the role since he has lots of experience playing psychologically "off" characters and he completely sold the obsessive compulsive aspects of the dentist.

For me the pacing of the movie was just right. The film makers reveal the wife's naughtiness in just the right way. All of the characters in the dental office look like they are actual people working in a real office. There's lots of tension while they are dealing with impatient people awaiting the dentist's arrival. Meanwhile the dentist is off on the cusp of a huge psychotic breakdown! Unlike so many movies of this genre, the script is very very tight. All the victims fall into the dentist's trap in very calculated ways. Two law enforcement types even get involved in a little subplot that ends up creating a shocker of a showdown near the end.

Definitely not for the faint of heart or the dental-phobic but a real roller coaster ride and heavily recommended for fans of intelligent gorefests.

This is the worst film I've ever watched on DVD. It lacked a proper storyline, character depth, suspense and imagination.

[harmailk · 1/10 · 27 October 2002]

Anyone could write a script as poor as this one. It was just about a crazy dentist -Dr. Allan Feinstone who suffers hallucinations. One by one he kills/tortures various members of his staff as well as his wife and his local tax inspector - unsuprisingly by using the tools of his trade.

This film is just too predictable - this mass pychotic murderer storyline has been done many times before and much better before.(e.g Silence of the Lambs) I feel guilty that I rated it as high as 1 out of ten.

Ouch... my mouth still hurts!

[killerreviewscom · 6/10 · 29 November 2005]

I don't mean to burst anyone's bubble here but the Dentist is not a documentary film delving into the history of dental hygiene. I know that is exactly what you were thinking, so don't try any of that crap with me. To be honest with you, The Dentist is an educational film where we learn about dentistry tools and their various uses. We learn what each tool looks like, how they work and how quickly they can destroy your teeth and gums. As a bonus, we get to learn how far a mouth can open before snapping the jawbone. But most importantly, we learn what happens if you neglect good hygiene. I tell you folks - I have seen the punishment and it's not pretty.

The story of a dentist gone mad is what first intrigued me to watch this film. Just the idea alone is enough to warrant an eyebrow lift. But director Brian Yuzna takes this oddball concept one step further. He approaches it with the utmost care and devotion; relishing in every gory detail. Right from the opening scene, we see that Dr. Feinstone (Corbin Bernsen) is obsessively a clean freak. Every wall in his house is white. His shirts are white. The carpet, the countertops, his car - white. Everything this lunatic owns is white. There is a moment in the opening sequence when the doctor and his wife suck face, just after Mrs. Feinstone has been secretly smoking a cigarette. He immediately tastes the smoke and is so repulsed that he excuses himself to wash-up. The scene is great because we truly understand how gone this guy is. He is a ticking time bomb on the verge of exploding. Wait until he gets to the office - all those cavities. Tick… tick… I know, just when you thought it was safe to go back to the dentist.

Corbin Bernsen, the master of dual personalities, heads up this stellar cast of unfortunate teeth cleaners. Surprisingly, I really can't imagine anyone else playing the role of Dr. Feinstone. He was perfect as the nice, calm guy who brings smiles to the faces of children and equally great as the drill happy maniac. He delivers really funny lines with the utmost seriousness. One of my favorite lines is "You don't know what it's like - the discipline, the long hours, lack of respect, in a world that goes on ignoring dental hygiene." I am laughing even now. He's just nuts! In the supporting cast we have Mark Ruffalo, Molly Hagan from Election and Devil's Rejects Kevin Foree just to name a few. Mark is the only marquee name in the film but almost everyone is recognizable.

Where The Dentist really shines is in the directing. The film never loses its tone, which is quite an accomplishment considering the quirkiness and delicate balance between comedy and drama. Director Brian Yuzna uses this really cool technique when showing how Dr. Feinstone perceives certain situations. A patient will be sitting in his dental chair with a mouth full of pearly whites. We can clearly see this but not the dentist. All he sees are run down, wretched, green, plaque infested teeth and gums. While watching from the doctor's point of view, the camera shot distorts; similar to that of a funhouse mirror as we hear odd atmospheric sound effects. These moments do an exceptional job of conveying the doctor's inner workings. No wonder he's drilling everything he sees.

The only problem I had with The Dentist was the finale. Right from the beginning you know this ride is going to be a crazy one. The film screams quirkiness and when that kind of tone is established, you just know the ending will be anything but traditional. It's tough because the ending needs to be smart, unpredictable and it needs to surpass everything that has come before it. Unfortunately, I don't feel The Dentist accomplished this. The film should have ended fifteen minutes before it actually did. Just something a little more interesting would have done it for me. For example, maybe he dies and returns as a bitchy tooth fairy. That would have hit the spot.

Overall, The Dentist is a great way to spend ninety minutes. The script, acting and directing are all above average for the genre. Did I mention the doctor's wife is very hot and very naked? Did I mention teeth will be removed one by one with a set of pliers? If you're not already looking for your video membership card then I give up. What more do you want?

Worst script ever?

[gridoon · 1/10 · 21 August 2004]

The schlockiest, most unbelievable script ever written (yes, I'm exaggerating) turns into a gratuitously unpleasant horror film in the hands of Brian Yuzna, who makes it look AND sound like a cheap direct-to-video outing (which, of course, is exactly what it is). Even Bernsen's overacting can't save this terrible film. 0 out of 4 stars.

Bernsen is Excellent

[kayrannells · 7/10 · 20 October 2020]

A dentist goes insane when he finds out his wife is cheating on him with the pool boy and not only takes it out on them but on all his patients as well.

If you're not one for teeth trauma, The Dentist isn't the movie for you, but I found it really fun and exceptionally well made for a film of this type. It's completely anchored by Corbin Bernsen's fantastic performance as the title character. It's similar to Terry O' Quinn's performance in The Stepfather. They're both great at flipping from kind and pleasant to psychotic within the blink of an eye. Some great gore, too, and an early appearance by Mark Ruffalo.

Open up and say AHHHHHHHH!!!

[alexpeychev · 2/10 · 20 January 2021]

THE DENTIST is an uneven, but quite effective little horror comedy that tries (and succeeds) at easy audience manipulation! The universal fear of dental pain will be amplified after just one viewing of this gorefest!

Great! Not for weak stomachs...

[Wizard-8 · 8/10 · 13 November 1998]

The team that brought you "Reanimator" made this intriguing horror movie that's quite different than the style of their past films. Movie is more concerned with building up to a select few "shock" scenes and the exploration of the mental breakdown of the title figure. However, the time spent on this material between the "shock" scenes is never boring, and actually has some genuine humor. Be warned, though - the eventual gore scenes are *extremely* stomach-churning, even for those who laughed at movies like "Dead-Alive". (Strangely, the most repulsive scene in the movie has no gore in it.) It's hard to believe this movie got an "R" and not "NC-17"! T.D. is a lot of fun, and I can't wait to see the sequel!

Not "Society," but Pretty Darn Good

[captainpass · 6/10 · 23 December 2021]

I really enjoyed Yuzna's "Society," which I view as a rather clever send off to the 80s: A satire of sorts in which an outsider teen chases the unobtainable girl, engages with his wacky friends and confronts a family that is increasingly alien to him. The tropes were John Hughes; but the special effects were Stan Winston: straight out of the animatronics and puppet cabinet of that time. It was very clever (and rather gross!)

"The Dentist" is not that film. There is almost no social commentary; and frankly it plays rather straight forward: Corbin Bernsen's "Alan" is the titular main character who becomes unhinged when his trophy wife takes up with the pool boy. There is a pretense that Alan is obsessed with ridding the world of dirt and decay (get it?!) Thus his wife's actions set loose a screw that has long been barely secured inside of him. But that's pretty thin as plot devices go.

So, original? Certainly not. But the cast is wonderful, and the dark humor make it worth the watch (like "Society," this film includes some running gags and camera work that presage the likes of "Scrubs" and "Malcolm ITM." Look for "Sarah" and the IRS agent.)

So why is "The Dentist" listed in IMdb as straight horror? Got me. It is definitely horror-comedy as far as I am concerned. Yes, it is gory, but a great deal of that is centered on the good doctor lapsing into a psychological rage as he works. Anyone who has ever visited a dentist will cringe.

Boring gore

[CharltonBoy · 4/10 · 10 October 1999]

I only knew of this movie while flicking through some cable channels on a rainy day in my hotel room in Florida. I started watching it simply because it was so weird. The dentist really does not have any sensible storyline to speak of, it's just an excuse for the horror make up artists to have their day. Leave this film well alone unless your into gore then you will love it. 4 out of 10