Howard Karren of Premiere pointed out to me that TEETH is a kind of upside down horror film. Usually the sexuality in a scary movie is in the subtext. The teenagers screw and then the guy in a mask or with knives on his fingers comes in and slashes 'em. In this film, writer/ director Mitchell Lichtenstein eliminates the middleman and gets right to it. His leading character, Dawn, cuts you right while you're having sex with her. Vagina Dentata is not a song from "The Lion King," but rather a female sexual part that works like a cigar trimmer, only on a schlong.
Nearly all the men in the film are jerks and/or rapists. Dawn goes from being a virgin to getting raped pretty much all of the time. Once we get going with rape #1 (a date rape), the film never loses its momentum as we watch scene after scene of men getting their fingers or joints julienned.
I had a great time at TEETH. Lichtenstein is a really funny guy and does a wonderful job with his actors, particularly Jess Weixler, who gives a winning performance as Dawn. I identified with Dawn completely, which might seem weird, but it isn't, because Weixler is so sympathetic and sweet in the role. Equally great was John Hensley as her brutish step-brother. Hensley is very funny while at the same time is truly frightening, not an easy trick to pull off. He was so effectively scary that I couldn't believe it when I looked in his bio and found out he played Meadow Soprano's nice-guy high school boyfriend, Eric. It's a big relief to find out that Hensley is a very good actor and not an actual psychopath.
With TEETH, Lichtenstein has made the kind of film that is so rarely found at Sundance: something the whole family can enjoy.
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