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What are your thoughts on these films? Without a doubt, they were superstars of the VHS era, easily among the most profitable franchises, but they are never discussed, never listed, and seem to be largely forgotten. Destined to never appear on cable, Netflix, Amazon, or major streaming services, these movies are soon to be just a footnote.

Thoughts on the positives and negatives? What was your reaction to them?

While they are pure trash in many ways, they also represent a glimpse into the future. Scripted Reality two decades before the genre dominated TV.

scripted reality? isn't it just a bunch of random clips and images? i've never seen them.

zombie wrote:scripted reality? isn't it just a bunch of random clips and images? i've never seen them.

Not the first Faces Of Death, but that's kind of how the rest of them went. You also got stuff like Shocking Asia, Mondo Cane and the countless knock offs like Traces Of Death, Many Faces Of Death, Death Faces and Dying 1 & 2 (Which was just a combination of real, staged and various horror clips.)

I remember watching them because there was so much buzz about them.
I know I watched the first two for sure. I wasn't impressed. Don't care if they become a footnote.

Ava wrote:I remember watching them because there was so much buzz about them.
I know I watched the first two for sure. I wasn't impressed. Don't care if they become a footnote.

Ditto

Havok wrote:

zombie wrote:scripted reality? isn't it just a bunch of random clips and images? i've never seen them.

Not the first Faces Of Death, but that's kind of how the rest of them went. You also got stuff like Shocking Asia, Mondo Cane and the countless knock offs like Traces Of Death, Many Faces Of Death, Death Faces and Dying 1 & 2 (Which was just a combination of real, staged and various horror clips.)

so, there's kind of loose plot to the first one? i'll look it up.

the reason that faces of death doesn't make many top horror lists may be a lack of an actual plot? it doesn't have anything to keep you coming back to it, really. maybe some of the scenes are really creative and attention grabbing? otherwise, i'm just gonna have to think that it just doesn't have a lot to offer for repeat viewings, once the novelty is gone.

i am curious to see it now, though. so that's something.

zombie wrote:scripted reality? isn't it just a bunch of random clips and images? i've never seen them.

Nope, scripted and cinematic, but made to simulate reality. There is some real footage, but especially in the first ones, a lot is just staged. More influential than they get credit for, and like I said, stars of the VHS era.

well, if there is an actual story and characters to it, then i stand corrected. i don't know why it wouldn't maintain a place among fans, if that is really the case.

zombie wrote:well, if there is an actual story and characters to it, then i stand corrected. i don't know why it wouldn't maintain a place among fans, if that is really the case.

It is more of a loose narrative. Like a reality show version of Creepshow.

And it is not surprising it has no fan base, as it is dated shock cinema. Not arguing they are good films, but arguing for their rightful place in horror history. Bottom shelf of the VHS horror aisle of every 80's video store. Same reason no one would be a fan of Girls Gone Wild movies today or Penthouse Letters, when you can pull up volumes on your computer that are far edgier.

All those old mondo/shock films were a right of passage for my friends and I. They weren't good films, but they were something to be seen. Back then, you couldn't find shit like that anywhere else, so it was sought after. Nowadays, there's the internet, so these films have no purpose. It's a shame that future generations will miss out on that feeling of finding and watching something fucked up. Sure, they can find it on the internet, but it's not the same. And since it's so prevalent, people are desensitized to it, making it leave less of a lasting impression. I'll never forget watching my first Death film.

Foo wrote:And it is not surprising it has no fan base, as it is dated shock cinema. Not arguing they are good films, but arguing for their rightful place in horror history. Bottom shelf of the VHS horror aisle of every 80's video store. Same reason no one would be a fan of Girls Gone Wild movies today or Penthouse Letters, when you can pull up volumes on your computer that are far edgier.

I don't think they're forgotten when it comes to diehard horror fans. I think the Death/Mondo films are as well known as the Guinea Pig films. Horror fans will still watch them for the sake of seeing the origins of shock/gore, but they won't have the same effect. Casual horror fans won't have a clue about them, though.

Foo wrote:

zombie wrote:well, if there is an actual story and characters to it, then i stand corrected. i don't know why it wouldn't maintain a place among fans, if that is really the case.

It is more of a loose narrative. Like a reality show version of Creepshow.

And it is not surprising it has no fan base, as it is dated shock cinema. Not arguing they are good films, but arguing for their rightful place in horror history. Bottom shelf of the VHS horror aisle of every 80's video store. Same reason no one would be a fan of Girls Gone Wild movies today or Penthouse Letters, when you can pull up volumes on your computer that are far edgier.

but you could find fans of henenlotter, corman, lewis, franco, rollin. etc. those films have a following. there is still interest in them among fans of the genre. it seems weird to me that faces of death wouldn't have that at least.

entertainment weekly included it as #50 on a cult movies list in the early 2000s, from what i'm reading. which would be last place. (top 50) but at least it got a place, at the time. you like trashy exploitation stuff, where would you rank it on such a list?

so far, it comes across like a fictional documentary type of thing. *watching on youtube*

i hope the dog thing was footage they found somewhere and not done for the film...

Kids today will never know the thrill of poking your head behind the beaded curtain in the back room of a VHS rental place and seeing those porno box covers for the first time...

there is something fun about browsing covers on a shelf somewhere. exploring the horror section of a physical store. i miss that, personally.

i want them to get back to the fx gore stuff, and less of the other segments.

Foo wrote:Kids today will never know the thrill of poking your head behind the beaded curtain in the back room of a VHS rental place and seeing those porno box covers for the first time...

The joys of discovering Nigga's Revenge or Extra Terrestrian: Die Ausserirdische.

are there mondo films that are more fantastical, less grounded in reality? i know the point is to think that they could be real, but it's not holding my interest so much.