In this episode of Pop Culture Beast’s Halloween Horror Picks, I talk about a 90s horror flick from the people who brought you Re-Animator (1985) and Society (1989) that is guaranteed to make you squirm – The Dentist (1996)!
Directed by Brian Yuzna, The Dentist was written by Charles Finch, and Dennis Paoli & Stuart Gordon. It stars Corbin Bernsen, Linda Hoffman, Ken Foree, Molly Hagan, Patty Toy, Jan Hoag, Virginya Keehne, Earl Boen, Christa Sauls, and a young Mark Ruffalo.
It was scored by Alan Howarth (who also handled the film’s excellent special sound effects), and features goopy practical effects work by Sharknado director Anthony C. Ferrante. The sound and visual effects in this movie are fantastic!
The film’s concept is simple: Armed with various dental instruments, an insane dentist (Bernsen) terrorizes his wife, staff and clients. A tight script and solid performances from Corbin Bernsen and the supporting cast keeps the movie interesting.
The Dentist is a a lot of fun, with a better than average cast and crew, and a great premise. Everyone has probably had at least one bad trip to the dentist, and this movie plays off those experiences with chilling and entertaining results. Be sure to leave a comment here or in the YouTube comment section and tell us your worst dentist horror stories. I’m sure many of you have some good ones, and I’d really like to read them!
In my opinion, The Dentist is an imperfect movie that doesn’t always work, but it also benefits from all of the aforementioned elements. If you’re a fan of Stuart Gordon or Brian Yuzna, but haven’t yet seen The Dentist, you really owe it to yourself to give it a look. I rate it 6/10.
Look for new episodes of Pop Culture Beast’s Halloween Horror Picks every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in October! You can watch past episodes HERE.
More Horror picks from the demented editors of Pop Culture Beast here
Ryan Stockstad is a Los Angeles filmmaker with a passion for horror, documentary and experimental cinema. He has written articles for HC Magazine, Mostly Harmless Magazine and various blogs and websites. He has lectured on topics as diverse as low budget filmmaking, short story structure, and the influence of the Spanish Civil War on surrealist cinema. He hosts new episodes of Pop Culture Beast's Halloween Horror Picks every Monday, Wednesday and Friday in October.