Teeth

Vagina dentata, or a toothed vagina, appears in the myths of many cultures, and serves as a cautionary tale for the hero who is journeying back to the "dark crucible that bore him." In the post-Freudian era, it is much more likely the reflection of the male fear of female sexuality. This is explained well in the fine film Teeth, written and directed by Mitchell Lichtenstein, which is a kind of feminist horror picture.

Jess Weixler is Dawn, a high school girl who is in one of those abstinence groups. She wears a promise ring, that will only be replaced by a wedding band, and refuses to have any sexual conduct, even masturbation, before marriage. She is therefore unaware that there's seriously something funky going on down there, though her step-brother has an idea, because as very small children he had the tip of his finger bitten off while playing a game of doctor.

Dawn is attracted to a boy in her chastity group, and they have feelings for each other but do their best to resist the impulse. However, while frolicking at an idyll setting at a swimming hole, the boy goes too far and they both discover, to their horror, that Dawn has a pair of choppers in her sex canal.

The film handles this scenario very intelligently, and the characters of Dawn and her brother are very well-etched (the brother has turned to exclusively partaking in anal sex). Also, Weixler, who is reminiscent of a young Helen Hunt, gives a very assured performance in something that could have been very silly. Lichtenstein also suggests that Dawn's mutation may come from the influence of man, as the family lives near a nuclear power plant, and the cooling towers are a frequent visual cue.

A fair warning, some (especially men) will get very squeamish during the film. There are no less than three severed penises, and not much is left to the imagination (there are also some severed fingers of a gynecologist).