Daniel Goldhaber’s “Faces of Death” opens in four days, and with the review embargo now lifted, things are looking pretty good for the much-delayed, controversial film.
You have positive reviews from The Globe and Mail (3.5/4), The Film Stage (B+), IndieWire (B+), Slash Film (3.5/5), The Wrap, and Variety. Meanwhile, Screen Rant, Slant, and THR did not like the film at all.
The resulting scores on aggregates are 69% on Rotten Tomatoes and 69 on Metacritic. It’s somewhat divisive, but expectedly so. Not bad at all for a film shot more than three years ago that endured a final-cut battle and was even suddenly pulled from an SXSW premiere. With unhappy producers paying for reshoots — despite the film having tested very well — the claim from backers was that the movie was too “experimental,” and not what they had expected Goldhaber to deliver.
I’m a fan of Goldhaber and spoke with him a handful of times while this film was stuck in limbo. He’s a filmmaker I began following in 2018, after seeing “Cam” at the Fantasia Film Festival and writing a rave review — the film was eventually picked up by Netflix.
What I would want from a “Faces of Death” remake — or reimagining, whatever you want to call it — is something fresh, modern, and wholly shocking. Judging by the footage I was lucky enough to be shown a few months ago, I think horror fans are in for a real treat here.
Filmed in April 2023, Goldhaber’s movie offers a “modern” spin on the 1978 cult classic’s premise. It wouldn’t be surprising if it sparks plenty of walkouts, with some viewers recoiling at what he’s cooked up. The film is unapologetically grisly, rendered in an almost lo-fi aesthetic reminiscent of his previous work, and produced on a relatively modest $7 million budget.
Goldhaber, who turned heads with 2022’s taut, tense, and terrific “How to Blow Up a Pipeline,” is deep into planning his next film, which is eyeing Charli XCX to star and would be set in Germany’s rave nightclub scene. “Faces of Death” opens nationwide April 10 via IFC/Shudder.