Faces of Death IV
Faces of Death IV is the final "real" sequel to Faces of Death, in that it is the last sequel to include any original footage. It was directed by John Alan Schwartz (again as "Conan le Cilaire"), Susumu Saegusa and Andrew Theopolis. John Alan Schwartz's brother James B. Schwartz is credited as writer.
| Faces of Death IV | |
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| Directed by | John Alan Schwartz, Susumu Saegusa, Andrew Theopolis |
| Written by | James B. Schwartz |
| Starring | James B. Schwartz |
| Music by | Barington van Campen |
| Cinematography | Peter B. Good |
| Edited by | Michael Murray Armondo Pinto |
| Distributed by | Gorgon Video |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Plot summary
Much like its three predecessors, Faces of Death IV provides scenes of dying, murder, accidents, druggies/mental health police brutality, execution, cult rituals, and other macabre events. Some of these include a bungee jumping trip gone awry, a magician's fatal mishap with a Houdini trick, a wrecking yard worker who has his left leg severed by a falling Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, a Satanic ritual that ends in the death of several, a cocaine dealer's fatal wedding, and more. John Alan Schwartz cameos yet again as an ambulance driver.
The earlier films in the series were of a more serious nature and tone, whereas this installment leans more toward camp: "Dr. Louis Flellis" sits at his desk in front of a glowing red lava lamp, with a plastic skeletal foot on the desk in front of him during introductions to most sequences. Flellis is also shown eating a plate of barbecue ribs immediately before showing slaughterhouse footage.
Dr. Gröss
As mentioned in the beginning of the film, the previous films' narrator Dr. Gröss is no longer present in Faces of Death IV. This film is narrated by "Dr. Louis Flellis", played by James B. Schwartz, who explains that Dr. Gröss apparently became so anxious trying to decide his own fate after watching so many other people die, that he ended up committing suicide. After Dr. Gröss was cremated, the only evidence that he was ever alive at all was the urn full of ashes that sit on the desk of the new narrator.