Director: Louisa Warren
Year: 2021
Country: United Kingdom
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Supernatural Slasher
Plot:
Embarking on a trip with her friends, a woman stumbles across a book said to be able to summon the spirit of the Tooth Fairy which they decide to do for laughs, but when they start disappearing realize they’ve brought it back for real and must rely on a survivor to bring about its true defeat.
Review:
Overall, this was a likable and somewhat enjoyable franchise entry. One of the better elements here is the typically straightforward setup that carries on the franchises’ tradition rather nicely. Offering up the expected trip out to a remote house in the countryside as the central means of getting them together, it starts this off well enough while also serving as a means of getting the cursed summoning book into their hands. Learning that the incantation is genuine as they absent-mindedly go through the ritual, this all provides a lot to like while also having plenty of fun with the antics of the group of friends that genuinely provide the feeling that they are close mates which is quite rare.
As well, there’s also a lot to like here with the fun means through which the killer spirit carries out its rampage. Focusing on dental trauma moreso than most other entries in the series so far, the opening assault on the teenagers or the fantastic temptation attempt on the boyfriend manages to bring about more fun than expected with teeth being a big part of the angles featured. This continues on throughout the rest of the film with scenes here featuring the killer targeting the victim’s mouth for kills, either bashing their face against hard surfaces, using extraction devices to torture or rip teeth out, and generally providing some brutal encounters alongside the standard shock ambushes. These here generate quite a lot to like with this one.
There’s not much wrong here but it does have some minor drawbacks. The biggest issue here is the near-total absence of the being for the entire first half of the film, as after the opening assault there’s only a single fleeting image of it on-screen until nearly the hour mark which makes for a highly distressing and problematic time here. Despite all the fun this generates with the friend group bemoaning their lack of free time being around their parents or the dad coming to terms with the fact that the spirit he originally defeated might be back, there’s hardly anything about the killer spirit until the film is half over so that can lead to a rather sluggish and painful start for some.
The other issue here is a strange storyline that involves the father encountering a woman from his past whom he encountered the spirit with. The idea is quite fun and tends to add a nice depth to the first half featuring the reveal that he confronted and defeated it, but this plotline is never really integrated into the film beyond bringing it up numerous times over a somewhat lame scare attempt with the victim thinking the Tooth Fairy has returned with the disembodied voice speaking to them. That’s really all it does with this tactic and even including a secondary tactic with the stranger who also survived but is still living in the town which ends up going nowhere leading to its inclusion being suspect. These are what drive this one down.
Overview: ***.5/5
A fun franchise entry without a lot of real flaws, this one comes off quite enjoyable overall which helps to make for a wholly enjoyable time over the few flaws present. Those who are fans of this style of indie feature, have enjoyed the previous entries in the franchise, or are fans of the creative crew will have the most to like here while only those that don’t like the style or approach taken here will want to heed caution with it.
This review ran as part of our 2023 Women in Horror Month celebrations. Click the banner below to check out the rest of our month-long celebrations including various reviews and interviews:
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