I remember Faces of Death the same way most people do. Someone told you that you had to see it. Then you watched it, laughed nervously, and wished you hadn’t. Faces of Death II (1981) knew exactly what it was doing when it came out. It wasn’t trying to be subtle. It was trying to push the envelope further.
The movie was directed by John Alan Schwartz, who used the fake name “Conrad Brooks.” It follows the same idea as the first film. It mixes real footage with fake scenes so well that it’s hard to tell which is which. That confusion is the whole point. The movie isn’t really about teaching anything. It’s about making you uncomfortable.
This time, the movie shows more kinds of death. There are accidents, executions, autopsies, and strange rituals. Some of it is real. Some of it is staged. The movie never tells you which is which, and that’s what makes it disturbing. One scene, known as the “death game,” feels especially cruel and confusing, even though it was staged.
What makes Faces of Death II stand out isn’t just the shocking images. It’s the mood. The dark music, the serious voiceover, and the slow pacing make everything feel important and real, even when it isn’t. The movie wants you to believe it, or at least doubt yourself.
One of the most talked-about scenes involves a rat. Many people thought the rat was actually killed, but it wasn’t. The scene was staged, and the rat survived. Still, the idea alone upset people. That shows how powerful suggestion can be. You don’t have to see something real for it to feel real — kinda like MAGA.
By the end, Faces of Death II feels less like a movie and more like a test. It pushes your limits and dares you to keep watching. It’s not a good film in the usual sense, but it’s an important example of shock movies from the early 1980s.
You don’t watch Faces of Death II to learn facts. You watch it to see how much you can handle—and then decide how you feel about that.
Also available on SCREW’s Roku channel.
—CD
