Faces of Death: 30th Anniversary Edition
Directed by: John Alan Schwartz
Starring: Michael Carr

For the most part I wasn’t allowed to watch horror movies when I was a kid, but as is often the case, there was always the random chance of running into one at a friend’s house. For some reason, horror movies were always a great way to test one’s mettle and prove just how much gore and violence you could withstand. Although the Friday the 13th movies and A Nightmare on Elm Street series were often more than adequate for this kind of coming of age ritual, there is one movie in particular that developed a reputation over the years for being the ultimate test of endurance.

I don’t remember exactly where I saw Faces of Death for the first time, but I certainly remember the unsettling effect it had on me and everyone else who was watching. This was an underground film that was passed around among horror fans and psychopaths throughout the ’80s mainly via VHS bootlegs (in many cases, this was the only way to see it since it was actually banned in a number of countries). Curiosity got the better of people and they couldn’t help themselves. They had to see it, and then once they had seen it, they had to show it to as many friends as possible.

Claiming to be a documentary about death and its various incarnations, the movie was really just an excuse to push the envelope and show as much disturbing and controversial imagery as possible. Hosted by a supposed expert named Dr. Francis B. Gröss, it tries to maintain an air of clinical indifference and objectivity; at times his commentary is inappropriately blunt or facetious, while other times he outright condemns the heinous acts and the cruel behaviour of human beings. What many people didn’t realize at the time is that most of the footage in the movie is fake. Now, in celebration of the 30th Anniversary of the film, Gorgon Video has re-released Faces of Death on DVD and Blu-ray complete with bonus material that pulls back the veil on this elaborate hoax once and for all.

The biggest question that most people seem to have about this movie is whether or not it can still hold up after all these years. In this era of CNN beheadings, cell phone cams and Rotten.com, can these fake images of death still shock and mortify viewers? For the most part, I’d have to say yes — maybe not the hardcore gore hounds, but the average person, almost certainly. Sure the narration seems a lot more campy now (and laugh out loud funny at times), and some of the effects aren’t as convincing, but there is an eerie quality to the movie that gets under your skin.

Maybe I was just tapping into some of my memories of watching it when I was younger, but I still found it difficult to watch at times. In particular, there are a handful of slaughterhouse scenes involving animals that happen early on, creating a sickening knot in your stomach that never really goes away. These scenes are all real, not unlike the stomach-churning animal deaths in Cannibal Holocaust. I believe some of these parts were cut from previous releases of the movie (I didn’t even remember the full extent of them), but Gorgon Video has restored them to their former glory. (Gee thanks!) If all of that wasn’t enough, the music sometimes attempts to lighten the mood, which can be either funny or simply in bad taste (ie. a rendition of “Old MacDonald” during the killing of a chicken). There are also some silly things like the cult orgy scene that are just impossible to take seriously nowadays (although I suspect they never were meant to be taken seriously), but a lot of the stuff is still believable enough to pass muster.

Perhaps even more interesting than the movie itself are the “Features of Death” included on the disc. A feature-length audio commentary track with director Conan LeCilaire (aka John Alan Schwartz) and separate featurettes with editor Glenn Turner and special effects guys Allan A. Apone and Douglas J. White all delve into the making of this cult classic. They recount some very interesting stories about where the idea for the movie originated, how individual scenes were constructed, and how they personally felt about being involved with such a notorious film. A handful of deleted scenes, outtakes and a trailer also round out the bonus material.

Faces of Death is definitely a weird movie to watch, and not really one that most normal people will get a lot of enjoyment from. It has extreme moments of graphic violence and death, mixed with moments of gleefully dark comedy. Even if you don’t have a sick sense of humour, morbid curiosity or nostalgic attraction to the movie, however, you may still find it interesting strictly from a historical perspective. Strange as it might sound, the movie is an impressive feat in its own way, and certainly taps into some dark side of human nature. That said, don’t kid yourself… this movie is not going to teach you a single redeeming thing about life or death, except that life is probably too short to spend watching many more movies like this! — Sean

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Recommended If You Like: Cannibal Holocaust, Banned from Television, Forgotten Silver