Faces of Death will be released in theaters on April 10.
It might seem odd to describe a remake of Faces of Death as “fun,” and yet somehow that’s the case. That’s not to say it’s just fun though; there are some interesting layers and a commendable amount of modern relevance included in this new take on an infamous title.
In the space between people who’ve actually seen 1978’s Faces of Death and the many who have not are those who have simply heard of it at some point, and they fall into two categories – the ones who’ve heard it’s a horrific movie filled with actual onscreen deaths, and those who’ve heard it’s a movie that claimed to be filled with actual onscreen deaths, but in fact faked them.
Faces of Death 2026 takes on the innate challenge of how one would even attempt to remake a shock-value faux documentary from nearly 50 years ago, and embraces that challenge with a very clever new approach that’s indebted to what came before without feeling like a retread. Filmmakers Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei – co-writers on the film with Goldhaber directing – spin a story around Margot (Barbie Ferreira), who works in content moderation for a video-based social media app.
Every day, Margot’s job has her watching horrific things, and then she begins to see similarly elaborate videos centered on ghoulish murders. But are they real or are they faked? And are people watching these videos because they are convinced they’re fake and therefore don’t matter, or because they want a sick thrill from seeking out something so awful? It’s a modern-day scenario that manages to creatively twist around the central question faced by potential Faces of Death audience members back in 1978 into this new narrative.
Faces of Death does provide a masked serial killer, but this is not a whodunnit. We know from the start that Arthur (Dacre Montgomery) is the one doing these horrific things, and we follow him as he hunts his victims down. The story then becomes a question of when and how Margot and Arthur will end up colliding…and what will happen when they do.
In their great debut film, 2018’s Cam, Goldhaber and Mazzei used the world of camgirls to tell a story about the alter egos we create online for ourselves, how far people might go to please others, and having your identity stolen and mimicked – something that only feels more relevant these days. Faces of Death also feels notably tied to our new normal, everyday world, in which we’re all glued to our screens and favorite apps and, horrifyingly, might just happen to suddenly see an actual death appear in front of us whether we want it to or not.
The trailers have revealed the film’s most meta aspect, which is that in Faces of Death 2026, Faces of Death 1978 exists as a movie, and yes, that casts a shadow over what’s occurring in the present. Interestingly, Goldhaber and Mazzei do such a good job of giving us a funhouse mirror take on the original film’s concept even before the original movie is directly mentioned that this version probably could have still worked just fine without this extra layer. At the same time, the original film is incorporated in a cool way and does allow for some additional, freaky parallels to play out.
It’s impossible to do an openly meta horror movie these days and not think of Scream, but Faces of Death doesn’t feel like a Scream retread; it’s not based around a killer obsessed with horror movies, but rather one who wants to make a splash in a particular way that could only exist in the social media age, with Faces of Death simply serving as their conduit. That being said, there is one mini-monologue that is a bit more Scream-coded, but it’s justified in the narrative. And if you must make the comparison, it’s worth noting that Faces of Death includes a much better, more focused commentary on our current culture than Scream 7 did, making up for an element that that recent sequel lacked.
Euphoria alum Ferreira makes for a strong lead, believably conveying Margot’s increasing intensity and near-obsession with finding out who’s making these videos, and (mostly) helping us get through a couple moments that occasionally tread into “otherwise smart horror movie character makes a stupid decision” territory. Stranger Things’ Montgomery, meanwhile, is suitably creepy and unsettling as Arthur; we get no specific backstory on his particular internet boogeyman, though there are some interesting hints about what shaped him.
Josie Totah, Aaron Holliday, and Jermaine Fowler all provide solid supporting performances, though Charli XCX is somewhat distracting, popping up in a couple scenes as Margot’s co-worker. She feels a bit too centered in those moments than the character really should, thanks to who’s playing her.
Though mostly played straight, Faces of Death has a wicked sense of humor that’s used in a commendable manner. It’s not overplayed, but always lurking under the surface, and it provides some of that aforementioned twisted fun. This is especially true in regards to how Arthur perceives himself and his image. As a product of the internet age, Arthur is capable of being as much of a keyboard warrior as anyone else; he just also happens to be an actual psychopathic killer. And yes, the movie delivers on the gory side of things in some suitably twisted ways for a film bearing this title.
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