Pepsodent Reveals Gum Disease as the Real Horror with Cinematic Campaign by Indonesia's Horror Filmmaker Anggy Umbara

Jun. 25, 2026

Unilever’s Pepsodent is turning horror on its head with a new campaign that suggests the scariest thing is not Dracula, a werewolf or a monster, but losing your teeth because of unhealthy gums. To spotlight the hidden horrors of gum issues, Pepsodent has launched a new campaign Pepsodent Gum Mysteries for its Gum Expert range, where classic horror characters confront tooth loss and bleeding gums as nightmares of their own, in a series of cinematic films. 

In one film, Dracula attempts to bite his victim but fails because he has lost his fangs due to poor gum health. In another film, a werewolf gets meat stuck in his teeth, as a result of gum issues. 

Developed in collaboration with one of Indonesia’s top horror directors Anggy Umbara, and frank. Singapore, Omnicom’s dedicated Unilever team, the campaign blends horror, comedy and entertainment culture to spark conversations about gum health. The campaign was created in response to a common gap in consumer knowledge where many adults experiencing tooth discomfort focus only on their teeth, without realising the root cause often begins with their gums. Through humour and storytelling, Pepsodent aims to make gum health more visible, and create memorable conversations around its importance. 

Launching first in Indonesia before expanding to Vietnam later this year, the campaign encompasses fake horror trailers, cinematic short films, director interviews, and social-first livestream content and creator collaborations designed to blur the line between entertainment and advertising.

Madhurjya (Banjo) Banerjee, Senior Global Brand Director, Oral Care, Unilever, said:

"Gum problems can lead to bleeding, sensitivity and even tooth loss, yet they are frequently overlooked until it is too late. With this campaign and our Gum Expert range, we are aiming to help consumers better understand that healthy gums are the foundation of strong teeth, and that gum protection can start with the right toothpaste. This campaign helps us to approach the issue not through fear or statistics, but through entertainment and culture. By leveraging horror, comedy and storytelling formats people love watching and sharing, we aim to make gum health feel more relevant and easier to talk about."

 

Anggy Umbara added:

“This is a fresh challenge for me. Usually, I create monsters to scare the living daylights out of audiences. This time, I need people to root for them instead. It is important that viewers feel what Dracula is going through when his fangs falls out. Imagine the prince of darkness with no fangs — it’s the end of the world for Dracula because he can’t do the one thing that has to do to keep himself alive. If the audience can relate to his humiliation, confusion and fear, then they will start thinking about their own gums.”

 

The Pepsodent Gum Mysteries campaign builds on Pepsodent’s ongoing evolution from a trusted family hygiene brand to a culturally fluent leader in modern oral care conversations. Earlier this year, Pepsodent launched the TeethTalk Academy initiative that builds a growing community of “dentfluencers” who can make credible oral care content more engaging and accessible.

Beyond the films, the campaign was designed for talkability in social culture. From fake horror trailers and creator reaction videos to Dracula livestreams, “Draculamaxxing” grooming trends, and creators flooding TikTok feeds with fan theories, parodies, and recreations, Pepsodent transformed gum health into an entertainment-driven social conversation. 

Terence Leong, Executive Creative Director at frank. Singapore, said:

"It's 2026. Nobody is going to care about their gums because someone in a white coat tells them to do so. And we definitely don’t need another influencer sharing their best-kept secret. We knew we needed something more radical to start a conversation about gum care. Kudos to our clients for having the courage to try something supernatural. It was definitely a risk to get vampires and a werewolf to sell toothpaste to human beings — in fact, it’s unheard of in the category. The engagement numbers so far are showing that these monsters are more entertaining, persuasive and relatable than most human beings we’ve casted in the past.”