Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

TheBlueHairedLawyer Dr. Francis B. Gross (whom I bet lost his certifications after making this movie), collects a series of supposed both real and staged clips of people dying gruesome deaths for the benefit of viewers. Why? Hell, why not? Let's all be necrophiliacs and creeps and stare at people getting killed! There's a difference between knowing something is a staged, fictional movie where no one gets hurt, and having the kind of sick mind required to enjoy what may very possibly be real clips of murders, suicides, graphic autopsies, accidents and animal cruelty. While many might argue with me, I think this was a pathetic, immoral and sleazy way to get money from an audience. Not only that but there are jokes throughout this morbid collection of deaths, and somehow it spawned a second and third in the series! Disgusting! No wonder it was banned and highly illegal to view in many countries! This isn't a movie. Even the most graphic and gory horror films are fictional, but with this one, it's using the miseries and misfortunes of people like us to get a quick buck or so from every viewer. I would avoid this garbage at all costs, and I'm surprised it's still even sold anywhere. I thought it was a horror movie when I found it on youtube, and by the time I saw the monkey scene I already had this review planning in my mind.

cherootvendors This is one of the few Video Nasties that fully deserved its place on the final DPP list. As an individual who ideologically opposes censorship, I found myself surprisingly shocked by the BBFC's decision to pass this (albeit with minor cuts) for DVD, and even today it is one of the few Video Nasties that I cannot watch without needing to turn it off. While I agree that adults should have the right to view whatever they wish (as long as the work in question does not break the law), I do find myself wondering what kind of person enjoys watching this sort of material. (Even as I write I cannot help but shake my head at my own hypocrisy...) This grisly, macabre compilation of both real-life and faked death footage belongs to a subgenre of the documentary film known as 'mondo', initiated in 1966 by the Italian exploitation film Mondo Cane (although the recording of actual human death goes right back to the dawn of cinema). Along with the video Executions, Faces of Death represents the most extreme and disgusting end of this subgenre (that I'm aware of at any rate), and presents a string of death-themed scenes including suicide, accidents and execution. The fact that some scenes (most famously a death row electrocution and the eating of 'live' monkey brains) are faked does little to reduce the impact of this film, which from start to finish reeks of both death and exploitation. What surprises me is not so much that Faces of Death presents itself as a serious documentary (complete with a bogus doctor narrating in serious tones), but that the BBFC's regulations allow for the use of real-life death footage in this clearly exploitative context. And yet they ban video documentaries such as Hooligans and Terrorists, Sickos and Other Wackos for having no discernible educational context. At least such material has the courage (stupidity?) to present itself for what it is: sick morons stringing together repugnant images for the entertainment of other sick morons. Indeed, such a distinction marks hard-core pornography and the Lovers' Guide style of 'sex education' videos that emerged during the late 1980s, when 'documentarians' realised they could make '18' rated sex tapes as long as the action was interspersed by some 'expert' providing an academic commentary. Unsurprisingly, Faces of Death does not illuminate the subject of its title; rather than revealing historical, cultural and spiritual truths about mortality, it merely serves to emphasise the ugly faces of humanity.Film: * (out of 5) Nastiness: ***** (out of 5)

Red-Barracuda Faces of Death is a curious viewing experience. The variety of emotions it triggers is unusual. From pure revulsion to unbridled laughter, this film certainly covers a lot of bases. Where the real material is genuinely disturbing, the faked stuff is often so poorly done it makes for unintentional comedy. At the very least, Faces of Death can certainly not be accused of being boring.The credit sequence kicks in with scenes from open heart surgery and an autopsy. It's pretty grim stuff quite frankly and not exactly the kind of material you want to digest immediately after dinner. The early parts of FOD in general are more horrific; in particular, the slaughterhouse sequence. It's pure horror. If there is any positive legacy from this documentary then it must surely be that it's made a few more people aware of the terrible route some animals are forced to take on the way to our dinner plates. The treatment of the animals in this environment was nothing short of barbaric and very difficult to watch. After this opening bombardment I was actively hoping for some of the famed fake material and thankfully I didn't have long to wait. The political assassination and alligator attack were spliced into the flow, and both were incredibly unconvincing and silly but also a relief from the unremitting heaviness of the preceding material. Some view the fake material in FOD as a weakness, a reason to disparage it. I, on the other hand, thought it was a welcome change of tone and a bit of unexpected comedy relief. The combination of the ultra-grim with fake schlock was ultimately what made it palatable for me.It has to be said though, that there is an undeniably fascinating aspect to much of the real atrocities on display. It is very exploitative but you do see things that you normally would never see, or perhaps wish to see. The footage of the aftermath of the aircraft crash was haunting and is something I will not forget; the autopsy scenes are grimly fascinating; the Liberian execution is a no-holds-barred presentation of capital punishment. While the scenes of animal cruelty do serve a purpose in that they confront the viewer with some very cruel practices and are legitimate in the sense that they expose some very terrible things that man does to other creatures on this planet; in addition to the aforementioned slaughterhouse scene, there is the extremely unpleasant footage of the seal cull. While stuff like this has been selected with exploitative purposes in mind it does make the viewer think about wider issues, which is certainly unexpected. Some of the most famous sequences turn out to be fake however, for example the monkey meal and the electric chair scene. Although these, along with the death cult section, are all pretty graphic none-the-less and operate successfully as tasteless exploitation fodder.Overall, I found Faces of Death to be compelling. I was genuinely sickened in places, disturbed in others, fascinated at times and even enlightened here and there. I also was amused too by the more ridiculous fakery. It's a hell of a combination that some people will regard in highly dubious taste. Some of it SHOULD shock you and some parts of it will stay with you long after. It's not a film to sit down with the family after a good meal. But this shockumentary/mockumentary is certainly something to behold.

Michael_Elliott Faces of Death (1978) ** (out of 4) I'm sure everyone knows what this title is and what you're going to see inside it. The movie has been a lightening storm of controversy since it was first released and the debate on good taste continues thirty-years later. I'm sure there are many who would call this nothing more than cheap trash and they'd certainly be right but this is also one of the most important movies ever made. Did I say important? You bet I did because to really enjoy this film or even get it you have to really flash back to when you were a kid and heard the older kids talking about the film. You have to remember sneaking around the video store to just look at the cover before your parents caught you. You have to remember when you were finally able to talk to video store clerk into letting you rent it. You have to remember going home and calling all of your friends over because you got your hands on that movie all the older kids were talking about. If losing your virginity made you "grow up" then watching this trashy movie put you into another category. There's no doubt this is a terrible, fake documentary but that's part of the fun. Thinking back to when you thought what you were watching was real but now as an adult you know most of everything is fake and this is especially true since special effects artists are now giving interviews about their work. So is the film trash? Of course it is but this film will always live in the hearts of many kids who grew up trying to see it for themselves.