1996’s The Dentist will ensure you never feel comfortable in a dentist’s chair again.
Hardly anyone likes going to the dentist for a check-up. There’s something inherently alien about having another person poking around in your mouth. When the possibility of pain is involved, it’s even less appealing. Capitalizing on that dread you experience every six months, 1996’s The Dentist will ensure you never feel comfortable in a dentist’s chair again. That is, if you ever did in the first place.
Dr. Alan Feinstone (Corbin Bernsen) runs a thriving dental practice in Los Angeles. He lives in a posh house, has a beautiful wife, Brooke (Linda Hoffman,) and drives an expensive car. But Dr. Feinstone isn’t exactly having a good day. The IRS wants to audit him and he catches Brooke cheating with the pool guy.
Already on the brink of madness, this bad morning pushes him over the edge. Experiencing rage-induced hallucinations, Dr. Feinstone embarks on a crime and murder spree that involves his patients, his wife, the pool guy, and the neighbor, and her dog. Initially believing the dog’s death to be related to a string of burglaries in the area, Detective Gibbs (Ken Foree) and his partner, Detective Sunshine (Tony Noakes,) stumble into something much more complicated.
Most of the film takes place in the very 90s looking dentist’s office. The supporting cast who play Dr. Feinstone’s long-suffering staff create a believable work environment. At least, until their off-the-rails boss shows up and destroys it one patient at a time. Corbin Bernsen’s unhinged performance as the compulsive and narcissistic Dr. Feinstone is the centerpiece of the movie. His delusional battle to rid the world of filth through dentistry produces some epic dialogue. For instance, “I am an instrument of perfection and hygiene, the enemy of decay and corruption. A dentist. And I have a lot of work to do.”
Directed by Brian Yuzna (Society) and co-written by Stuart Gordon (Stuck,) one might be tempted to interpret The Dentist as some kind of social commentary. If taken as such, it might be perceived as a misfire. But, viewed as a high concept horror plot, it works.
Although frequently seen as a slasher movie, The Dentist differs from most genre films because the majority of the victims willingly come to the villain rather than being hunted down. There’s a trust factor that is chillingly abused by Dr. Feinstone. Although the kills are gruesome and gory, they’re also rooted (no pun intended) in the realism of the environment in which they take place. It might not be scary per se, but some scenes will stick with you for a bit afterwards. Especially the next time you are sitting in the waiting room of your neighborhood tooth-yanker.
3.0 out of 5.0 stars
