This April, a remake of the horror film Faces of Death will be released in theaters. A recent teaser offered a glimpse of the film’s intense violence. The new version, starring Barbie Ferreira, Dacre Montgomery, Josie Totah, Charli XCX, and Jermaine Fowler, updates the original by incorporating social media and a “found footage” style, which is likely to spark debate among viewers. For those wanting to see the film that started it all, the original Faces of Death is now available to stream.
As a movie buff with a bit of a dark side, I stumbled upon Faces of Death back in ’78, and it’s… something else. It’s directed by John Alan Schwartz, and features Michael Carr playing a pathologist named Francis B. Gröss. Basically, he guides you through a really unsettling exploration of how fragile life is, using what was presented as actual footage of deaths. It’s all framed as him trying to understand death itself from a philosophical angle, which makes it even more disturbing, honestly.
‘Faces of Death’ Was “Banned in 46 Countries”
Aquarius Releasing
The movie Faces of Death is infamous for being extremely disturbing. It was heavily promoted as being banned in 46 countries because of its graphic scenes, but this was mostly a marketing tactic. While it was actually banned in only a handful of places – like the UK, Australia, and New Zealand – illegal copies circulated widely, fueling its reputation as a truly forbidden film.
Over time, as public acceptance of graphic content shifted, Faces of Death became available in most countries that once banned it, though some still required significant cuts. While it seems mild compared to modern gore films like those in the Terrifier series, Faces of Death was groundbreaking for its time, blurring the lines between reality and fiction and influencing a whole generation of filmmakers.
‘Faces of Death’ Is Now on Streaming
Despite being largely fictional, the movie Faces of Death convinced many viewers it was real. It achieved this by blending old news clips with recreated effects, overseen by special effects artist Douglas White. While some scenes depicting animal deaths were genuine, no humans were harmed during the film’s production.
Since its release, Faces of Death sparked a wave of similar films, including titles like Cannibal Holocaust, the Japanese Guinea Pig series, the August Underground trilogy, and even the popular V/H/S series. While several sequels followed, none captured the shocking intensity and unsettling atmosphere of the original. Despite critical disapproval, Faces of Death remains a uniquely fascinating and memorable film.
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You can now watch the original Faces of Death on AMC+ and Shudder. The remake will be in theaters on April 10th.
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2026-01-29 14:53