Teeth (2007)

Still a stranger to her own body, a high school student discovers she has a physical advantage when she becomes the object of male violence.

Director:

Mitchell Lichtenstein

Writer:

Mitchell Lichtenstein

Stars:

Jess Weixler, John Hensley, Josh Pais

2 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jess Weixler	...	Dawn
John Hensley	...	Brad
Josh Pais	...	Dr. Godfrey
Hale Appleman	...	Tobey
Lenny von Dohlen	...	Bill
Vivienne Benesch	...	Kim
Ashley Springer	...	Ryan
Laila Liliana Garro	...	Gwen (as Julia Garro)
Nicole Swahn	...	Melanie
Adam Wagner	...	Phil
Hunter Ulvog	...	Little Brad
Ava Ryen Plumb	...	Little Dawn
Trent Moore	...	Mr. Vincent
Mike Yager	...	Elliot
Nathan Parsons	...	Soda Spritzer

Storyline

Dawn grows up in the shadow of a nuclear power plant. In high school, while her biology class studies evolution, she realizes she may have a hidden curse, an "adaptation." She lives with her mom, step-father, and hard-edged step-brother. She likes Tobey, a guy at school, and he likes her. She takes a pledge to remain chaste until marriage, so they date in groups, watch G-rated films, and don't kiss, but the power of teen hormones is great, so temptation beckons. Dawn has an admirer in Ryan, and when when things have an unexpected twist with Tobey, she turns to Ryan for help. Will he be her mythical hero and rescue her? Or can she find her way as her own hero, turning the curse into an asset?

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Plot Keywords:

vagina dentata | high school | stepbrother | purity | temptation | 

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Taglines:

Every rose has its thorns.

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for disturbing sequences involving sexuality and violence, language and some drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site TFM Distribution [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 May 2008 (France)

Also Known As:

Teeth

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$36,530 (USA) (18 January 2008)

Gross:

$347,578 (USA) (6 March 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pierpoline Films, Teeth

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the filming of the first scene, many of the neighbors were protesting the film because they believed it to be a pornographic film.

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Goofs

At the beginning, in the first shot of dawn in the hallway right after she gives her speech, an extra walking by looks directly and obviously into the camera.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bill: Hey Brad, don't splash your sister.

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Crazy Credits

No man was harmed in the making of this film.

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Connections

References The Hunted (2005)

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Soundtracks

Far Too Long
Performed by Gigi Worth
Composed by Stephen Edwards & Gigi Worth
Courtesy of 5 Alarm Music

User Reviews

Leave it to Beaver!

The trend of imbuing horror films with a quirky sense of irony cribbed from the hell that is adolescence (think "Ghost World" with gore) may have finally run out of steam with "Teeth," a moderately impressive (though unspectacular) yet overly precious and self-aware stab at subverting the genre's gender roles. Writer-director Mitchell Lichtenstein's concept (a puritanical virgin who grows up next to a nuclear power plant discovers a mean set of incisors below the waist when her sexuality blooms) is intriguing, and some of the film's best moments possess a surreal quality that almost transforms the material into a metaphorical extension of Dawn's (Jess Weixler) awkward adjustment to womanhood. While much has been written about gender roles in the horror genre, "Teeth" cleverly manages to have its cake and eat it, too: Dawn is treated as a haplessly naive girl by every male she encounters; the males are predatory, would-be rapists. In films like "I Spit On Your Grave" and "Ms. 45," the female victims recover to enact revenge in an extreme manner--"Teeth" playfully subverts Freud's notion of "penis envy" by transforming male genitalia into a literal kiss of death; Dawn's encounters (while tinged with a sometimes groan-inducing, "Clueless"-styled humor) eventually contribute to her growth and maturity as a woman, to the point where she finally becomes master of her domain. While not great, "Teeth" is a worthwhile little sleeper with some food for thought.