It turns out our fascination with fear is not just popular, but profitable, too. From Ti West’s X trilogy to Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All, it seems that A-list actors and directors are now lining up in droves to be attached to prestigious horror film projects.
Thankfully, such names include Barbie Ferreira of Euphoria fame and the inimitable pop powerhouse Charli XCX, both of whom are set to star in a remake of John Alan Schwartz’s 1978 horror film Faces of Death.
When will it be released?
The film is set for a theatrical release on 10 April 2026 across North America. We’re hoping a global roll-out won’t be far behind it.
Who is involved?
Leading the cast are Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria), Charli XCX (The Moment), Dacre Montgomery (Stranger Things), Josie Totah (Saved by the Bell), Aaron Holliday (Cocaine Bear) and Jermaine Fowler (The Blackening).
Isa Mazzaei and Daniel Goldhaber are behind the Faces of Death remake, with the former penning the script and the latter onboard to direct. It’s not their first foray into the horror genre either, having served as part of the production team for 2018 horror Cam and the thrilling adaptation of Andreas Malm’s book How to Blow Up a Pipeline.
Nor is it the first time Barbie Ferreira has tried on her scream queen cap. The actor featured in Jordan Peele’s Nope, meanwhile Charli XCX wrote her song Hot Girl for A24’s delicious Gen Z horror comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies, starring Amandla Stenberg and Rachel Sennott. Joining the two women is Australian actor Dacre Montgomery who played Billy Hargrove in Stranger Things.
What will the new film be about?
The film is set to be a modern update on the original.
Cinephiles will know that the original Faces of Death film was banned and censored for its long-rumoured inclusion of footage of real-life deaths, but the film achieved cult-like status in the 80s as a viral VHS tape. The film ushered in an era of found-footage / faux documentary-style horror that would go on to inspire other cult horror favourites like 1999’s The Blair Witch Project and the massively popular Paranormal Activity series of the 2010s.
The film’s official press release states: “The exploration of the original film’s infamous ‘Is it real or not?’ concept continues as a woman (Ferreira) working as a content moderator for a major video platform discovers what appears to be re-enactments of murders from the original film. In an online world where nothing can be trusted, she must determine whether the violence is fiction, or unfolding in real time.”
In a statement, the writers for the remake said, “Faces of Death was one of the first viral video tapes, and we are so lucky to be able to use it as a jumping off point for this exploration of cycles of violence and the way they perpetuate themselves online”.
