While the film is already out on DVD here in the states, across the pond Teeth is gearing up for a June 20th theatrical premiere. And to coincide with that, Empire has released a "banned" poster for the horror-comedy about a wholesome teenage girl who learns she has teeth inside her vagina. Of course, these teeth remain a minor issue until our hero decides it's time to start experimenting sexually with the opposite sex. Yeah. I'll let you imagine what happens next.

We're big fans of the film Teeth here at Cinematical, and I also happen to be pretty friendly with the film's star, Jess Weixler, having met and hung out with her on a few different occasions -- so if you're in the UK, go see this when it hits theaters later this week. And if you're in the US, go rent this DVD. Like, today. This new poster is kinda cute and kinda funny, and I can definitely see why it was banned. Does it make you want to see the film? I don't know. But I guess that's what I'm here for, right?

At the screening of Teeth that I attended, female journalists squealed with delight at the sight of scumbag men being castrated by Dawn (Jess Weixler), an abstinence-promoting high school girl saddled with a curious case of vagina dentata, that mythical condition in which a woman's nether regions are lined with sharp teeth. A legend obviously rooted in male fears of female sexuality, director Mitchell Lichtenstein depicts it as a tool for female empowerment, as Dawn's efforts to come to terms with her strange and terrifying gift inevitably lead to a realization that it grants her dominion over all the cretins who want to deflower her. Thus, the glee that greeted the multiple severed penises, while disconcerting on a basic level (my god, are women really this tickled by castration!?), makes some sort of sense as a response to years of horror films in which men have exerted violence (often sexual in nature) against women. Nonetheless, their reaction continues to be puzzling, given that Teeth is generally so crude and schematic that it seems the only proper reaction to these climactic images is unsurprised, eye roll-accompanied groans.

An opening message that "No Men Were Harmed During the Making of This Film" immediately reveals not just Lichtenstein's goal to blend horror with comedy but, specifically, the brand of corny-cute humor he plans to employ. Initial glimpses of a nuclear power plant towering over Dawn's neighborhood (seemingly ripped straight from The Simpsons) cast an amusingly eerie pall over the early going, but any promise of a uniquely bizarre atmosphere quickly dissipates as the director introduces us to Dawn, the leader of a Christian youth movement that counsels kids to keep it in their pants until marriage. Dawn is sunny, cheery and attractive, and it's clear from the outset that one of her male classmates also devoted to abstinence -- a recent transfer to the school named Tobey (Hale Appleman) -- fancies her. Lichtenstein thinks that by making Dawn a doggedly chaste individual, his premise is somehow funnier than if she were just an average, everyday teen. Yet the result is the exact opposite, as her transition from snow-white good girl to blood-red avenger is so broad that she feels like little more than a punchline to some dreary bar room joke.

There's nothing like a little vagina dentata to make life interesting. If you're like me, you've been dying to see Teeth since reviews started coming out of Sundance. Our Kim Voynar described it as "a fun exploration of feminine sexual power seen through the twisted kaleidoscope lens of a horror-comedy," while Scott Weinberg said that it is "one of the most witty, intelligent and darkly insightful looks at young womanhood since Lucky McKee's brilliant May."

Now the film is finally getting a limited release this week, and the first five minutes of the film have been thrown up on YouTube, which you can check out above. It's got lil tyke v-d, of the dentata variety, some killer eggs ready to devour some sperm, and a really cute girl praising the virtues of sex -- while stealing a glance at a boy who makes more than just her heart go "pitter patter." Oh yeah, and for you Twin Peaks fans out there, you can also check out Lenny von Dohlen (Harold Smith) as the dad of Dawn's first victim. I might just have to do a horror double-feature this Friday with Cloverfield and Teeth... How about you?

What do you do once you've covered the world of vagina dentata? I mean, once your crotch gets a mind of its own and eats away at the jerks who try to force themselves on you, will anything seem as interesting? Teeth star Jess Weixler is moving on from her killer vagina, and is going to take things down a notch or two, with her next project. The Hollywood Reporter has posted that she will star along with Jason Ritter (The Education of Charlie Banks) in the upcoming romantic drama, Peter and Vandy.

It'll be another typical Manhattan love story showing the good times and bad times of a New York couple. "The film shifts back and forth in time from their romantic beginnings and increasingly manipulative behavior to their ultimate reconciliation." Well, at least it'll have a happy ending! Unless they reconcile in misery. The pair will be joined by Jesse L. Martin (Law & Order) as Peter's best friend Paul, and Tracie Thoms (Kim from Grindhouse) as his wife, Marissa. Written by Jay DiPietro, the film is an adaptation of his own play, that he directed and starred in -- a role that scored him a 2002 Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding One-Person Solo Performance. This will be his feature directorial debut, and production has already gotten underway in Manhattan and Brooklyn.