Reviews
Faces of Death
It feels like a cardinal cinema sin that I haven’t seen the original Faces of Death from 1978. Delivered by John Alan Schwartz, it was often described as one of the most despicable horror films around by teenagers growing up in the 80s and 90s, almost cementing itself as a rite of passage for horror fanatics. Being a millennial though, that reputation seems to have dulled somewhat, so a modern reimagining doesn’t actually feel out of place for once..
Daniel Goldhaber is tasked with bringing Faces of Death into the present day, with the story following Margot (Barbie Ferreira), a content moderator for a TikTok-style video platform whose job is to flag and remove content she deems offensive or excessively violent. Much of Margot’s role comes down to her own judgement, particularly when deciding whether the violence she sees is real or staged. Things take a far more unsettling turn when she discovers a string of heinous murders that she believes to be genuine, inadvertently pulling herself into a mystery that may have a gruesome twist waiting for her.
To its credit, the 2026 version of Faces of Death doesn’t try to simply recreate the original. Instead, through the serial killer Arthur (Dacre Montgomery), it pays homage to the source material as he recreates some of the more iconic deaths as part of a viral trend. It sounds farfetched, but in a way it highlights the glamourisation of despicable violence and just how desensitised society is becoming, with war and death playing out on social media day in and day out. It actually feels like something that could catch on and even be celebrated.
Surprisingly, it isn’t the horror elements where Faces of Death excels most, but rather its sharp social commentary. Without being overbearing, it highlights the incessant urge to go viral and the one-upmanship on display, particularly among modern streamers who go to disturbing lengths to land the next big clip.
Through a strong script from Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei, the film also takes aim at social media platforms that design their algorithms around shock value, prioritising views and engagement over the wellbeing of the people using them. Rather than implementing meaningful safeguards, they seem more interested in keeping users locked into endless doomscrolling, exposing them to content that can be psychologically damaging.
Horror undoubtedly plays second fiddle. That in itself isn’t necessarily a complaint or to the detriment of the overall quality, but audiences expecting relentless gore and constant shocks may come away slightly disappointed. That said, when the film does lean fully into slasher territory, it proves entertaining enough to satisfy bloodthirsty viewers, although it feels like it could push further into the more extreme territory of the original to truly unnerve its audience, something that is largely missing.
The score, which carries a distinct Stranger Things quality, feels reminiscent of the 70s, which is a nice touch, though at times it sits a little awkwardly alongside some of the more disturbing sequences. Visually, however, Faces of Death stands out, with Goldhaber’s style and flair given plenty of room to shine.
Dacre Montgomery is commanding in every scene, delivering a genuinely unnerving performance as the serial killer and remaining completely believable throughout, which is the highest praise. Barbie Ferreira is solid if unspectacular in the leading role, offering glimpses of her clear talent, although her character is forced into some questionable decisions in the final act that disrupt her momentum.
It goes without saying that Faces of Death is a very different experience from what might be expected, but perhaps that is for the better. It would have been easy to fall into generic slasher tropes, something it occasionally threatens to do, but through confident direction and a strong script, it ensures its core message comes through clearly while still paying respect to the material it draws from.