The Dentist (1996) KILL COUNT

The Dentist (1996) — Kill Count Recap

James A. Janisse recaps The Dentist, a grimy, over-the-top horror film about Dr. Alan Feinstone, a wealthy dentist whose life unravels after he catches his wife, Brooke, kissing Matt, the pool boy. Alan’s jealousy and obsessive visions of rotten teeth turn his dental practice into a nightmare, complete with themed treatment rooms and increasingly gruesome procedures.

Highlights

The Kill Count highlights Alan’s committed performance, the film’s lurid visual style, and its relentless dental gore. James’s jokes help cut through the nastiness: he calls Alan the “depressed Walt Disney of dentistry,” riffs on the themed rooms, and pokes fun at the cops, the tax-evasion subplot, and the movie’s dental puns.

One particularly uncomfortable sequence has Alan assaulting beauty queen April while she is sedated. Later, he murders Matt and strangles his employee Jessica with pantyhose. Karen’s death—Alan killing her with an air-filled syringe—is singled out as the coolest and most memorable.

Ending and Kill Count

As the police close in, Alan’s delusions worsen. Teenage patient Sarah escapes, and the wounded IRS agent Marvin helps her despite his ruined mouth. Alan flees to a dental school and urges students to start extracting teeth, but he is arrested after a final breakdown.

The film circles back to the padded room from its opening. Brooke visits Alan, seemingly taking her own dental revenge.

• Human deaths: 3 — Matt, Jessica, and Karen
• Excluded death: The dog Alan shoots
• Survivor: Marvin
• Golden Chainsaw: Karen, for the coolest death
• Dull Machete: Jessica, for the least impressive death

Personalities Featured

James A. Janisse (host); Dr. Alan Feinstone, Brooke, Matt, Paula, April Reign, Sarah, Jessica, Karen, Marvin Goldbloom, and Detective Gibbs.