FACES OF DEATH -- Best Scream Movie of 2026!

Review by Steve Barton II

Why do so many people have a morbid fascination with death? It could be true crime documentaries, body cam footage from crime scenes, cell phone videos of accidents or deaths and folks will watch it while having their dinner with the family. Before the birth of the internet and websites like LiveLeak, we had the infamous film Faces of Death from 1978. The original Faces of Death was a mockumentary film where a fake doctor narrates and frames different segments where death occurs uncensored. While most of the footage was fake, many countries still banned it for absurdity and it drove Faces of Death to have a cult following among the darkest horror freaks. When it comes to 2026’s Faces of Death, we follow a more traditional narrative with Margot (Barbie Ferreira), who works as a quality control specialist for a social media platform and screens for violent material. When she continues to see a series of violent videos, she slowly discovers that they are real murders inspired by the original Faces of Death film!

As someone who wasn’t a fan of the original film, the 2026 version of Faces of Death outshines the original in every way. In a world where we have plenty of shot-for-shot remakes of horror classics, Daniel Goldhaber took a completely unexpected approach. While still staying true to the original idea of Faces of Death, he was able to update the premise and give us a brand new story. The film still covers how people are fascinated with violence and death, without framing it as “real events they don’t want you to see”. Instead, Daniel uses social media (specifically a TikTok clone) to show how desensitized people have become and how they almost celebrate the demise of others for their entertainment.

While some of her reaction faces while using her computer were comical, Barbie Ferreira was fantastic as our leading lady. Margot is a very layered character with depression and trauma and Barbie embodies it completely. She gives Margot an interesting depth and when Margot grows into our hero it’s believable and earns our hearts. Dacre Montgomery got in touch with his inner Patrick Bateman for his villain role and it is terrifying! He passes as a normal guy in public, but behind closed doors he’s an absolute maniac who commits heinous crimes to obtain attention. 

When you enter a theater for a movie titled Faces of Death, good kills are expected and this film exceeds expectations! While it may not be framed as a documentary this time, the kills still look incredibly real and disturbing. The film shows how people can’t see the difference between simulated versus real violence and the team behind creating these kills pass with flying colors. While not all of the deaths are perfect, there are a few that will be at the top of your mind for hours after witnessing them. The bathtub stream is one that is currently seared into my frontal lobe. With the grotesque kills and a killer reveal moment, that would make Kevin Williamson blush and return to his old Scream notebooks.

Overall, Faces of Death is an incredible reinvention of the original movie by staying true to its spirit while becoming its own monster. Barbie Ferreira and Dacre Montgomery both have fantastic performances and their adversarial chemistry made the last act tense and chaotic. If you’re in need of some dark humor, disturbing violence and engrossing story, seek help and then go see Faces of Death! 

Faces of Death is in theaters starting April 10th! 

Rating: 4/5