‘Night Teeth’ Movie Review: Netflix’s Vampire Flick Is Blood-Starved
Netflix has a packed horror content schedule for this Halloween season, including Night Teeth. It delivers on its promise of an exciting atmosphere, but it doesn’t have much else to offer. The vampire genre has become over-saturated, which has made it increasingly difficult to find unique angles. Night Teeth mildly entertains, but it ends up being more of a nibble than a bite.
‘Night Teeth’ has party-hopping vampires
Benny (Jorge Lendeborg Jr.) is a college student living with his grandmother (Marlene Forte) in Los Angeles, California. He’s passionate about the music that he’s making but he always seems to be treated like a joke. His cousin Jay (Raúl Castillo) gives Benny the opportunity to moonlight as a chauffeur for the night while he takes care of other business.
Zoe (Lucy Fry) and Blair (Debby Ryan) are the clients, who are two wealthy and seemingly young women. They want a driver to take them around the city to go party-hopping. However, Benny soon discovers that they’re vampires with bloodthirsty intentions. They’re part of a vampire society and he will have to fight to survive the night.
‘Night Teeth’ sure is meta
Night Teeth hits the ground running and instantly introduces the vampires. The story opens with a voice-over introducing viewers to the world. It’s very meta in how it acknowledges the vampires audiences have seen in television shows and movies. However, it’s a case of how it’s better to show, not tell. The audience is always many steps ahead of Benny, which takes away all of the plot’s best surprises.
Zoe and Blair travel from one party to the next, which keeps the plot constantly moving. Each party has a different vibe, which moves the film from set-piece to set-piece. Benny becomes more aware of the danger he’s in as the night continues, as each party introduces more danger.
At this point, Night Teeth places its focus on the interactions between the main trio. Benny, Zoe, and Blair all have radically different personalities that lead the night in various directions. However, they’re all exactly where audiences are expecting it to go. Night Teeth is the tip of the iceberg. This is an expansive story with the potential for a whole lot more depth.
Needs a bit more bite
Night Teeth has two ongoing narratives consisting of Benny’s night of survival and Jay’s revenge plot. However, the one with the party-hopping vampires is much more fun. The underground vampire society teases some intriguing elements, but it feels like the movie could have explored that more. It feels like a plot device that deserves more attention.
Fry’s Zoe is Night Teeth at its best. She delivers a wildly fun performance with solid comedic timing. Megan Fox has a small role that teases at something more, but it doesn’t actually go anywhere. It’s essentially a glorified cameo that should have taken the character further. The rest of the cast is serviceable, but Fry and Fox are certainly the performance highlights.
Night Teeth has a clear interest in world-building. Director Adam Randall and cinematographer Eben Bolter build an all-encompassing world that really draws the audience in. The strong sense of imagery elevates the story. But, it feels more like a set-up for something bigger. It even concludes with clear signs of moving into a sequel. However, there’s no guarantee that audiences will get to return to this world. Night Teeth doesn’t really give much to dig your teeth into.
