Faces of Death (1978)

Director:

John Alan Schwartz

Writer:

John Alan Schwartz (writer)

Release Date:

4 September 1981 (West Germany)

Genre:

Documentary | Horror

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:

Sensationalism | War Crime | Africa | Dead Children | Ethnocentric

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:

West Germany:18 (cut) | New Zealand:(Banned) | Australia:(Banned) (original rating) | Australia:R (re-rating) (2007) | Australia:R (uncut) | 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:

Continuity: After the farmer chops off the roosters head, she hacks the ax back into the stump and it sticks in at a perfectly straight angle. Then it is suddenly sticking out at a horizontal angle.

Quotes:

Dr. Francis B. Gröss: The only thing I question is their method of death. Whether or not the seal feels any pain is purely a matter of conjection. I am convinced that when these animals are herded together their instincts warn them of their final destiny. A warning would soon no longer matter as this island is transformed into a battleground of naked carcasses.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Sopranos: No Show (#4.2)" (2002)

Soundtrack:

Burning Soul

What a sad commentary on human nature and dismal farce.

Undoubtedly one of the worst movies of all time. And how many sequels were there? With the possible exception of 3, the live action sequences were staged. Alt.folklore.urban has decimated this movie. When mixed in w/ some shots of real animal slaughter, cadavers, and other dead things, I can only imagine a 14-16 yr old could enjoy and believe such tripe. As for entertainment value? Why not get a stick and poke at road kill for 88 min. If you liked that movie see Surf Nazis Must Die, The Leprechaun, or The Blade Master.