Traces of Death
A mondo film of real death and violence footage.
Traces of Death is a 1993 American mondo film built from stock footage and real violent scenes. Unlike *Faces of Death*, which often staged deaths or used reenactments, this film relies almost entirely on authentic footage of injury and death, including archival material taken from other movies. Damon Fox wrote the script and provided narration.
For the first two films in the series, Fox served as narrator. Starting with the third volume, Darrin Ramage—later the founder of Brain Damage Films—took over as host. While the series primarily uses authentic footage, some sources (including the filmmakers themselves) have acknowledged that certain clips may have been sourced from other films or could not be verified as entirely authentic, so the claim of 'no staged or reenacted content' is not universally accepted as established canon. Beginning with *Traces of Death II*, the scenes were set to music from death metal and grindcore bands. Notable clips in the original film include the murder of Maritza Martin, the suicide of Pennsylvania treasurer R. Budd Dwyer, and archival evidence footage related to Ilse Koch. (Note: The Iranian Embassy siege in London, which occurred in 1980, is not widely documented as appearing in the first *Traces of Death*; this may be a misattribution or confusion with other siege footage.)
The soundtrack for the first *Traces of Death* used music by J. R. Bookwalter from the 1989 film *Robot Ninja*. A CD soundtrack for *Traces of Death III* was released by Relapse Records in 1995, featuring tracks from bands like Dead World, Pungent Stench, Mortician, Hypocrisy, Meshuggah, and Merzbow, among others.
The film has sparked controversy worldwide due to its graphic content. In 1997, a Pennsylvania woman named Amy Hochberg rented the movie from a video store and was so disturbed that she considered keeping the tape to prevent children from renting it. After seeing a scene where a pig is experimented on with a blowtorch, she contacted animal rights groups and complained to the video store, saying the packaging led her to expect “911 calls with a little more.” In June 2005, the British Board of Film Classification refused to classify the first film, effectively banning it in the UK.
Quick Facts
- Writer
- Damon Fox
- Based On
- Faces of Death
- Editing
- Studio D / Dennis Deroche
- Studio
- Dead Alive Productions / Foxx Entertainment Enterprises
- Distributor
- Brain Damage Films
- Released
- 20 April 1993
- Runtime
- 76 minutes
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Traces of Death was written and narrated by Damon Fox. In the first two films of the series, Damon Fox was the narrator. Darrin Ramage, who would later become the founder of Brain Damage Films, would become the host for the third, fourth and fifth volumes. Unlike Faces of Death, the footage throughout the entire films is primarily real, though some sources (including the filmmakers themselves) have acknowledged that certain clips may have been sourced from other films or could not be verified as entirely authentic, so the claim of 'no staged or reenacted content' is not universally accepted as established canon. Starting with Traces of Death II, scenes were accompanied by background music from death metal and grindcore bands.
Reader's Guide
Traces of Death is significant as a landmark in the mondo genre for its exclusive use of real footage, distinguishing it from earlier works like Faces of Death that included staged deaths. Its graphic content sparked controversy worldwide, including a 1997 incident in Coaldale, Pennsylvania where a renter, Amy Hochberg, was disgusted and contacted animal rights groups after seeing a pig experimented on with a blowtorch. In June 2005, the British Board of Film Classification refused to give the first film an age certificate, effectively banning it, citing no journalistic or educational context and potential breach of the Obscene Publications Act. The series also influenced underground film distribution, with Darrin Ramage later founding Brain Damage Films. The soundtrack for Traces of Death used tracks by J. R. Bookwalter from the 1989 film Robot Ninja, and later volumes featured death metal and grindcore bands, with a CD soundtrack released for Traces of Death III by Relapse Records in 1995.
Did You Know?
- Traces of Death consists mostly of actual footage depicting death and injury, unlike Faces of Death which included fake deaths and reenactments.
- In 1997, Amy Hochberg of Coaldale, Pennsylvania rented the film and contacted animal rights groups after seeing a pig experimented on with a blowtorch.
- The British Board of Film Classification banned the first film in June 2005, citing potential breach of the Obscene Publications Act.
- The soundtrack for Traces of Death III was released on CD by Relapse Records in 1995 and included tracks by bands such as Mortician, Hypocrisy, and Meshuggah.
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