By George & Josh Bate
The tagline of the original Faces of Death from 1978 read: “Experience the graphic reality of DEATH, close-up…” Other promotional material billed the film as being “Banned in 46 Countries), a claim that was later shown to be exaggerated for marketing purposes although the movie was indeed prosecuted and added to the “video nasty” list in the U.K., refused classification in Australia, and banned in New Zealand. Although the film certainly sent shockwaves through the industry and stirred up plenty of controversy upon its release, the years have not been kind to a film dismissed by many as outdated. But its existence in the landscape of contemporary cinema certainly raises some interesting questions, namely: how would a movie, presented as if it were an actual documentary, that presents both actual and dramatized footage of people dying in gruesome ways would be received today? Daniel Goldhaber’s remake doesn’t quite answer this question, instead unfolding as a clever, meta, topical, and somewhat conventional reinvention of one of horror’s most controversial films.
Making its world premiere at the inaugural Beyond Chicago, Faces of Death stars Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria) as Margot, a video platform moderator responsible for filtering out offensive or violent content on a social media app akin to Instagram. Margot eventually uncovers a series of anonymous that appear to be re-enacting the murders from the original Faces of Death, or at least that’s what it seems. With misinformation quickly spreading online, Margot becomes determined to discover whether the disturbing videos are genuine or fabricated.
Faces of Death comes from director and co-writer Daniel Goldhaber, whose last film was the taut eco-thriller How to Blow Up a Pipeline. With his latest film, Goldhaber once again exhibits an unflinching willingness to examine some of modern society’s most challenging and provocative topics with a film that wears its intentions boldly and overtly on its sleeve.
Goldhaber and co-writer Isa Mazzei couch a damning critique of our social media-dominated society’s fascination with and desensitization to violence in the structure of a conventional serial killer thriller. The film’s narrative, minus the commentary, closely mirrors films like The Silence of the Lambs and Longlegs in oscillating between the perspectives of an unassuming female protagonist and a menacing serial killer. It’s perhaps a little unexpected to see such a controversial horror movie reenvisioned as a rather traditional serial killer movie, especially as the film’s promotional material would have you think that boundaries will be pushed to their limits. But Goldhaber’s Steven Soderbergh-esque command of shot composition and camera movement, in addition to remarkable craftsmanship across the board, ensure that his film remains interesting even as it proceeds through all the expected beats of a serial killer movie.
Lack of novelty regarding its narrative structure aside, Faces of Death enthralls as an intense and, at times, quite disturbing horror movie. In large part, this is due to the performance of Dacre Montgomery, the Stranger Things alum who the film industry hasn’t quite found how to use most effectively yet. Montgomery thrives in the role of a deeply unsettling loner determined to use violence to achieve social media fame. With strange quirks and an almost inhuman presence about him, the Australian actor terrifies as Arthur, while ensuring that his serial killer never becomes too silly as to lose the intimidation he fosters and the threat he poses.
For as dark and unsettling as Montgomery’s performance is, Faces of Death finds unexpected humor in how pathetic its antagonist is. The juxtaposition of the abhorrence of Arthur’s crimes with his longing for likes and reposts makes for a solid running gag throughout the film. We’ve seen serial killer movies plenty of times, but there hasn’t been a serial killer quite as pitifully and hilariously focused on gaining social media clout as Arthur (maybe barring Joe Keery’s Kurt Kunkle in the underappreciated Spree).
Similar dark humor comes in the form of Reddit users that Barbie Ferreira’s Margot encounters as she investigates the authenticity of the violent videos. It’s here, alongside the more comical moments involving Montgomery, that Faces of Death finds morbid humor in portraying our society’s apathy toward violence. While Margot is shocked at and disturbed by the violence of the videos circulating online, others seem to relish in the fact that real people are being killed for our entertainment, which gives way to plenty of uncomfortable chuckles as the audience is forced to reckon with the lack of empathy in the word.
Besides repeatedly pointing out just how morally repulsive and entirely desensitized our society has become in the face of others’ tragedy, however, the film doesn’t have much too much to say that is either substantive or novel. An early moment in the film sees Margot run into two girls at a convenience store, who recognize her from being in “the train video.” The video in question was a viral video from years prior in which Margot and her sister attempted to do a TikTok dance on train tracks, only for them to mistime the dance and the train to smash into and kill Margot’s sister. This scene, as do many others in the film, conveys just how uncompassionate people are in response to other people’s tragedies, an admittedly effective message but one that the film struggles to build upon.
Although lacking uniqueness with its narrative structure and commentary, Faces of Death arrives on a point of novelty through its integration of the original 1978 film. Akin to how the original Anaconda was treated in the recent film starring Paul Rudd and Jack Black, the original Faces of Death exists in the fictional world of Goldhaber’s movie and, in fact, serves as the inspiration for Arthur’s videos. It’s an interesting meta approach to addressing a film that, in real life, reportedly played a role in various murders in the 1980s. Goldhaber does well to not alienate viewers unfamiliar with the original film, although those who have seen John Alan Schwartz’s controversial movie will appreciate the extent to which various gruesome deaths are recreated.
By the end, the meta integration of the original Faces of Death may feel a tad gimmicky, especially as the ultimate explanation for why Arthur chooses to recreate these videos leaves a bit to be desired. However, this angle gives Goldhaber’s film just enough inventiveness to make it stand out among the deluge of other well-made serial killer thrills.
VERDICT: 7.5/10
How to Blow Up a Pipeline filmmakers Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei collaborate to make yet another movie with an unflinching willingness to examine some of modern society’s most challenging and provocative topics with a film that wears its intentions boldly and overtly on its sleeve. Faces of Death cleverly reimagines the controversial 1978 film as an intense and well-made, albeit conventional, serial killer thriller that damningly critiques our social media-dominated society’s fascination with and desensitization to violence. Although failing to go beyond rather uncomfortably humorous commentary that points to the apathy and moral degradation of society, the film finds novelty in its meta integration of the original Faces of Death by focusing on a killer who resorts to violence to achieve social media fame. The killer in question is played by a deeply unsettling Dacre Montgomery, who, on occasion, delivers hearty laughs through his portrayal of a pathetic killer obsessed with social media clout. Faces of Death may not be the extreme and boundary-pushing movie the marketing material would have you think, but there’s a well-crafted, disturbing, and unsettling serial killer thriller to be enjoyed here.