Experience the graphic “reality” of death – but not on your X homepage (for once).
If you’re a horror fan, you’ve surely heard of Faces of Death. The 1978 film was originally refused classification in Australia (officially released in 2007), but achieved international notoriety by trading off its faux documentary-style, is-it-or-isn’t-it “real” depictions of death.
Now, a tech-savvy reboot for the LiveLeak generation is set for a theatrical release in April of this year.
The reboot’s premise follows a moderator of an online video platform who stumbles upon a group uploading re-enactments of the murders from the original Faces movie.
As time runs out and misinformation threatens to entrench, the moderator must deduce what original audiences could only attempt to – are these murders fake? Or blood-curdlingly real?
Written by Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei and directed by Goldhaber, the reboot’s concept is inspired by the director’s experience working as a content moderator for a social media startup and the fast-paced, dizzying nature of digital violence.
“…This disjointed and almost dissociative relationship to the violence that we see every day on our phones is something we are all experiencing in real time. We really wanted to incorporate…how it feels to be a viewer of that.”
Whilst the original Faces and subsequent sequels starred virtual nobodies and solely relied upon the graphic nature of the film to draw in viewers, the reboot boasts a cast of Gen Z favourites such as Euphoria’s Barbie Ferreria, Stranger Things’ Dacre Montgomery and 365 party girl Charli XCX.
Ferreria, for one, started her career as a model and influencer so has her own original experience “with the horror of being online” – an authenticity that felt essential to the creators when casting their lead.
As for whether any real deaths will be featured this time around? Goldhaber and Mazzei are keeping their lips sealed – “We came up with a solution to that problem that required a lot of legal and logistical footwork. We have done our best…to do that within the bounds of the law.”
Faces of Death will release theatrically on April 10 (no word yet on whether Australia’s banning this one too).
