Jonathan Sim
In an era where truth is constantly blurred by algorithms, virality, and online spectacle, Faces of Death reimagines horror through a chillingly modern lens. The film follows Margot, played by Barbie Ferreira, a content moderator for a video-sharing platform tasked with filtering violent and offensive material. When she stumbles upon a group recreating murders from the 1978 film Faces of Death, the line between staged performance and real violence begins to dissolve. As misinformation spreads and the videos gain traction, the story spirals into a disturbing question of perception: how much of what is seen online can actually be trusted?
For Daniel Goldhaber, Director/Co-Writer, and Isa Mazzei, Co-Writer/Producer, the film’s DNA is rooted in both cinematic history and cultural anxiety. “We were really inspired by a 1968 movie called Targets by Peter Bogdanovich,” Goldhaber explains. “It is one of the great movies of the ’60s. Bogdanovich got the assignment from Roger Corman, who gave him two or three days of Boris Karloff’s time left on his schedule. Corman told Bogdanovich that if he could figure out a way to use Karloff and footage from a movie called The Terror, he could do whatever he wanted.”
Goldhaber continues, drawing a direct line between that film’s themes and their own: “Bogdanovich made an incredible film about a lone sniper going after people and Boris Karloff at the end of his career. It’s about how alienation in the American suburbs leads to mass violence, which was a big inspiration for us.”
Mazzei reinforces the influence succinctly: “That was the main touchstone.”
Despite the film’s disturbing subject matter and gruesome death scenes, the atmosphere on set was unexpectedly energetic. “This was the most fun set I’ve ever been on,” Goldhaber says. “You are quickly trying to get it to look right, and it becomes very funny and uncomfortable. Often, it’s very entertaining because it’s fun to ‘play dead.’”
At the same time, the physical demands of the production were no joke. “For the final fight scene, Barbie and Dacre were really going at it for two days,” Goldhaber adds. “Keeping that level of energy, physical stamina, and intensity in the performance is remarkable.”
Casting Ferreira (Euphoria) and Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things) was a deliberate choice, rooted in what they could bring beyond the page. “We sought them out specifically for what they would bring to the roles,” Mazzei explains. “We were long-time fans and knew they were talented. In our initial meetings, we learned how they resonated with different parts of the characters.”
For Ferreira, that connection was deeply personal. “Barbie related to growing up online as a ‘weird kid’ on the internet,” Mazzei says. “She had experiences where she felt the internet ran away with a narrative, and she brought that to the character of Margot.”
Montgomery, on the other hand, brought a very different energy to Arthur. “Similarly, Dacre brought a lot of obsessive-compulsiveness and an obsession with textures to the character of Arthur,” Mazzei continues. “It was exciting to see how they collaborated with us to bring these characters to life.”
One of the film’s most striking elements is its use of practical effects to recreate violent imagery, grounding the horror in something tactile and unsettling. Goldhaber jokes about their approach before getting serious about its importance. “We just killed people for real. No, I’m joking. As good as VFX have gotten, there is no replacement for practical gore and makeup effects.”
That commitment wasn’t without pushback. “Producers are always trying to cut costs, and they tried to get us to do one specific effect with VFX,” he says. “It didn’t work, so we had to come back and do it practically. The movie is partly about how our eyes can tell the difference between something fake and something real, so we had to get as close to the real thing as possible.”
Working within a limited budget ultimately became an advantage rather than a restriction. “I think the best movies are made with a budget because it forces you to be innovative and creative,” Mazzei explains. “It forces you to grapple with what is necessary and find the best version of what you’re doing. You can’t just follow every whim; you have to be deliberate. In that deliberateness, you create something better.”
Goldhaber views filmmaking as a collaborative, almost game-like process. “I view being a director like being a ‘Dungeon Master.’ I’m not trying to force a perfect vision onto a crew. I’m trying to get everyone to role-play and make the same thing together. You end up finding ideas you never would have imagined otherwise.”
He adds, with a nod to the industry’s future, “That is why I’m not afraid of AI at the moment. You can’t replace the chaotic, organic, and ‘alive’ contributions of a hundred people on a film set with something spit out of a computer.”
When it comes to horror, both filmmakers draw from formative viewing experiences that left lasting impressions. “The most disturbing movie I saw was the first Saw movie when I was about 14,” Mazzei recalls. “I was not emotionally ready for it. The moment the character stands up off the floor shook me to my core. For months, I had trouble being alone in the dark. As an angsty teenager, I’d want to say, ‘I hate my life,’ but then I’d think, ‘No, Jigsaw is listening.’ It profoundly affected me.”
Goldhaber’s fears trace back to a different set of nightmares. “When I was younger, the first Alien movie really traumatized me. I was afraid there was an alien in my house at night for a long time. Tremors also freaked me out, though it might not seem as scary by contemporary standards.”
He continues with a memory that lingers just as vividly: “There is another film, I think it’s called The Visit (note: he was likely referring to The Arrival from 1996), an alien invasion movie where people snatch bodies. There is a scene where a man is assassinated by having his room filled with hundreds of scorpions. For a long time, I was convinced there were scorpions in my bed every time I went to sleep.”
In Faces of Death, those early fears evolve into something more insidious—less about monsters under the bed and more about the horrors hiding in plain sight, embedded in the endless scroll of a screen. Faces of Death arrives in theaters on April 10, 2026.
Comments
Loading…