The first rule of content creation: give the audience what they want.
Faces of Death (2026) is an uncomfortable but necessary film. Daniel Goldhaber confronts us with the idea that nothing is more disturbing than the content we consume daily on social media. No horror imagined by fiction comes close to the micro-videos that flow through our devices, disguised as harmless by the screen’s illusion of distance. Goldhaber accuses us of not being innocent spectators; we are guilty voyeurs.
Margot (Barbie Ferreira) works as a content moderator for the social media platform Kino. Her job is to review all the material uploaded to the platform and decide whether each video is suitable for distribution. When she comes across a series of videos that appear to be real murders, she becomes obsessed with finding the person responsible. From this premise, the screenplay by Goldhaber himself and Isa Mazzei builds a classic horror story that pits a defenseless victim against a terrifying villain. The twist that elevates the story and sets it apart comes in the form of social critique. The violence is not gratuitous; it serves as a tool for constructing a sharp analysis of modern society.
Social Media Is the Real Terror
In its execution and staging, Goldhaber leans firmly on conventional horror storytelling. He uses familiar tropes and precisely calculated editing to generate tension and build toward the moment that jolts the audience with the classic jump scare. Faces of Death may seem like just another horror film on the surface, but its underlying message cuts deeper than the knife of its perverse killer. It is easier to watch someone being run over by a train than to see two people passionately kissing. Censorship is an illusion, and the protection it promises is a lie.
Barbie Ferreira delivers a convincing performance as Margot. Her emotional background supports the tone of her portrayal and gives her character a compelling arc that works perfectly within the story. On the other side, Dacre Montgomery creates a character that could transcend within the horror genre. His slasher-inspired psychopath is effective, and Montgomery is genuinely unsettling. We all know the story inevitably leads to a final confrontation between them. The construction of that climax is strong, with a subtle nod to The Exorcist (1973). The ending is pessimism disguised as triumph.
Faces of Death seems to scream that we carry horror with us in our pockets, that we consume it with our morning coffee or before going to bed at night. There are no answers, only uncomfortable questions. Goldhaber finds horror in life itself, in the endless scroll of a screen that always offers more and more.