‘Faceless After Dark’ Review – A Contemporary Addition To The Revenge Thriller Pantheon [FrightFest 2023]

Director Raymond Wood’s Faceless After Dark, written by Todd Jacobs and Jenna Kanell (of Terrifier fame), follows Bowie (Kanell), a young actress coming off the success of playing the final girl in a killer clown horror film. As she flounders attempting to capitalize and extend her slight stardom, she starts a descent into madness that brings her face-to-face with some of her online fans. This clear attempt at placing another female-led revenge thriller in the pantheon of the growing genre has a lot to say about the state of our modern experience and the new way that celebrities build themselves up in the 21st century.

Perhaps the greatest achievement here is the wide array of colors that light up the screen. Much of the movie, particularly in its most harrowing moments, are overflowing with beautiful bright colors and neon lighting that so plainly elevate the tone and tension in the scene to greater heights. While not set entirely in one location, Faceless After Dark primarily takes place in one house. It’s such a delight to see how different the filmmakers make this house look just by changing the lighting and color schemes, a classic “How did they make this?” question that every viewer will be asking themselves.

Accompanying the neon-lit cinematography are the bare bones of your typical revenge thriller. Despite her slight success in slasher flick, Bowie still feels overshadowed by her girlfriend, Jessica (Danielle Lyn), and is constantly trying to find ways to monetize both the character that she played as well as her own personality. After putting a lot of hard work into this with little success, she is left reeling and alone while Jessica is off shooting a new movie. As she has this breakdown, she encounters a crazed fan in a clown mask trying to reenact the end of the film that put her on the map. This moment brings a shift in Bowie that there is no returning from as she seeks out online fans that she deems pathetic or deserving of punishment.

While Faceless After Dark has some thrilling moments, these are not the most interesting narrative elements of the film. Indeed, a uniquely effective element of the movie happens a few times, but only for a few seconds at a time. As Bowie is thrown more and more into isolation in her home after the initial home invasion, she keeps being bombarded with texts, emails, DMs, and any other notification one could think of. The way this is portrayed accurately speaks to the constant interruption that is social media and the chokehold they have on us in modern society. This onslaught of distractions coupled with anonymous people on social media saying whatever they think without seeing Bowie as a real human being only speeds up her downward spiral into evil and revenge exponentially. Bowie commits some unambiguously heinous acts throughout the course of this story, but a transpicuous message being delivered by the filmmakers is that the true villains here are the cruel people on the internet wanting to either objectify or ruin Bowie. 

A singularly modern phenomena the film touches on is the monetization of all aspects of life that many influencers and low-to-mid-level celebrities must do to make ends meet. Bowie is signing autographs, doing Cameo-style videos, and other similar quick opportunities to gain some cash and continue growing her brand, showing how the modern movie star is not made just through their performances but largely through constantly being seen or talked about. Artists of all kinds make so much of their money from corporate sponsorships and advertising deals, it almost seems like the art they make is just a way to get to those opportunities instead of the other way around. This commodification of one’s personal life has bled into more spaces than just that of celebrity. Social media influencers look for any opportunity to turn their lives or interests into a money making scheme as well as a way to catapult into some sort of latter-day fame. 

Backed by an unhinged performance from co-writer and star Jenna Kanell and detailed direction by Raymond Wood, Faceless After Dark presents a solid revenge thriller replete with social commentary that will leave the audience with more to ruminate on than just the satisfying kills the narrative provides. This is a rare film that masterfully blends craft, story, and contemporary analysis which makes it more than worth the time to seek it out.

Faceless After Dark had its World Premiere at FrightFest 2023.

Director: Raymond Wood

Writers: Todd Jacobs and Jenna Kanell

Rated: NR

Runtime: 86m