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.

TEETH is a dumb comedy horror film with an outrageous premise and shockingly poor execution. Obviously shot on the cheap in a couple of outdoor locations and somebody's home, this was written and directed by the unlikely-monikered Mitchell Lichtenstein, and has a single-sentence set-up: a teenage girl's vagina has teeth.

There's no more plot to the film than that, and it's a singularly unwieldy premise to deal with. As you'd expect, there are a fair share of eye-watering gross-out moments here that will make any male viewers wince, but other than the cheap gore effects, TEETH has very little going for it. The characterisation is non-existent and the entire cast seem to give humdrum performances, particularly lead actress Jess Weixler.

The pacing is very slow, the humour is non-existent, and there's never a sense of horror or menace. In fact, it's just very silly. I guess they could have made this a parable about puberty or a metaphor for a girl coming to terms with her burgeoning sexuality or something but instead TEETH misses the mark throughout and is oddly toothless as a result.

In the shadow of the nuclear power plant, Dawn O'Keefe (Jess Weixler) grew up with a hidden mutation. During childhood, her mutation bit her stepbrother Brad's finger. In school, Dawn leads an abstinence group. She falls for Tobey but she is restricted by her curse. She joins him at the local swimming hole. He forces himself on her leading to dire incident.

This surprised me with a couple of good laughs. It's mostly derived from Jess Weixlet's dead-pan serious performance. She's great and pulls off the ridiculous material. There are a few shocking scenes like the gynecologist scene and the dismembered members that deliver uncomfortable fun. This world could add a little more to the build. She could use a female best friend and more time with her mother.