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June 15, 2025 • 40 mins

đź§  Episode Summary:

Another Bonus episode this week!

In this deep-dive episode, Planty is joined by schlock cinema expert Joe from Hallmark of Greatness to unravel the twisted legacy of one of the most infamous cult films of all time: Faces of Death (1978).

Together, they break down the bizarre blend of real footage, fake gore, and urban legend that made this video nasty a VHS-era rite of passage. Was it banned? How much of it was real? And why did millions of people pass around this grotesque documentary with whispered reverence?

Expect:

  • 🔍 A forensic look at Faces of Death's production and hoax techniques
  • 📼 VHS culture and the rise of “video nasties”
  • ⚖️ The legal and moral backlash
  • 🧛‍♂️ Joe’s insights on what makes exploitation cinema tick — and why we’re drawn to the extreme
  • đź’€ A few laughs amid the blood and mayhem

If you’ve ever wondered how Faces of Death became a cultural phenomenon — or you just want to hear two film lovers wrestle with their trauma — this one’s for you.


đź”— Mentioned in this episode:

  • Faces of Death (1978) – Directed by John Alan Schwartz
  • Hallmark of Greatness podcast – Listen on Spotify


🎧Don’t forget to rate, review & share if you enjoyed it!

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The Music for this episode is Darkness Speaks by Kevin MacLeod and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100364

Artist: http://incompetech.com/

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