The Upcoming Remake Of A Banned 1978 Horror Shockumentary Should Be On Your Must-Watch List For One Key Reason

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After a trailer was accidentally released online, it’s now confirmed that the new Faces of Death will come out in April 2026. Horror fans should definitely keep an eye out for it! The film stars Barbie Ferreira (known from Euphoria), Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things), and Josie Totah (Moxie) and is a remake of the 1978 cult classic horror documentary of the same name.

The original Faces of Death presents itself as a documentary where a pathologist explains disturbing footage of deaths – both human and animal – with the goal of shocking the audience. While some of the scenes were genuine, obtained from news sources and medical studies, others were staged specifically for the film. It became notorious as a challenging film to watch, and many countries banned or heavily censored it due to its graphic nature.

The upcoming film centers on a moderator for a video-sharing website who discovers videos that appear to be reenactments of scenes from the 1978 film Faces of Death. She must then figure out what’s genuine and what isn’t, playing into the original movie’s central question of reality. The 2026 release of Faces of Death has the potential to be a major critical success, largely due to one key factor.

Faces Of Death’s Director Daniel Goldhaber Has A Great Track Record

Daniel Goldhaber, a rising and talented director, helms Faces of Death. Before this film, he’d already earned critical acclaim for his previous two feature films.

I’ve been following Daniel Goldhaber’s work for a while now, and I’m seriously impressed! His movie Cam from 2018 was a really unsettling psychological horror that dug into the world of webcam performers, and critics loved it – it has a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But then, in 2022, he completely switched gears with How to Blow Up a Pipeline, a thrilling action movie about activists fighting climate change. That one was even better – it’s ‘Certified Fresh’ with a 95%! He’s definitely a director to watch.

With Faces of Death, director Goldhaber revisits the unsettling corners of the internet he explored in his film Cam. Given the success of his first feature, audiences have good reason to expect something truly impressive. The film’s strong R rating and positive early reviews suggest Goldhaber understands the spirit of the original, notorious Faces of Death shockumentary, despite offering a fresh storyline.

Goldhaber Has A Massive Challenge In Trying To Shock The Average Modern Moviegoer

Bringing back the Faces of Death series raises a tricky question for filmmakers: how do you truly shock audiences today, like the original film did back in the 1970s? With news often showing events just as disturbing as anything people might have secretly sought out decades ago, it feels almost impossible to create something genuinely shocking.

Viewers accustomed to horror won’t be easily shocked by violence, especially considering the success of extremely graphic films like Terrifier 3, which earned $90 million. While director Goldhaber’s new Faces of Death likely won’t replicate the raw, unsettling feel of the original, the trailer suggests he’s aiming to create a disturbing blend of reality and cinematic effects. Based on his previous work, I expect this new version to be genuinely frightening.

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2026-03-01 07:08