“Faces of Death” key art.
Independent Film Company/Shudder
Faces of Death, a horror thriller inspired by the controversial 1978 documentary that purported to show actual deaths, is new this week after making less than a killing at the box office.
Directed by Daniel Goldhaber (Sam Raimi’s 50 States of Fright), Faces of Death opened in theaters on April 10. Barbie Ferreira (Euphoria) stars in the film as Margot Romero, a moderator at a TikTok-like digital platform whose job is to weed out any violent or offensive content. After witnessing a particularly gruesome death in one of the videos, Barbie begins to worry that the deaths are real death scenes being reproduced from a movie.
Rated R, Faces of Death also stars Dacre Montgomery, Jermaine Fowler and music superstar Chari xcx.
In reality, the so-called “death” scenes in the 1978 version of Faces of Death, while containing bits of documentary, footage, were proven to be fake and the “murders” were staged, according to Variety.
The 2026 version of Faces of Death will be released on digital streaming via premium video on demand on Tuesday, May 12, a new listing on Prime Video confirms. In addition to Prime Video, the film will be available to purchase on such digital platforms as Apple TV, Fandango at Home and YouTube Movies & TV.
Since digital rentals are typically $5 less than purchase prices, Faces of Death should be available as a 48-hour rental on PVOD for $19.99.
‘Faces Of Death’ Earned $2.6 Million During Its Theatrical Run
The original Faces of Death movie became a cult hit when it was released on VHS in 1978 and earned $35 million worldwide, according to Variety.
The new version of Faces of Death didn’t have nearly the same amount of luck as the 1978 film, as it earned $2.6 million in North American ticket sales against a $7.4 million production budget before marketing, according to The Numbers. The film has not yet been released internationally.
Faces of Death had a mid-level release domestically, as it opened on April 10 in 1,600 theaters and earned $1.6 million for a seventh-place finish. The film’s theater count dropped to 1,000 venues in its second week and was reduced to 50 showhouses for its third and final week on the big screen.
Faces of Death wrapped up its domestic theatrical run on April 30.
Produced by the Independent Film Company and the horror platform Shudder — where the film is sure to make its streaming video on demand debut — Faces of Death arrives on PVOD on Tuesday.