5.8 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Dr. Feinstone has everything, a beautiful wife and a successful career in dentistry; but when he discovers his wife's affair, he realizes that behind every clean, white surface lies the stench of decay. Having gone insane, he enacts cruel dental torture on his patients.
Starring: Corbin Bernsen, Linda Hoffman, Ken Foree, Tony Noakes, Molly HaganHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 20% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
English, English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 3.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of
The Dentist Collection from Lionsgate Film's Vestron Video imprint.
There are a number of rather interesting online polls whose "scientific accuracy" may be questionable (at the very least), but which nonetheless
provide rather telling data
that when respondents are asked who is more frightening, doctors or dentists, dentists win by a landslide. As "wide" as the area covered and
possible horrifying
symptoms potentially "available" to any number of doctors, for some reason having someone tool around in the relatively claustrophobic confines of
a
mouth seems to put a lot of people decidedly more on edge, and both of The Dentist films play to that fear. Both films are
unabashedly
hyperbolic and feature a gonzo performance by Corbin Bernsen, who in one of the supplements included in this set talks about wanting to erase the
"straight and narrow" strictures of his character on L.A. Law, which he
definitely accomplishes, for better or worse. Crazy dentists (or
at least quasi-dentists) have been part and parcel of any number of films ranging from Little Shop of Horrors to
Marathon Man, but both of The Dentist films take things to even more extreme levels in terms of "malpractice", as the
dentist
in these outings is a certified psychopath whose mental and emotional breakdown lead to an accruing body count.
The Dentist is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Vestron Video's Collector's Series, an imprint of Lionsgate Films, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.77:1. As is typical with these Vestron Video releases, there's no technical information imparted on the cover other than a generic "digitally restored". This is a somewhat variable looking presentation that can look pretty darned fantastic in more brightly lit moments featuring close-ups (some skewed with things like fisheye lenses, supposedly to indicate Feinstone's unraveling), but which can also be on the noisy side in lower light situations. A lot of this transfer struck me as just a tad too bright, which may elevate a certain unnatural quality to the grain resolution. There are recurrent if minor signs of age related wear and tear. The aspect ratio is a bit strange (both of these films actually share that, though in different directions, as it were), and if you look closely, you can see just a hair of a black bar going down the left side of this transfer which keeps things from being 1.78:1. My score is 3.25.
The Dentist features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track that capably supports a film that has occasional flights of fancy with regard to sound design, especially in the scenes featuring "in your mouth" moments, but which frankly doesn't offer really ambitious sonic architecture. Alan Howarth's score sounds full bodied, and dialogue is always rendered cleanly and clearly. Optional English and Spanish subtitles are available.
Some of the supplements on this disc offer at times kind of comically surprised reactions that this film has a cult following, and for those who have been waiting with bated breath for this on Blu-ray, my hunch is this will suffice perfectly well even if some technical merits could be improved. The supplements are especially enjoyable for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
1998
2012
Unrated Director's Cut
2009
Unrated
2010
Unrated Edition
2006
2015
Legions of the Dead
2011
1972
Collector's Edition
2019
2015
2013
1988
2021
2012
Uncut
2013
1998
2016
Uncut
2008
Unrated
2010
2009