Faces of Death (1978)

User Rating:

3.3/10   

Director:

John Alan Schwartz

Writer:

John Alan Schwartz (writer)

Release Date:

24 May 1980 (Japan)

Genre:

Documentary | Crime

Tagline:

Banned in 46 Countries!

Plot:

A collection of death scenes, ranging from TV-material to home-made super-8 movies The common factor is death by some means.

Plot Keywords:

Death | Mockumentary | Alligator | Execution | Monkey

Cast

Michael Carr	...	Dr. Francis B. Gröss
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Samuel Berkowitz	...	Himself; Cryogenics patient
Mary Ellen Brighton	...	Herself; suicide victim shown jumping out of a window
Thomas Noguchi	...	Himself

Also Known As:

The Original Faces of Death (USA) (video box title)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

New Zealand:(Banned) | West Germany:18 (cut) | Australia:(Banned) (original rating) | Australia:R (re-rating) (2007) | Australia:R (uncut) | Netherlands:16 | Finland:(Banned) | South Korea:18 (heavily cut) | UK:18 (cut) | USA:Not Rated | UK:(Banned) (1984-2003) | Norway:(Banned) (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Guanajuato, Mexico

Company:

F.O.D. Productions

Trivia:

John Alan Schwartz came up with the electrocution scene by reading an article in Hustler Magazine on electrocution.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The narrator refers to "the country of Africa". Africa is a continent.

Quotes:

Dr. Francis B. Gröss: Many of those who witnessed the crash and the aftermath which followed are still to this day under psychiatric care. Living through this nightmare is an experience one cannot easily forget. When a woman heard the crash and went through her door a body came flying through the window covering her in blood. There would be a long time before the people of this area would ever board a plane again.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Snuff: A Documentary About Killing on Camera (2008)

Soundtrack:

Jesus Doesn't Live Here Anymore

A well done Mondo Classic

While not the most vile form of Mondo out there, Faces of Death still packs a punch. Opening with pitt bull fights, this film shocked me. The vile sick nature of these films should ONLY be viewed by those with strong stomachs. Although 85% fake, it still packs a punch that many earlier mondo's did not. Although the first is not the best of the series, it does come close. I made the mistake of taking this film to a friends house, only to be called 'sick and gross' but that happens. The film has no plot and frankly, Dr. Gross is a sick human. I dont know which was scarier, him or one of the stiffs.

All over I give this film a 6/10. While not the best mondo, its certainly worth checking out.

On a minor note, theres this part where the cut this horse's throat and let him bleed to death. I dont know if this is real but it sure as heck freaked me out. I just wanted to throw that out there and say again if you have a weak stomach or heart, do NOT watch the film. You wont like it. But if your in the mood for a good old mondo, then check it out.