Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		2.5

The Dentist Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 19, 2023

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.

Some of the supplements included in this set get into the genesis and subsequent development of The Dentist, which may then beg the question as to a certain lack of development in the story, given all the tweaking that was evidently done. The film is told in flashback from the confines of a padded cell occupied by one Dr. Alan Feinstone (Corbin Bernsen), whom director Brian Yuzna repeatedly describes as "an unreliable narrator" in his commentary track. Feinstone begins relating his apparently recent history, though the film's screenplay kind of weirdly doles out apparently important plot tidbits in a somewhat haphazard fashion, which may make the completely villainous behavior on the part of Feinstone seem a bit unmotivated.

Feinstone is already seen to be a control freak with his wife Brooke (Linda Hoffman), and when Feinstone soon finds her cavorting with the smarmy pool boy, he pretty much goes berserk, though the film has a bit of a cheat in that regard, at least for a little while. Much later in the story, an IRS agent named Marvin Goldblum (Earl Boen) shows up and delivers even more bad news to Feinstone, though that plot element arrives so far into the story and seemingly out of nowhere that it basically seems to serve no other purpose than to give Feinstone yet another victim into which dental appliances can be inserted and various other items, including things like, you know, teeth and tongues, can be removed.

The Dentist in fact goes to almost preposterous lengths to give Feinstone a steady diet of victims. The film will probably delight gore fans due to some spectacularly bloody special effects work, some done rather cheekily (pun unavoidable) with a mutant sized mouth, as is disclosed in one of the supplements. Bernsen is just completely over the top here, which is probably the only way the character could be played, but when you start out at 11 (so to speak), there's not always a lot of room to up the volume further.

The Dentist Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

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.

The Dentist Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Audio Commentary with Director Brian Yuzna and Special Make Up Effects Supervisor Anthony C. Ferrante


• Isolated Score Selections Featuring an Audio Interview with Composer Alan Howarth and Director of Photography Levie Isaacks is presented in Dolby Digital 2.0.


• The Doctor is Insane (HD; 16:12) is an interview with Corbin Bernsen.


• Medical Malpractice (HD; 13:54) is an interview with co-writer Dennis Paoli.


• Mouths of Madness (HD; 17:25) is a really fun set of interviews with special effects artists Anthony C. Ferrante and J.M. (Josh) Logan.


• Trailer (HD; 1:55)


• Still Gallery (HD; 5:24)

The Dentist Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

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.