For many of us, going to the dentist is a terrifying experience with or without the element of Halloween in the mix. It’s not enjoyable, in any fashion, to have someone’s hands in your mouth for any amount of time as you’re stuck trying to make small talk without biting a finger or drooling all over yourself.
Even if your dentist is the most incredibly kind person ever, it’s just not a comfortable experience at all.
So it comes as no surprise that the dentist is a thing someone would make a horror film about. It’s already scary; fans will go into it with an anxious and apprehensive feeling. Even though dentists are usually quite lovely people — it can be easy to make them have an ulterior motive when it comes to a horror film.
That being said, there aren’t as many dental scary movies as you might imagine, but there is one that will leave you feeling all sorts of emotions. The Dentist, a 1996 slasher film, has a simple but effective scary tagline: “It’s been six months. Time for your check-up.”
The synopsis for the film is quite creepy too, reading as follows:
Dr. Alan Feinstone is a rich and successful Beverly Hills dentist. There’s only one problem, he’s insane. Dr Feistone loves perfection, and he expects it from everyone. Unfortunately, no one is perfect. This unacceptable fact annoys the good doctor and leads him to commit his one small imperfection: murder.
Mark Ruffalo plays a man named Steve Landers in the movie, and it’s quite a different experience than you’re used to seeing Ruffalo in. While he’s not got a starring role, his character impacts the crazed dentist after he attacks an employee of Steve’s.
If the movie seems like just the off-the-wall film you want to add to your Halloween watch list, you’re in luck. You can watch The Dentist on Tubi and Amazon Prime.