The Dentist (1996)

Directed by Brian Yuzna. Starring Corbin Bernsen, Linda Hoffman, Molly Hagan, Patty Toy, Virginya Keehne, Michael Stadvec, Lise Simms, Christa Sauls, Ken Foree, Tony Noakes, Jan Hoag, Mark Ruffalo, Earl Boen. [R]

An already sick and controlling D.D.S. goes full-blown psychotic after learning his wife is fooling around with the pool boy, proceeds to torture and kill various patients, staff members, etc. A peculiar misfire in the realm of psycho-killer horror—by not adhering to expectations and paying tribute to the familiar tropes, it disappoints repeatedly. Scenes of abominable oral grue are likely to make even the most hardened of gorehounds flinch and recoil, but the deranged dentist’s murder methods are less interesting (strangulation with pantyhose, slashing with a knife, shooting a doggy with a pistol). Bernsen doesn’t go quite far enough over the cliff to be a truly memorable lunatic, but he has his moments, and it looks like he’s into it a little bit instead of just doing it solely for the paycheck. Followed by a sequel.

38/100