A while back we shared the news that filmmaker JT Petty (Soft for Digging, Mimic: Sentinel) would be mounting some sort of Faces of Death remake for Universal's Rogue division. I know that Mr. Petty is putting the final touches on a project called The Burrowers, but obviously I'm fascinated to see how a (mostly fake) exploitation documentary will be transformed into a new property. If you've seen the Faces of Death flicks, then you'll probably never forget them -- but if you've never seen the original one, it looks like you'll have your chance soon enough. (And I'm not kidding when I say that these "death docos" are NOT for the squeamish.)

According to the gore-soaked lunatics of Dread Central, who got word from one of their pals at supplement house Red Shirt Pictures, Gorgon Video is planning a Faces of Death DVD for release later this year. Extras will include a trio of featurettes (one on the effects, one on the editing, and one on the "impact") and a "very in-depth" audio commentary from director Conan le Cilaire (aka John Schwartz). And since Faces of Death was one of the most controversial horror movies in my whole middle school, I can only assume that the new DVD release will cause a bit of colorful chit-chat all over the horror sites.

Frankly I remember being sickened and irritated by the Faces of Death flicks, but a new DVD package seems like a good reason to give it another shot. For more info on this much-discussed series, check out the FoD Wikipedia entry.

While I wouldn't say Gorgon Video's Faces of Death series evokes a sense of nostalgia in me, it does make me think of those big honking clam shell boxes with the FOD logo lurking in the corner of the horror section. I'm sure if VHS horror movies were sentient, the FOD tapes would be the mongrel children of the lot, being feared and derided by the others. Either that or I've had way too much coffee and I'm over thinking this. Anyway, as Scott Weinberg posted last October, Faces of Death -- the video series that purported to show actual scenes of death and dismemberment but were in reality more fake than fact -- is getting a remake. Rotten Tomatoes has just posted an update on the project, with the news coming directly from producer Rick Bennatar.

"We've got a story, we've got a director, we've got a writer, J.T. Petty, who did a couple of indie films," said Benattar. "He's coming in and he wrote a script. We're sort of taking a look at in the world of Saw and Hostel, who are the people who actually go watch these movies? So we've tied that in with Faces of Death. We have a narrative story which the original never had, and we also nod for the 'fans.' I use that word loosely. Guys like me who watched it as a kid, who snuck away to go watch these things. We have a few nods to those original films."

So I guess the big news here is that the movie eschews the documentary style of the original for a traditional narrative -- which I saw as a given -- and the fact that the project is still alive. Writer director J.T. Petty (check out Scott's interview with J.T. here) was also behind the documentary S&Man, which I'm still dying to see. With Hostel: Part II and Captivity tanking at the box office, I suspect the new Faces of Death may be arriving at the torture porn party just as everyone else is packing up their knives and fetish gear.

Your day can't be complete without wild inventions, re-visting old classics and delighting in death:

• In January, I brought you the news of wacky inventor Troy Hurtubise's latest suit. He's the guy at the center of the Project Grizzly documentary. Where he used to fashion suits to fend off bears, he changed his sights to war armor. The inventor planned to sell his Trojan suit to the armed forces, but surprise, surprise -- that didn't happen. Now, one lucky bidder will have a chance to buy the suit, along with the exclusive rights to his "Shadow Armor" on EBay! As I type this, the suit has already risen beyond $30,000, and there are four days left in the auction. However, the reserve has not yet been reached, so I wonder what amount Mr. Hurtubise is waiting for...
• It seems that while talking to someone at Warner Brothers about another Gremlins sequel, Moviehole found out that the company wants some more Goonies action. The source is quoted as saying: "they're looking at doing direct-to-video sequels to Scooby Doo and The Goonies." (After The Lost Boys 2 and New Jack City 2, that is.) It's not definite, but the source considers it to be "a consideration." So much for the old rumors of an actual, potentially well-thought-out sequel. Why bother tarnishing a classic with a direct-to-DVD release? What's the point? Just let Konami's The Goonies II remain the one and only sequel.
• When I was in high school I went to a party and was convinced by some guy friends to sit down and watch a scary movie. Always up for fun cinema, I sat down in the dark room and watched Faces of Death -- full of sacrifice, execution and the scene that has never full left my mind -- monkey brains. Well, not only is the film a whole bunch of farce, but JT Petty is gearing up to remake the original. (It was fun for Raimi and Evil Dead... but faux snuff films?) If this is your cup of tea, he's created a mock-up teaser. It is, obviously, very graphic and NSFW, unless your job involves blood and death.

They were kept high up on the dustiest and most seldom-visited reaches of the horror section. Clad in their bulky red and black clamshell cases, they beckoned to the intrepid young gorehounds: Rennnt uuuussss! Can you handle it, you wimmmmmp?

And so, like any fifteen-year-olds who spend their weekends with Freddy, Jason and Madman Marz, we brought home a few of those Faces of Death videos. Alleged compilations of actual death, mayhem, disfigurement and animal cruelty, the Faces of Death flicks were pretty much 25% tacky "real stuff," and 75% mega-fake bullflop. But that didn't stop us from renting all 12 of the damn things. (Actually there were only six, but it sure felt like more.)

So I told you all that just so I could tell you this: Universal's Rogue division is planning some sort of Faces of Death "remake," and they hired our old pal J.T. Petty to direct the thing! Color my curiosity officially piqued. Considering the nature of such a venture, you can expect that Rogue will stay mum on the specifics of this proect. Keep the whole "is it real or is it fake?" gimmick working all the way. Hell, that's how I'd do it. And based on what I saw in S&Man, I suspect that Petty is just the man for the job.