Faces of Death Review
Faces of Death is the kind of remake that actually justifies its existence, especially in a world consumed by TikTok and constant connectivity. Its subject matter not only stands the test of time, but feels even more relevant now, tapping into how desensitized we’ve become to the horrors constantly circulating around us.
The film follows Margot (Barbie Ferreira), a content moderator at a company called Kino. A thinly veiled, knockoff version of TikTok. Day in and day out, she sifts through thousands of videos, deciding what the public should and shouldn’t see. But Margot carries a secret of her own, one that makes everything about to unfold hit far closer to home than we initially realize.
During one of her shifts, she comes across a video depicting a murder but she can’t tell if it’s real or staged. Her boss, Josh (Jermaine Fowler), brushes it off and tells her to approve it and move on. Then another video surfaces. And another. Each one more gruesome than the last. What begins as unease quickly spirals into obsession, as Margot goes full detective mode trying to uncover whether these killings are actually real.
What she discovers is far more disturbing: a serial killer recreating deaths from the original Faces of Death in a way that’s both deeply meta and surprisingly clever in how it connects the two films. But when she tries to sound the alarm, she’s dismissed, gaslit, and ignored by everyone around her. So like any great scream queen, she takes matters into her own hands to prove the truth.
Then there’s Dacre Montgomery as Arthur, and he is absolutely unhinged. This is easily one of his most terrifying performances to date. He crafts a villain that feels genuinely unpredictable, seamlessly shifting from charming and disarming to downright vile and demonic. It’s the kind of performance that lingers, evoking the chaotic, nihilistic energy of Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight, a man whose only goal is to watch the world burn.
Ferreira delivers one of her strongest performances here. Margot is messy, determined, and ultimately fearless in her pursuit of truth. She brings a raw emotional intensity to the role, culminating in moments that feel almost primal, with a literal guttural outcry for those who’ve been silenced and dismissed.
While we’ve seen films tackle similar themes recently, what sets this one apart is the creative team behind it: Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei, whose last film, How to Blow Up a Pipeline, was an underrated, masterfully crafted piece of filmmaking. They bring a sharp, intentional lens to the story, with a knack for confronting real-world issues in ways that feel urgent and deeply personal.
From the unsettling score to the striking cinematography, the film constantly keeps you on edge. There are moments of pure visual tension, and there is a particular sequence involving Arthur in a dark hallway that showcases just how effective simplicity can be when executed right.
But beyond the horror, Faces of Death plays as a warning, one that feels less like fiction and more like a reflection of where we already are. We scroll past violence daily. We consume it, normalize it, and move on. The film forces us to confront that reality: at what point do we stop being observers and start becoming complicit? Are we witnessing monsters or slowly becoming them ourselves?
If you weren’t afraid of the Internet before, you will be now. In a digital age where it’s nearly impossible to distinguish what’s real from what’s manufactured, Faces of Death leaves you questioning everything you consume.
All I’ll say is this: invest in a good VPN and remember, if you’re chronically online, someone is always watching.
Rating: ★★★★☆
Faces of Death screened at the Overlook Film Festival and arrives in theaters on April 10.
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Seth Fox, widely known online as AccordingtoSeth, is a pop culture commentator and entertainment writer with a passion for movies, television, and gaming. Long regarded as the go-to source for recommendations among friends and followers, he’s now turning that lifelong enthusiasm into a professional career in entertainment media. A fan of all genres with a special love for horror, Seth enjoys spotlighting everything from spine-tingling scares and edge-of-your-seat thrillers to underrated hidden gems. Through thoughtful commentary, exclusive interviews with actors and directors, and coverage of the latest entertainment news, he aims to help audiences discover their next favorite watch.