Here’s the drill: In “The Dentist,” respected dentist Dr. Alan Feinstone had it all. A beautiful wife. A good life, and a successful practice. Feinstone is good at what he does, but he has one little hang-up: bad teeth. It drives him crazy. Really. On his trip there, he also learns that his wife is doing the pool boy.

As his life slowly becomes unraveled, Feinstone goes further and further over the edge, until he becomes a driller killer (now there was a horrible movie!). Before you can smile and say cheese, Feinstone is taking out his anger and paranoia on his patients and wife, turning them into dental freaks. Of course such behavior never goes unpunished, and Feinstone is eventually arrested and locked up in a maximum security prison for life.

Sure, and Jason always dies at the end of each “Friday the 13th” film. “The Dentist” was such a cult hit (my dentist can’t get enough of it) that a sequel was inevitable. Enter “The Dentist 2: Brace Yourself,” shot as a theatrical feature, but ending up as a pay cable premiere.

Now the sequel is out on video and DVD, and while the results aren’t nearly as appetizing as the original, there is enough here to warrant a look, especially for fans of the original. Corbin Bernsen returns as the notorious Feinstone, now serving his sentence in prison. It’s not long before he’s a free man (he uses a sharp instrument to secure his escape, and how he obtains this instrument is one of the film’s grosser moments), looking for a place to settle down and open up a new practice. He finds it in Paradise, a small, quaint community where like Cheers, everyone knows your name. When one of his caps comes loose, Feinstone subjects himself to the local dentist.

Shocked at the man’s medieval techniques, Feinstone kills him and then opens up a practice of his own. It’s not long before he’s up to his old tricks, turning the mouths of the locals into a nightmarish mess. He almost kills Clint Howard (almost only counts in horse shoes and hand grenades), but succeeds in killing off several people before the final credits roll, setting up yet another sequel. Twice is enough, thank you very much. “The Dentist 2” was directed by Brian Yuzna, whose work in the horror genre has been hit and miss. While his “Bride of Re-Animator” and “Return of the Living Dead 3” were hoots, his last film, “Progeny” (also reviewed on this site) was stale and uninteresting.

“The Dentist 2” isn’t groundbreaking, but at least he manages to keep the action moving and the body count high. Bernsen does fine as the demented dentist, while the rest of the cast rises to the occasion. Jillian McWhirter, who plays the object of Feinstone’s affection, is a Yuzna regular, also playing the lead in “Progeny.” I guess he uses her because she doesn’t mind taking off her clothes. You’re a big girl now, Jillian, you don’t have to get naked in every film.

The special effects are appropriately disgusting, and anyone with a fear of dentists will find themselves squirming in their seats.

COMPLETE CHECK-UP

VISION: [ X ] 20/20 [ ] Good [ ] Cataracts [ ] Blind

Clean transfer provides for a sharp, vivid image, with excellent color saturation, impenetrable blacks and flattering flesh tones. Delivered in the film’s original 1.85:1 widescreen ratio, the DVD is also enhanced at 16:9 for widescreen televisions. Hardly a trace of compression artifacts, and no pixelation or noise.

HEARING: [ X ] Excellent [ ] Minor Hearing Loss [ ] Needs Hearing Aid [ ] Deaf

Even though it’s only a 2.0 Dolby Stereo, the soundtrack of “The Dentist” rocks. Loud, booming basses, crisp high ends, and a strong, directional dialogue mix add up to a pleasing effort. No noticeable hiss or distortion. The stereo split isn’t definitive, but that’s not a problem with this film.

ORAL: [ X ] Excellent [ ] Good [ ] Poor

Closed Captions in English for the Hard of Hearing, subtitles in French and Spanish.

COORDINATION: [ ] Excellent [ X ] Good [ ] Clumsy [ ] Weak

The DVD features standard issue main and scene access menus, cast & crew bio & filmographies, plus the original theatrical trailer. Click on the Trimark logo on the main menu to access two other theatrical trailers, “The Dentist” and “Dead Alive.”

PROGNOSIS: [ ] Excellent [ X ] Fit [ ] Will Live [ ] Resuscitate [ ] Terminal

Open wide for another tongue ripping experience.

VITALS: $24.95/Rated R/98 Minutes/Color/24 Chapter Stops/Keepcase/#VM7010D

ATTENDING RESIDENT: John Larsen

PATIENT: THE DENTIST 2: BRACE YOURSELF

BIRTH DATE: 1999

HMO: Trimark Home Video

This entry was posted on Thursday, January 15th, 2004 at 6:06 am and is filed under Film Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.