Horror Movie Review: Faceless (2021)

The strengths of Faceless comes from a compelling horror mystery that keeps you guessing right up to the very end, and its ability to blur the lines of reality. Not only does the main character wonder what is real, but so does the viewer.

George’s (Brendan Sexton III) criminal behaviour has finally caught up with him, literally, as he is mauled by dogs on the command of some thugs. He should be dead, but instead he wakes up in a hospital room.

There, he discovers that his face was destroyed, so he had a risky and experimental treatment that resulted in a full-face transplant. The miracles of science. Yet, based in reality, as there is no guarantee that the transplant will actually be successful in the long run. Especially if George doesn’t work at making himself both physically and mentally well.

Which is kind of hard to do when he doesn’t recognise the face staring back at him in the mirror and he has lost his memory. It would be a hard thing for anyone to accept, but George has even more to contend with.

You see, a mysterious woman named Sophie (Alexandra Essoe) seems to recognise his new face. Not only that, someone seems to be stalking him, and no-one at the hospital will give him any answers about the man who developed the procedure.

George starts to wonder if he is really the person that they say he is.

A powerful performance from Brendan Sexton III drives this movie, and without him, it’s nothing. It’s his confusion, depression, anger, humiliation, and despair that drives the entire plot forward. His situation is one that almost everyone will find it hard to relate to completely, but there are plenty of parallels still to be found.

Mistrust in those that claim to want to help you, but their actions say otherwise. A deterioration of mental health, a lack of people to talk to that can understand what you’re going through, and so on. All of this makes up the mindset of George, and that, coupled with his extreme surgery, means it’s no surprise when his paranoia starts to take over.

Of course, this being a horror movie, there must be more going on then just George’s paranoia, and to the film’s credit, it does keep it a mystery right to the very end. Happily, the payoff is well done, quite satisfying, and very bloody. It’s the cherry on top of a very enjoyable mystery horror.