Ever had such a toothache that even the thought of toughing it out at the dentist seems preferable to the pain? What happens if you completely lose control before you can get there, and it takes over your life? That’s the idea behind Bad Tooth, a gnarly new horror film from writer-director Matt Alavi and former artists and colleagues from Legacy Effects, the company responsible for bringing monsters like Alien: Romulus and The Shape of Water to life.
The film, which is set to shoot in Los Angeles this summer, stars Joshua Burge as “Alex, a burnt-out freelancer with mounting pressure from every side, faces a relentless toothache that won't go away. As he desperately needs rest before a job interview, his sleepless night morphs into a surreal nightmare. The ache transforms into something monstrous – a creature born as much from his decayed tooth, as his self-neglect and insecurities. Forced to confront his fears, Alex's battle with the creature “Chip” becomes a twisted allegory about one's self-destruction in the face of life's pressures.”
Written and directed by Alavi, a special effects artist who’s worked on films like Lisa Frankenstein and The Suicide Squad, Bad Tooth is produced by animatronic designer Peter Clarke and Legacy Effects’ Damon Weathers, who also serves as first assistant director, with associate producers Cole Taylor and Caroline Heinle.
Stephen St. Peter serves as cinematographer on Bad Tooth, with Darnell Isom as creature effects supervisor, Pedro Henrique Santos as VFX supervisor, Nicholas Winstead as the film’s special effects artist, and Adam Milan Milicevic in charge of production design. The film is currently in the process of casting its secondary leads.
Bad Tooth has not yet set a release date. Check out some behind the scenes images from the film down below:
