FilmRFound Footage Splatter & Gore

Faces of Death1978

Name: Faces of Death
Genre: Found Footage, Splatter & Gore
Released: 1978-11-10
Rating: 4

“Experience the graphic reality of DEATH, close-up...”

Directed by John Alan Schwartz

4.0

Crypt Score

Blended from 3 sources

IMDb 4.2Rotten Tomatoes 21%TMDB 4.6

✍ Review

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Year

1978

Runtime

109 min

The premise

What question has plagued mankind more than the mystery—and terror—of death? This forbidden pursuit has driven Dr. Frances B. Gröss to the brink of madness, but in his obsession, he has amassed a uniquely comprehensive collection of films that depict life in its final, grueling moments. From the savagery of cold-blooded murder to the perverse realities of war, tragic accidents, and the everyday lives of those who collect, dissect, and bury the dead, this descent into morbidity lays bare a truth that all of us will one day face.

Horror Vault's take

Framed as the private archive of a death-obsessed doctor, Faces of Death assembles footage — real, staged, and somewhere in between — depicting humanity's most extreme final moments. From autopsy tables to war zones to acts of brutal violence, the film dares viewers to confront what polite society refuses to acknowledge. It became one of the most infamous entries in the mondo shockumentary tradition, banned in numerous countries and whispered about for decades. Whether its power comes from what is real or what merely appears to be is a question the film is happy to leave unanswered.

Content: Graphic Depictions Of Real And Staged Death, Extreme Gore, Animal Death, Autopsy Footage, Suicide Depictions, Cannibalism, War Atrocity Imagery, Graphic Violence