Horror Movie Review: Tooth Fairy: Queen of Pain (2022)

Just when you thought we were done with the tooth-based shenanigans, the Tooth Fairy returns for another appointment. Once again directed by Louisa Warren with a screenplay by Ben Daly, Tooth Fairy: Queen of Pain aka Toothfairy 4: Reborn is a reboot of the franchise. You can read our reviews of the franchise so far below.

Tooth Fairy
Return of the Tooth Fairy
Tooth Fairy: The Last Extraction

Starring Paula Coiz, Samantha Cull, Genna Loskutnikov, Giedre Jackyte, Marcus Massey and Jo Barker. Tooth Fairy: Queen of Pain shifts the story from something supernatural to something more realistic. Albeit, with a liberal amount of fantasy, it is a horror movie after all.

Forget the Corey story of the past three films, Tooth Fairy: Queen of Pain has a new cast to focus on. A group of teachers who have taken their children on a trip to an isolated house in the mountains. Unfortunately for them, a local asylum has lost one of their most dangerous inmates. A lunatic infamous for murdering their victims and taking their teeth. A tooth fairy so to speak.

The cosy break that the teachers had planned for the kids is about to go off the rails.

A major step-up in almost every department, Tooth Fairy: Queen of Pain is an important refresh of the franchise. The original trio of the Tooth Fairy movies were poor, at times exceptionally poor, so there’s an argument that Tooth Fairy: Queen of Pain didn’t have to do much to improve upon things. However, it deserves credit for making a lot of effort and turning an awful villain into something that can actually be scary.

The decision to turn the tooth fairy into a ‘flesh and bone’ killer with a softly spoken demeanour and a creepy mask was smart. Not only that, but it is also kept in the shadows and just on the edge of the peripherals for a lot of the runtime. This tooth fairy feels dangerous and that makes the events that occur all the more impactful.

A decent cast, some better than others, also makes the film infinitely more watchable. You may not feel completely invested in their plights as the characters are basic but when compared to what we’ve gotten in the past with this franchise, this positively shine.

Another interesting aspect is how Tooth Fairy: Queen of Pain mainly goes for tension and dread over outright gore and guts. While some may bemoan the lack of spilled blood, it’s a story that doesn’t always feel like it needs it. Sometimes, particularly at the end, it’s your imagination that creates the scares from the set-up the movie has provided.

All that being said, it’s not flawless, not even close. The story is slow to get going and drags in places. Perhaps nowhere worse than during the several scenes set in the local pub. It’s here too that some of the less than stellar moments of acting stand out too.

The lack of tangible characters makes it hard to care too much about who lives or dies and the ending has a strange ‘twist’ that doesn’t actually feel like a twist at all. Yet it plays out like it thinks it’s on par with Saw or something.

Is it a great movie? No, it is not. However, it’s a decent movie that borders on good several times. Mostly thanks to the change in direction of the titular character. Here’s hoping that this is the start of something special with this franchise.