My Faces of Death

by John Alan Schwartz

A Deadly Memoir

Genres: Nonfiction

74 pages, Paperback

First published August 2, 2014

Reviews

[Robert Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, overall I liked it. This one has a few things going for it, it's really short, there's enough weirdness/sex/gruesomeness to keep my attention, and the text raises enough doubts in me as not to think the guy was a complete POS. The incidents within are described in a very simplistic style with an "only the good parts" kind of ethos. So, the recollections of his about two situations that lead to manslaughter in the text might just have been what he wanted to do rather than what actually happened. There are also a few jokes and attempts at atmosphere that just fall flat as well.

The book needed another editing sweep as it there are a few misspelled and extra words scattered throughout. The price I paid, about 8 bucks, for this thing was a bit much due to how sparse the text is. I was however entertained and glad that he starts talking about the making of the film at about the halfway point which is why I bought the book in the first place. The movie was definitely something I heard about as my aunt and her ex-husband had rented it, my aunt definitely did not like it. There was also an incident at Rialto Video when I was standing at the front counter with my dad, a woman had come in looking for the movie and the kid behind the counter said, "You're really sick lady". It was a frequent rental in my late teenage years from another mom-and-pop video rental place along with other similar exploitation fodder along with the typical array of Italian splatter and ultra-low-budget gore fests. I was a horror geek and all-around weird kid in my youth.

Would I recommend this book? Maybe, if you've seen or heard of the movie and want to know some scant things about the (drug-addled) mind behind it. Otherwise, it's kind of crap with a few interesting yet grisly moments/images. I'm going to go eat dinner now.

[kayla . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁]

Faces of Death is likely one of the most infamous cult films of all time. The 1978 pseudo-documentary, purported to include “real death footage” (most of which was actually staged), has both compelled and revolted audiences since its release.

Disturbing cinema is one of my niche interests, so it suffices to say that Faces of Death has long been a part of this morbid fascination. Maybe the recent Faces of Death reimagining had something to do with me picking up Schwartz’s memoir, but regardless, it made for a somewhat fascinating read.

I enjoyed getting some insight into the making of the film’s most controversial scenes (monkey scene included), but there isn’t much else to chew on here. My Faces of Death certainly isn’t the most well-written memoir I’ve ever read, and it feels like it could’ve benefited from some additional edits. I’d only really recommend this to those that are super interested in the film, although I can’t imagine there really being another audience for this book, anyways. At the very least, at a short seventy-three pages, it’s a breeze to get through.

[Rick Christiansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember renting this vhs when I was kid and it was pretty disturbing. For today's standards, it is pretty tame. You can see way worse footage on the internet by accident these days. Anyway, the author seems like a weirdo lol. Quick, short, and easy read tho. Ordered it from PBS for a credit