Faces of Death (2026) Review

A great reimagining of the infamous original Faces of Death, which recontextualizes the spectacle of violence within the modern social media landscape. While it is certainly a horror film, it’s also a tense thriller with a pretty poignant social commentary at its core.

Barbie Ferreira gives a fantastic scream queen performance, playing a content moderator at an Instagram-style company, being one of the few people there who actually care about the job. Through the film, we come to understand that her passion for content moderation stems from her own traumatic incident, which was leaked online, forcing her into a life of running from that unwanted notoriety. Thinking she could make a difference by moderating violent or exploitative content as a career, she quickly realizes that the corporations simply don’t care about the safety of media— or about the people consuming it. Ferreira’s role as Margot is vulnerable and slightly unhinged in a way which reflects the trauma and the stubborn sense of purpose driving her toward danger for most of the film.

A constant refrain throughout the film is “give the people what they want,” referring to the public’s unquenchable thirst for violence, humiliation, and the obscene. This catchphrase is repeated by both the social media company and the psychopathic villain (played masterfully by Dacre Montgomery), creating an irony that’s both humorous and, sadly, very relatable for anyone who’s spent any amount of time online. It’s one of the many ways that the film uses self awareness to reference the audience’s consumption of exploitative media both online and through the original Faces of Death, and also references the mainstream ambivalence toward the ethical malpractice of social media companies.

With that said, however, this is still a horror movie—and it does not shy away from the gore and spectacle that made the original Faces of Death infamous. The film features some fantastically disturbing and realistic practical effects, along with seriously brutal deaths and dismemberments throughout. Thankfully, it also doesn’t take itself too seriously; there’s just enough levity and self-awareness to give it some schlocky reprieve from its grotesque subject matter.

The production is also surprisingly strong for a lower-budget film, with great music reminiscent of 1980s slashers and interesting camera work and compositions that feel like a mesh of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and the modern throwback stylings of MaXXXine.

The real enjoyment here—aside from the performances of Ferreira and Dacre Montgomery—is the anxiety and suspense in the second half. Montgomery plays Arthur, a sadistic, media-savvy killer who recreates and stages violent deaths for an online audience, fully embodying the film’s central thesis. He isn’t just brutal for the sake of it, he’s performative— almost theatrical in the way he presents violence, feeding directly into that “give the people what they want” ethos. It makes him feel less like a traditional slasher and more like a product of the same misery-for-profit system the film is critiquing, which honestly makes him even creepier.

The slasher-style predator-and-prey sequences are genuinely nerve-racking, and I found myself thinking “run, bitch!!!” more than a few times—which is always a good sign in this genre. There are also some fun moments of internet detective work, including a standout split-screen sequence that shows the discoveries of Margot alongside the killer’s stalking of Margot. It’s a clever way to underline just how ridiculously easy it is to stalk and doxx people online.

I haven’t seen a horror film I liked this much since Bring Her Back, and while this isn’t “elevated” in the same pretentious sense, I think anyone who enjoys schlocky, cult, or classic horror will find something to love here. The injection of social commentary and the ethics of modern media consumption is a nice touch, too—and it actually feels like a core part of the script rather than an afterthought, which is a rarity these days. Ferreira and Montgomery absolutely kill it, with Montgomery possibly delivering one of the creepiest horror performances in the last few years. Seeing Charlie XCX give a brief cameo as an apathetic slacker was also a good time.