Wow, what a rough night for movies. For those of you who haven't read my review of Haunted Highway, check it out in order to fully understand what I went through last night, with my DTV horror selections. I think you'd be hard pressed to find to worse films to endure over the course of one evening. If I had been watching these movies alone, I probably would have dealt myself some physical damage, because it certainly would have been more enjoyable than what I was watching onscreen.
The titular ‘Tooth Fairy' is a witch who, years ago, collected the teeth of children. Once those teeth were collected, the children were slaughtered, rather violently. Needless to say, a group of people involved with a soon to be re-opened Bed and Breakfast will arouse the wrath of this ‘Tooth Fairy'. That's pretty much the basic story, as people are dispatched in some particularly gruesome ways, which is certainly to the film's benefit.
The films biggest flaw is the characters completely unbelievable reactions to the events which are unfolding. Every time a body is found, Lochlyn Munro pokes around the body with his flashlight, with a look on his face that suggests he's thinking only, “Hmmmmm. What's going on?” Keep in mind, there's a body that's somehow been shredded or sliced into a disgusting mess, right under his nose. Not exactly what I would consider a believable reaction; however, it is not limited only to the performances, the written reactions are just as bad. A weak script and poor acting are certainly a recipe for disaster.
The director, Chuck Bowman, has very limited experience directing films. He's been involved with television since the late 70's, but his lack of experience is certainly on display. To the director's credit, many scenes throughout this film are well polished and quite professional, but what always stands out is what was done wrong. In this case it is a very amateurish and completely unnecessary use of slow-motion. Not only does it showcase the director's lack of experience, but it also serves to further discredit an already amateurish production.
It's amazing what we desensitized horror fans can and can't tolerate. We've been subjected to years of terrible violence in movies; Italian horror from Dario Argento, and Lucio Fulci; movies like Cannibal Holocaust, and the like. But it seems as though nothing fazes us. However, there are still things that make me cringe – needles, for one, especially in eyes. I even found myself cringing as the Tooth Fairy pulled out a young boy's tooth. Strange how that works – just figured I'd mention it. Anyway…