Red-Band Trailer for FACES OF DEATH Promises a Twisted Meta Horror Experience
IFC has dropped the first full red-band trailer for Faces of Death, a modern reimagining of one of the most infamous cult horror films ever released.
If you’re even slightly familiar with the original 1978 shocker, you already know the name alone carries a certain weight. This new version looks ready to drag that legacy straight into the chaos of the internet age, and yeah, it’s probably going to rattle some cages.
The trailer leans hard into the discomfort factor. The marketing tagline says it all: “You can't unsee it.” That pretty much sums up the vibe.
For those who grew up hearing the stories about the original Faces of Death, it was less a movie and more a dare. The orignal film built its reputation on the question, “Is it real?”
Audiences debated whether they were watching actual death footage or staged exploitation. That uncertainty was the hook. It made people uneasy in a way that felt different back then. You kind of had to be there to understand the impact it had during that era.
This new take shifts the concept into the world of online content moderation. The story follows a woman played by Barbie Ferreira, who works as a moderator for a major video platform.
Her job is already disturbing enough, but things spiral when she stumbles onto a series of hyper-violent videos that appear to recreate the murders from the original Faces of Death.
In a digital landscape where everything can be faked, manipulated, or livestreamed, she’s forced to figure out whether what she’s watching is staged horror or something happening in real time.
The film also stars Dacre Montgomery, alongside Josie Totah, Aaron Holliday, Jermaine Fowler, and Charli XCX. It’s directed by Daniel Goldhaber, the filmmaker behind Cam and How to Blow Up a Pipeline, and episodes of 50 States of Fright.
Goldhaber co-wrote the screenplay with Isa Mazzei, and they’ve made it clear they’re approaching the material carefully. As they explained:
"It's very important to us to honor the parts of that aspect of the original. We have done our best in the movie to do that within the bounds of the law."
That’s an interesting line to include, especially given how controversial the original film was. It suggests they’re aware of the legacy and the legal gray areas that made the original version such a lightning rod.
IFC is clearly confident in what they’ve got. The studio said: "We're in awe of Daniel Goldhaber’s reimagining of Faces of Death. His take is unsettling, timely, and provocative, and we can’t wait to unleash it in theaters everywhere this spring."
From the footage shown, “unsettling” might be putting it lightly. The red-band trailer is intense, chaotic, and uncomfortable in all the ways you’d expect from a project carrying this title. It feels less like a traditional remake and more like a commentary on our obsession with violent content and the blurred line between reality and performance online.
Personally, I remember watching the original as a teenager, and it was an experience. I’m still not entirely sure what this new film is trying to accomplish, or if it can recreate that same cultural shock.
The first movie was a product of its time. Part of its power came from the mystery and the lack of instant fact-checking. In 2026, we live in a world where everything is recorded, dissected, and debated within seconds. That changes the experience.
IFC plans to release the movie in select U.S. theaters starting April 10th, 2026.