Horror/suspense filmmakers seem to be running out of occupations to plunder. We've had everything from nannies (THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE) and secretaries (THE TEMP) to surgeons (DR. GIGGLES and THE SURGEON) and now, dentists. Personally, with a girlfriend that earns her keep as an oral surgeon, I had mixed feelings about watching Corbin Bernsen (pit-stopping in straight-to-video-land while they polish the MAJOR LEAGUE: BACK IN THE MINORS script) ripping out more than impacted wisdom teeth!

Bernsen's dentist is a cleanliness-obsessed tooth-cleaner whose immaculate existence (hot wife, porcelain-colored car, white clothes, gleaming home) is shattered by the discovery of his wife's marital transgressions with...the pool boy. As the enemy of decay and corruption, Bernsen slowly descends into madness while exacting revenge on his enemies -- both real and imagined.

Admittedly, I wasn't expecting much from this outing, despite the creative presence of the folks behind RE-ANIMATOR, my all-time favorite horror flick. Brian Yuzna, who produced that epic and directed the inferior sequel BRIDE OF THE RE-ANIMATOR, helms this outing; and Dennis Paoli and Stuart Gordon share screenwriting credits. Luckily, their contributions keep THE DENTIST from becoming a mish-mash of episodic, implimental death. Instead, Bernsen slowly slips into a full-blown, rage-fueled psychosis complete with lines like, "You don't know what it's like. The discipline, the long hours, the lack of respect in a world that ignores dental hygiene!" and "Pain is an abstract emotion -- it has to be managed."

An entertaining flick that also features Molly Hagan as Bernsen's long-suffering hygienist, Ken Foree (DAWN OF THE DEAD, LEATHERFACE: TCM 3, among others) as the cop following the dentist's trail of death, and Earl ("Hey! It's that guy!") Boen as a pesky IRS agent looking to swing a deal with the good doctor.