Faces of Death (2026 film)

Did You Know?

• The film marks IFC's widest release to date.
• It also screened at the Aero Theatre in Los Angeles on April 7, 2026, and at the 2026 Overlook Film Festival on April 9.
• Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of C.

Plot

Margot Romero works as a content moderator for Kino, a platform similar to TikTok, where she filters violent or offensive videos. During her shift, she encounters a video that appears to show a real decapitation execution. She dismisses it as staged but grows alarmed after seeing another video depicting an electric chair death. Her requests for a second opinion are rejected, seemingly because of her past involvement in a trend that led to her sister's death. At home, her roommate Ryan gives her a lipstick knife. Arthur Spevak, a telecom employee and the killer, injects influencer Samantha Gravinsky with fentanyl and kidnaps her. A video of a scalping further alarms Margot, but her concerns are again dismissed. She posts the videos on Reddit, asking if the murders are real, and they quickly gain popularity. Arthur kidnaps a local news anchor and his teenage son, killing the anchor in a staged shoot-out. On Reddit, Margot discovers the original Faces of Death film and notes similarities to the murder videos. Ryan explains that the original film was purportedly a collection of real snuff deaths but was actually fake, suggesting the modern videos may also be staged. Seeking proof, Margot covers her superior Josh's shift and copies the uploaded videos from his computer. She finds the uploader's metadata and posts it on Reddit. Arthur replies with a malicious link, obtaining her home IP address. The next day, Margot is fired for leaving stimulants on Josh's desk. Arthur breaks into her apartment, kills Ryan, and kidnaps Margot. She wakes in a caged basement and frees herself with the lipstick knife. She saves Samantha, who urges her to flee, but Margot stays to steal Arthur's hard drive containing footage of him unmasked. Samantha breaks free but is shot by Arthur. Margot escapes into the woods and returns with police, but Arthur convinces them she trespassed, and she is detained. At a hospital, Margot receives Narcan and a text demanding she return the drive or Samantha and the boy will be killed.

Production

In October 2006, Rogue Pictures considered producing a remake of Faces of Death with J. T. Petty attached to direct, citing the success of The Grudge and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. In May 2021, Legendary Entertainment acquired the rights. Daniel Goldhaber and Isa Mazzei were hired as writers, with Goldhaber directing. Susan Montford and Don Murphy produced under Angry Films, while Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath produced under Divide/Conquer. In April and May 2023, Barbie Ferreira, Dacre Montgomery, Josie Totah, Charli XCX, and Jermaine Fowler joined the cast. Montgomery based his character on Adrian Țofei in Be My Cat: A Film for Anne (2015). Principal photography began in New Orleans on April 10, 2023, under the working title Home Movies, and wrapped on May 12, 2023, on a budget of $7.4 million. Pick-up shots were completed in March 2024.