Legendary has set Barbie Ferreira and Dacre Montgomery to star in “Faces of Death,” a reimagining of the 1978 horror film from John Alan Schwartz.
Legendary’s version will be written by Isa Mazzei and directed by Daniel Goldhaber.
Angry Films’ Don Murphy and Susan Montford will produce with Divide/Conquer’s Adam Hendricks and Greg Gilreath.
Rick Benattar will executive produce and Cory Kaplan will co-produce.
Filmmakers Mazzei and Goldhaber have crafted a film that brings the shocking fear of the original “Faces of Death” videos into the digital age.
“’Faces of Death’ was one of the first viral video tapes, and we are so lucky to be able to use it as a jumping off point for this exploration of cycles of violence and the way they perpetuate themselves online,” Mazzei and Goldhaber said in a statement.
Although it was staged and fictional, people thought it was real and it was often rented under the counter by older brothers at video shops. The film advertised itself as “Banned in 52 Countries,” although this was simply hype.
Ferreira’s credits include “House of Spoils” and HBO’s “Euphoria.” She is represented by Aperture Talent, Authentic Talent and Literary Management, and Felker, Toczek, Suddleson, Abramson, McGinnis and Ryan.
Montgomery’s credits include Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and “Elvis.” He is represented by CAA and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.
Mazzei and Goldhaber previously collaborated on “How to Blow Up a Pipeline,” which was acquired by Neon at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival and was directed by Goldhaber and produced by the duo; “Cam” in 2018, which was well received by critics gathering a 93% Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes; and “50 States Of Fright” in 2020.
