Barbie Ferreira and Charli XCX to star in 'Faces of Death' remake

WORDS Cassandra Dimitroff PUBLISHED Mon, 24 Apr 2023 - 11:58 am

It turns out our fascination with fear is not just popular, but profitable, too. From Ti West's X trilogy to Luca Guadagnino's Bones and All, it seems that A-list actors and directors are now lining up in droves to be attached to prestigious horror film projects. Thankfully, such names include Barbie Ferreira of Euphoria fame and the inimitable pop powerhouse Charli XCX, both of whom are set to star in a remake of John Alan Schwartz's 1978 horror film Faces of Death.

Who is involved?

Isa Mazzaei and Daniel Goldhaber are behind the Faces of Death remake, with the former penning the script and the latter onboard to direct. It's not their first foray into the horror genre either, having served as part of the production team for 2018 horror Cam and the thrilling adaptation of Andreas Malm's book How to Blow Up a Pipeline.

Nor is it the first time Barbie Ferreira has tried on her scream queen cap. The actor featured in Jordan Peele's Nope, meanwhile Charli XCX wrote her song Hot Girl for A24's delicious Gen Z horror comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies, starring Amandla Stenberg and Rachel Sennott. Joining the two women is Australian actor Dacre Montgomery who played Billy Hargrove in Stranger Things.

What is Faces of Death about?

Cinephiles will know that the original film was banned and censored for its grotesqueness, but achieved cult-like status in the 80s as a viral VHS tape. The film ushered in an era of found-footage style horror that would go on to inspire other cult horror favourites like 1999's The Blair Witch Project.

If the remake sticks to the source material, it will follow a pathologist as he explores gruesome ways to die through footage purportedly sourced from around the world. In a statement, the writers for the remake said, "Faces of Death was one of the first viral video tapes, and we are so lucky to be able to use it as a jumping off point for this exploration of cycles of violence and the way they perpetuate themselves online".

When will it be released?

The production is still in very early stages, so there is no official timeline or release date as of yet. Watch this space and we'll keep you updated as we know more.