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Announcement of a ‘Faces of Death’ Remake is a Head-Scratcher

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9 months ago

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In perhaps one of the weirdest genre news stories to come out since we first reported on it two years ago, The Hollywood Reporter announced Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria) and Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things) will star in a Faces of Death remake.

For those who don’t have the number 19 at the start of their birth year, and may not know what Faces of Death is about, it is a “found-footage” documentary of people and animals dying in a myriad of horrific ways. All apparently non-produced and real. We know now that was a false claim and most of the material was (effectively) manufactured

Faces of Death (1978)

About eight years ago iHorror talked to Michael R. Felsher, owner, and founder of Red Shirt Pictures, a production company that provides documentaries, director commentary, and bonus content for DVD and Blu-Ray distributors. He went into detail about his experiences with Faces of Death and its director, Conan Le Cilaire (nee John A. Schwartz), who provides the commentary for the Blu-Ray edition.

“One of the things that I found really fascinating about [Faces of Death] was talking to both the special effects crew who worked on the movie and also the editor,” Felsher told iHorror at the time, “who had a really interesting task in that he had to blend stuff that existed at the time, and also sometimes create something out of whole cloth.”

Faces of Death (1978)

What?! The footage isn’t entirely real? Gen-Xers were duped? For a period of time in the mom-and-pop video rental era, Faces of Death was one of those grails hidden behind the counter and only rented out if you were cool enough to be trusted by the cashier.

The content was so disturbing the film was banned in several countries. One famous triggering scene involves a monkey and a dining table with a small hole in the middle, used as a pillory for the animal’s head. Dining guests then beat the monkey’s head with small mallets until it became unconscious and dined then on its brains. Of course, all of this was fabricated with cauliflower substituting for primate gray matter.

Scenes like this would help the film become fodder for the video nasty era and get it banned in the U.K. The censorship only flamed the hype and Faces of Death became an underground cult classic with a few sequels to follow. But it is the original that remains the jewel in the crown of the franchise, having earned over $60 million in its lifetime.

Schwartz (Le Cilaire) passed away in 2019, but apparently, his legacy will live on in a new “re-imagining” of his original film. There are no details on what that means. Only that it will be written by Isa Mazzei and directed by Daniel Goldhaber (Cam).

We will keep you updated.

In the meantime, check out our story about the secrets of Faces of Death HERE.

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‘Scream 7’ Director Christopher Landon Responds to Barrera‘s Firing: “Stop Yelling”

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6 days ago

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November 21, 2023

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In news that rocked the horror movie world this afternoon — the firing of lead actress Melissa Barrera from Scream 7 — the director of that film, Christopher Landon, has responded to the announcement in the form of a since removed social media post.

According to Deadline, Spyglass Entertainment also released a statement regarding the termination putting it in no uncertain terms:

“We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech.”

Barrera was fired from the upcoming slasher today after she dropped several posts that appeared to support Palestine and were therefore perceived as anti-Semitic. Many commentators on iHorror’s social pages have criticized her termination as a violation of free speech. Others have said she was wrong to post what she did but didn’t deserve to get fired over it.

The question now is how the franchise will move forward. Barrera had essentially become the final girl of the franchise as its original protagonist Neve Campbell gradually seceded her role.

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Sequels & Remakes Will Dominate Horror Cinema in 2024

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7 days ago

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November 21, 2023

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I hope you loved the original horror movies that came out in 2023 because 2024 looks like it’s going to be filled with many sequels and remakes.

Of the original 2023 fare, we got M3GAN, When Evil Lurks, Cobweb, Thanksgiving, Totally Killer, and Last Voyage of the Demeter (technically a prequel?). Sequels included Exorcist Believer, Evil Dead Rise, Scream VI, and Insidious: The Red Door. Not a bad mix, right?

But 2024 already looks like sequels and remakes are going to be the dominant theme, at least according to the Facebook page What to Watch. They posted a list of horror movies they see as coming out in 2024 –some confirmed, some not. Although the list is a little flawed as some of the movies aren’t even listed on IMDb yet (Arachnophobia remake) it is still an encouraging omen of what’s ahead.

They also listed mock-up movie posters, but even though they are fake, we can appreciate the artist’s concepts nonetheless.

Below are the films they list and their respective posters. We only included movies that are actually listed on IMDb, and we added The Strangers.

Keep in mind what COVID didn’t push back in production, the actors’ and writers’ strike did. So expect release dates to change, maybe even into 2025. Note that the phony Scream 7 one-sheet says 2025, but the official IMDb page says 2024.

Scream 7

The Strangers Chapter 1

Final Destination 6

Beetlejuice 2

The Crow

The Conjuring Last Rites

Smile 2

Constantine 2

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Movies

Tobin Bell & Director of ‘Saw’ Movies Make Supernatural Music Together in ‘Cello’

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1 week ago

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November 20, 2023

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Here is something we weren’t expecting today, a trailer for a new supernatural horror movie starring Tobin Bell and directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (Saw II, Saw III, Spiral). It’s called The Cello, and it also stars Jeremy Irons.

The story follows accomplished Saudi cellist Nasser (Samer Ismail) who, “has aspirations for greatness, though he feels like he’s held back by the old, dilapidated instrument he’s forced to play. When Nasser is offered the chance to take possession of a gorgeous red cello by a mysterious shop owner (Tobin Bell), he finds new inspiration both for his playing and for his composing. What Nasser doesn’t realize is that this cello has a nefarious past. As he prepares for an important audition with a prominent philharmonic, that past shows itself in the form of an ancient conductor (Jeremy Irons) and the suffering and death of those close to him. Nasser must now decide if achieving his dreams is worth the horror that comes with playing such a perfect instrument.”

Take a look below and as always, tell us what you think.

The film will open in America theatrically on December 8.

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