Check Out the Trailer

When I first saw the trailer for this film, I was shocked and amazed that someone went there. If it were played as a straight horror film, the movie, dealing with man-eating vaginas, seemed ridiculous. And the laughs that permeated the theater underlined the thoughts of misogyny and cheese that we all felt. However, this campy horror comedy is actually a modern twist on the vagina dentata lore, changing the male-centric fear of female sexuality into a female-centric empowerment tale.

Dawn (Jess Weixler, LITTLE MANHATTAN) is a very conservative high school student who is a leader in a teen abstinence organization called The Promise. She is ridiculed for her prudish ways at school, but stays true to her beliefs. However, she discovers something strange about her genitalia when her sexual feelings are first awakened by fellow Promise member Tobey (Hale Appleman, upcoming HOLY ROLLERS). So when Tobey’s faith wavers, Dawn discovers just how deadly her mutation can be. Along the course of her sexual awakening, she will run across a stream of the worst of the male species including her rocker step-brother Brad (John Hensley, TV’s NIP/TUCK), who has been harboring a secret ever since he was young.

Weixler’s performance is a mix between straight and campy, which fits the tone perfectly. First-time director/writer Mitchell Lichtenstein couldn’t have found a better lead for his difficult material. Lichtenstein captures the world of Promise-like groups, where even normal sexual thoughts are unhealthily repressed, astutely. The original lore highlights the fear of castration and a brave hero’s need to tame the “mysterious dark cave.” In TEETH, vagina dentata is viewed as female sexual power and a defense mechanism against the very misogynistic views that made up the original myth. Another key to the film’s success is that there are some good guys along with the many bad ones. If all men were pigs, the effectiveness would have been undermined. For a film dealing with vicious vaginas, it doesn’t skimp on the penis shots, which make up a majority of the squeamish sections. The combo of sex and gore reminded me of RE-ANIMATOR in many ways.

Lichtenstein takes a demeaning legend and twists the tale transforming Dawn into an avenging angel. She will rid the Earth of every jerk, one penis at a time. For the iconic imagery hound, the film is teeming with new members to the canon. While this is certainly a film for a select audience, horror fans and the cinematic adventurous will discover great things hidden within this often hilarious and certainly outrageous film.

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