By Sarah Musnicky
Shapeshifters are familiar creatures in horror, oftentimes utilized as metaphors for internalized turmoil, transformation, or dissecting current events and fears. In Blake Simon's FACES (2024), a shapeshifting entity takes on the appearance of its victims, but what lies beneath the surface may reflect deeper insecurities. Through Ethan Daniel Corbett's performance and the screenplay, these insecurities and vulnerabilities rise to the surface, crafting a horror monster to empathize with.
In FACES (2024), Judy (Cailyn Rice) is in town to visit her cousin. Little background notes here and there paint layers of tension long before the horror occurs. A missing poster highlights an outsider's disappearance. Frat bro Brad (Corbett) appears, leering at the young women, including Judy, before inviting them to a party. However, Brad doesn't realize that things are going to turn for him before the night is over. And it all boils down to Judy.
Judy and Brad undergo transformations, with the shapeshifting entity's influence resonating. Rice and Corbett channel these changes through their physicality and voices, allowing us to further dive into the entity's mindset. In Judy's skin, it is confident, sexy, and bold. In Brad's skin, it is unhappy and questioning. What they thought would be the perfect face turns out to be the opposite.
FACES (2024) unfolds in a relevant and timely way. We all wear masks, changing bits and pieces of ourselves to fit in. As the entity hops bodies, it slowly ascends up the social ladder. Going from outsider to crush to—arguably—the top, there are different levels of manipulation involved to get there. But once the mask comes off, what more is there?
One can also view FACES (2024) through a neurodiverse and/or trans lens. The entity's obvious masking and chameleon-like nature remind me of how many neurodivergent people adapt to their surroundings. When the entity's scripting goes awry, Brad—arguably allistic—senses something is amiss. Once the entity takes on Brad's visage, its unhappiness over its new face and final transformation can be seen as an allegory for the trans experience. However, this is entirely subjective.
While masking and transforming isn't an entirely new concept in horror, Blake Simon's interweaving of empathy into his entity delivers something impactful. Yes, the entity is terrifying and something to be feared, but it is searching for something that it can't quite find. Until then, its search continues. Something that I think we can all relate to.
FACES (2024) played as a part of the 2024 Fantasia International Film Festival.
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