By: Myriam Akbar
Faces of Death is a 1978 mockumentary horror film known for its graphic depictions of death. It’s written and directed by John Alan Schwartz, who also worked on some of the sequels. The film combines real footage with fabricated scenes, resulting in it being banned in several countries. It received negative reviews from critics but was a box-office hit. Despite the gruesome nature of the content, the film gained a cult following. It was falsely marketed as being banned in 46 countries, adding to its controversial reputation.
In April, a sort of reimagining of the Faces of Death was released, directed by Daniel Goldhaber. Prior to its announcement, I had never heard of the original. I avoid films that are rumored to be excessively graphic or disturbing, so it only took one google search for me to decide I have zero interest in watching it. However, I was willing to give this new film a chance because the premise is impressively clever. The plot follows Margot, a content moderator who comes across a series of disturbing videos depicting gruesome deaths. When she realizes the clips are recreating scenes from Faces of Death (1978), she investigates whether they’re staged or the doings of a real killer. Instead of the film being a reboot or remake, it’s a meta-slasher that strategically uses the original as a basis for its plot and themes. Although I’m a big fan of both remakes and reboots, I have to admit this concept is much more inventive and refreshing.
Goldhaber told People.com that Faces of Death (2026) isn’t a remake, reboot, or even reimagining, for the most part. He says it's essentially a film about a film. I can’t deny the accuracy of this description, but it’s not at all how I would describe it because it’s truly about so much more. The original film reflects humanity’s curiosity and fascination with death, shown through media intake. It critiques society’s interest in torment and lack of consideration for real-life suffering. The new film does the same thing, highlighting how the frequent consumption of extreme content often leads to desensitization. On the other hand, it directly looks at the emotional and mental impact of exposure to that kind of media. It explores the dark side of the digital world while questioning the ethics of posting and viewing real graphic violence online. It also demonstrates how people profit from tragedy through fame and monetization. However, this new film does something the original couldn’t, by examining the new issues of our modern society. For example, deep fakes didn’t become a mainstream phenomenon until the 2010s. The original’s false marketing is an example of misinformation in the media, but recent technological advancements have brought about a whole new discussion. The use of AI has made it difficult to distinguish between artificial media and real material, which plays a role in the film.
With Faces of Death (2026), you can expect all the slasher essentials–an intense tone, a relentless killer, chase scenes, lots of blood, and a final girl. Barbie Ferreira, who plays Margot, gives a dynamic performance that feels relatable in some ways. She also shows range in skill, playing a character that is forced to change by the end of the film. Darce Montgomery, who plays the antagonist, delivers a performance reminiscent of a villain from the Scream franchise. The film isn’t a slow burn by any means; the pacing has a sense of urgency due to the investigation at hand. What I like about the use of horror tropes is that the ones used serve a purpose and help the story move along. This is the kind of film that is self-aware and doesn’t take itself too seriously, although it explores heavy themes relevant to society. If you’re wondering whether you need to watch the original prior, I hope that my experience is enough to convince you that you don’t. This “film about a film” is one of the most entertaining and reflective ones I’ve watched this year.
Sources:
https://people.com/the-new-faces-of-death-is-not-really-a-remake-director-11951043
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faces_of_Death_(2026_film)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faces_of_Death
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