In 1978, Faces of Death hit American movie theatres: a film that featured, amongst a litany of horrors, real footage of road accidents, autopsies and plane crash victims. It was a mix of staged entertainment and real snuff, according to the filmmaker John Alan Schwartz and special effects artist Allan A. Apone. Unsurprisingly, it was derided by critics but embraced by curious audiences, who sought it out and demanded more: it made $35 million at the box office and spawned seven sequels. Now, after the franchise has lay dormant for decades, a new fictional version of the film is being made and Euphoria’s Barbie Ferreira is set to lead alongside one of her Euphoria co-stars, Aaron Holliday. Who else? Well, Charli XCX of course.
But who will they play? Surely they can’t be making a real snuff movie, so what’s it about? And when will we get to see it? Here’s what we know about the remake of Faces of Death.
What’s the plot of the Faces of Death remake?
The original Faces of Death film cast an actor as a pathologist who was watching endless reels of death footage as a means to explore the myriad ways in which human beings and animals can meet their grisly end. While we don’t have a plot for the new version, what we do have is a joint statement from the new directors, Isa Mazzei and Daniel Goldhaber. In it, they said: “Faces of Death was one of the first viral video tapes, and we are so lucky to be able to use it as a jumping off point for this exploration of cycles of violence and the way they perpetuate themselves online.” What that suggests is that the film is not a straight remake, but a re-angling of the old source material – a little like Nia DaCosta’s Candyman.
Who is in the cast of Faces of Death?
After leaving Euphoria, Barbie is set to lead this horror alongside Stranger Things star Dacre Montgomery and Josie Totah, a 21-year-old actor best known for her recurring roles in Disney Channel shows Jessie and Liv and Maddie, and starring and producing the Saved By The Bell reboot on Peacock. She was also notably featured in Amy Poehler’s 2021 movie MOXiE!. One of Barbie’s Euphoria co-stars has also been announced to be joining the film: Aaron Holliday, who you may remember as one of Nate’s dad’s new-found queer chosen family in the finale for season two of the hit HBO series. He’s also recently appeared in Cocaine Bear.
There’s also a surprise cast addition in the form of Charli XCX, who will be making her feature length film debut. Will see be the new final girl? A pathologist? Crossing the ACAB line to play a police officer tracking down whoever’s behind all these video tapes? Let’s wait and see. As of yet, what role each of the stars of Faces of Death will play has not been disclosed.
Who else is working on the new movie?
Faces of Death will be produced by Legendary Pictures, the team behind the Dark Knight franchise and Godzilla. As mentioned earlier, Isa Mazzei and Daniel Goldhaber will direct it, following their buzzed-about latest project How to Blow Up a Pipeline. Prolific producer Rick Benattar is executive producing the project, while Don Murphy and Susan Montford, who worked on Splice and Vampire Academy are also on board as producers.
What is the Faces of Death remake’s release date?
The film is currently in pre-production, so we’ve got a little bit more time to wait before we get official confirmation on that.