Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Extreme
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- grisly
- grotesque
- darkly comic
- late night horror marathon
- cult movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly regarded the film as an over-the-top but poorly written horror-comedy whose grotesque dental imagery and Corbin Bernsen's performance provide its main appeal.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Alan's profession makes drilling, extraction, mouths, and patient treatment the recurring source of grotesque set pieces.
The film uses over-the-top images of mouths being desecrated and exaggerated makeup to create grisly, darkly comic spectacle.
Alan's discovery of infidelity coincides with a breakdown in which his dental practice and personal life become filtered through suspicion and psychosis.
Alan's response to Brooke's affair drives his transformation from successful dentist into a murderous predator.
Films like The Dentist, and why
Society
shared body horror, grotesque practical effects, black humor, and a professional protagonist's psychological collapse
Re-Animator
shared splatter horror, surreal grotesquerie, dark comedy, and an over-the-top descent into madness
The Stepfather
shared domestic betrayal, murderous obsession, psychological instability, and grimly comic horror
The Little Shop of Horrors
shared dentist-centered anxiety, graphic oral imagery, and horror-comedy treatment of bodily violation
Movie Details
- Director
- Brian Yuzna
- Release Date
- 1996-06-07
- Runtime
- 92 min
- Rating
- 5.5 / 10 (345)
Cast
- Corbin Bernsen
- Linda Hoffman
- Michael Stadvec
- Ken Foree
- Tony Noakes
- Molly Hagan
- Christa Sauls
- Lise Simms
- Mark Ruffalo
- Patty Toy
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- AMC+ Amazon Channel, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Dentist about?
- A respected dentist’s discovery of marital infidelity mutates into a grotesque, darkly comic descent toward murder.
- What is The Dentist like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Dentist as brisk, its intensity as extreme and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Dentist violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Dentist as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Dentist?
- Critics broadly regarded the film as an over-the-top but poorly written horror-comedy whose grotesque dental imagery and Corbin Bernsen's performance provide its main appeal.
- Which films are like The Dentist?
- Films with a similar feel include Society, Re-Animator, The Stepfather, and The Little Shop of Horrors.
- How long is The Dentist?
- The Dentist runs 92 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Dentist?
- In United States, The Dentist streams on AMC+ Amazon Channel, MovieSphere+ Amazon Channel.
