No person would deny that 2026 has been one of the best 12 months for horror films in fairly a while. Between Backrooms, Obsession, and Undertone, there are all kinds of horror films for individuals to observe, exploring completely different sides of the trendy world and promising nice issues from a brand new batch of younger filmmakers. One subgenre that’s sorely lacking from these field workplace hits is the slasher — and we have now the answer to that drawback.
Faces of Demise is streaming on Shudder as of July 10. Directed by Daniel Goldhaber and co-written by himself and Isa Mazzei, the movie marks their most up-to-date challenge collectively. Ever since 2018, following the discharge of Cam, the director-writer duo have collaborated on quite a few films, exploring completely different genres to nice success. Faces of Demise feels probably the most particular of the bunch. It’s a movie that takes the trimmings of the horror style and offers it a pointy interpretation for at present’s viewers and the trendy world.
Launched in April of this 12 months, the film landed in theaters with out a lot fanfare after an extended manufacturing and post-production course of mired by censorship, together with banned posters and teasers on YouTube. It’s an ironic twist for a film that explores censorship itself.
Faces of Demise is a reimagining of the 1978 snuff film of the identical identify. Offered as a documentary hosted by a pathologist, the ’70s movie introduces viewers to footage of individuals dying in numerous methods. Whereas some scenes had been staged, others had been made up of pre-existing footage, displaying individuals dying and the aftermath of those moments, understandingly inflicting pleasure from viewers, who needed to go to nice lengths to amass copies of the film.
Goldhaber and Mazzei take this idea and make it their very own. Their movie follows Margot (Barbie Ferreira), a younger girl who works as a moderator for a TikTok-like social media firm, clocking in to observe terrible movies and decide if they need to be taken off of the platform. The corporate nearly at all times finds an excuse for these movies to remain on, prioritizing site visitors over any sense of ethics. It’s a becoming story for a contemporary viewers, and one that would have solely come from individuals who grew up on the web and know how one can talk that to their viewers.
“We simply make movies about present in actual life. Most of us spend hours and hours a day on our cellphone,” Mazzei instructed Polygon in an interview shortly earlier than the film’s theatrical launch.
The story takes a flip when Margot discovers a content material creator making movies that seem to depict actual murders, placing her in his sight. The clips which can be being posted reference the unique Faces of Demise and might thus escape the platform’s censorship insurance policies.
Whereas a number of slashers deal with their villains as bogeymen, doling them out sparingly for finest impression, Goldhaber and Mazzei have no real interest in following this method. Arthur (Dacre Montgomery) is simply as fleshed out as Margot. He’s a devoted content material creator whose topic occurs to be discovering the proper victims for the murderous brief movies he shares on-line. He takes his job significantly.
All through Faces of Demise, Arthur vacillates between a nerdy man with no connections to the skin world and a pointy hunter, trapping victims along with his act, at all times with a contingency plan in hand. His serial killer look is eerie and memorable, the sort that may encourage Halloween costumes because the film (hopefully) turns into a cult basic. He wears pink contacts below a white masks, together with coveralls and surgical gloves.
Picture: IFC
Even if Margot is an on a regular basis girl working a horrible job and Arthur is a serial killer, the pair resonate in fascinating methods. They’re each dominated by their relationship to the web and are unable to hook up with the individuals of their lives in consequence. In the end, Faces of Demise turns into much less about fixing a thriller and extra concerning the inevitable collision between the 2 characters. Like all nice protagonist-antagonist relationships, Margot and Arthur are at odds however have a singular understanding of one another.
For a subgenre just like the slasher that has been overdone for years, Faces of Demise delivers one thing modern and thought-provoking. The movie asks questions on our impulse to observe horrible issues, and what occurs when these movies are merely introduced to you as part of your actuality. Most significantly, it does what each slasher ought to: it’s genuinely thrilling and filled with grisly murders.
Faces of Demise is now obtainable to stream on Shudder.
