When the original Faces of Death came out in 1978, the world was convinced that this shockumentary was real, when in reality it was predominantly fake. Today, we live in a world where social media algorithms consume our lives, AI is readily available, and everyone is trying to be the main attraction. Though not a direct remake of the infamous shockumentary, Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei‘s reboot follows a social media moderator (Euphoria’s Barbie Ferreira) who comes across a group re-enacting the original film’s murders. It explores where the film stands today with regard to new technology, the growing attention economy we live in, and who we are in this bizarre world of social media sensationalism.

Faces of Death 2026 is crazy from start to finish. As humans living in the modern day, we’re constantly in search of the next shocking, viral thing. Here, as our current lives are on display, with the majority of the world being desensitised and content creation being the premier career, it poses the question of what can be deemed as entertainment, and do we dare give the people what they want? Ferreira gives us a stunning performance, which could land her the title of scream queen in the future, and Dacre Montgomery gets under your skin and truly unnerves you the moment he’s on screen.

This is unlike anything you’re expecting. It can be argued that the original was the first ever viral video, as it gave us an insight into how evil and sick humanity could be; the new film simply solidifies that we are just as bad, if not worse. As a society we love a remake, and the algorithm is no different, so why not capitalise and put our morbid interests back in the spotlight – but will you watch on, or will you look away?

FACE OF DEATH is out now in the US.