Bad Tooth (2026) Review – It’s A F*****g Amazing Body Horror

I had no idea what to expect when I entered Bad Tooth, as I deliberately avoided researching its synopsis prior to viewing.

While the title indicated that I would encounter a tooth-related issue, I had no clue whether I was about to view a horror, horror-comedy, or a bizarre drama.

I did not anticipate a dark, quasi-psychological body horror featuring a monstrous tooth. The film focuses upon Alex, a burned-out gig worker whose life is already spiraling downward prior to his development of a severe toothache. Alex exhibits a great deal of isolation, and Josh Burge effectively portrays Alex as a defeated individual who appears to be barely able to maintain his composure.

The scenes where he hallucinates his ex girlfriend are short but feed us more into Alex’s character and psychee, the assumption that they broke up due to an abortion and this is possibly a huge regret as he longingly looks at her social media profile adds a slight more depth and detail to Alex.

Even though Bad Tooth only has approximately fifteen minutes to tell its story, the creators were able to include a significant amount of character development within such a limited time frame.

Soooo, the tooth itself. Is it authentic? Is Alex experiencing a mental breakdown? Did his tooth literally crawl out of his mouth and transform into a monster? As stated earlier, I am still uncertain as to whether or not it is authentic, and I enjoy that aspect of the film.

Regardless of what type of being it is, it resembles a hybrid of a xenomorph and an enraged tadpole. I assume that the long tail is the root of the tooth; however, once the tooth began to move around, I did not particularly care about its anatomical structure. What truly distinguishes the creature is the utilization of practical effects. (Very Tom Saving)

There is no artificial-looking CGI monster bouncing around Alex’s apartment, and it is apparent that a substantial amount of effort was placed upon physically producing the creature. A moment occurs where we receive an exceptional view of the creature sitting out in the open space of the apartment, almost as if the filmmakers are proud to display their craftsmanship. And rightfully so! It appears outstanding.

Considering that M. Dara Alavi has a background in special effects and visual effects, his ability to produce such impressive visuals is logical.

Bad Tooth successfully induces a feeling of discomfort. Individuals who have experienced excruciating tooth pain are unlikely to appreciate seeing forks and pliers approaching Alex’s oral cavity, and there were several times when I felt similar feelings of agony.

As the film progresses from a relatively grounded narrative regarding a lonely individual battling adversity, it transforms into something much more grotesque without abruptly transitioning into a distinctly different film.

There are undoubtedly additional layers present underneath the surface as well. According to Alavi, the creature emerged from Alex’s deteriorating existence and the untreated wounds that Alex allowed to fester, which added an additional dimension to what we observe without detracting from the monster-movie aspects of the film. Although I lacked this knowledge at the time I viewed the film, I believe this is crucial.

Prior to learning of the filmmaker’s intentions, I was able to identify that Alex may be experiencing a breakdown and interpret the creature in my own manner.

When Bad Tooth concluded, I viewed the addition materials. Not due to the fact that the short appears unfinished, but because in roughly fifteen minutes it introduces Alex, provides us with sufficient information regarding Alex’s miserable existence for us to care about what transpires with him, releases this utterly insane creature, and leaves behind a much larger universe for me to discover.

Upon realising that M. Dara Alavi has been working on a feature-length film in conjunction with the short, it made sense.

It was fucking amazing.

That is essentially how I summarise my review using four words.

There are moments when there is no need to dress up your opinion with film criticism jargon. I went into Bad Tooth completely blind and left wanting a feature-length film.

Provide me with more Alex. Provide me with more of this world. Provide me with more of that deranged little tooth-monster. Simply provide me with the damn film. Five stars. Easily.