The Face Of Horror Review: A Gorgeous Throwback To Horror’s Golden Age [TIFF]

Jonah Hauer-King stars in this throwback horror movie, which pays homage to classic Hammer films of the 1960s and '70s through its beautiful style.

Published Sep 13, 2026, 9:42 AM EDT

Josh is a film critic and journalist with over nine years of experience in the entertainment industry. Entering the field at just 17 years old, Josh went on to make his own website, The HoloFiles, and social media brand Star Wars Holocron, the most followed Star Wars fan account on Twitter/X.

A member of both the Chicago Indie Critics and the Hollywood Critics Alliance, Josh has covered major industry events including Star Wars Celebration and, most recently, CinemaCon for ScreenRant. His work has appeared in outlets such as Game Rant and Comic Book Resources (CBR), and he has been featured in publications including the BBC and The New York Times.

In the mid-20th Century, Hammer films dominated the horror genre. World-famous actors like Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Alec Guinness, and Vincent Price all appeared in countless titles, as the studio pushed out several films a year. (The most Hammer ever released in one year was nine, which was considered quite a lot for the studio's size). Despite their success, it fell away in the '80s and '90s (though, interestingly, has made a comeback in recent years).

Hammer may have largely disappeared from the public spotlight for decades, but the influence that its films have on the broader horror genre remains apparent, even now in 2026. That’s never been more obvious than with the release of The Face of Horror, which premiered at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. The film, which was written and directed by Anna Biller, is based on the Japanese ghost story Yotsuya Kaidan, which dates all the way back to the 19th Century.

The Face of Horror follows a knight named Edward, played by Jonah Hauer-King (who is perhaps best known for his starring role in Disney’s ill-fated Snow White remake). Despite being a knight, with expectations of protecting the innocent and behaving in a moral, respectful manner to all, Edward does just the opposite. The film begins with him killing a farmer after the latter refuses to give him his daughter’s hand in marriage. From there, Edward tricks the daughter, named Eleanor (Kristine Froseth), into thinking that a random thief killed her father, and the two marry.

Much of the film then follows the drama surrounding Edward and Eleanor’s relationship, with the former falling out of love with his wife after she gets sick. He becomes enthralled by the chance to marry a new woman, and this infatuation has deadly consequences for all involved.

The Face Of Horror Takes A Long Time To Get Going, But Is Well Worth The Patience

Much like many of the classic Hammer films, The Face of Horror goes an extended period of time before the film lives up to its name. Audiences expecting blood and guts right away may find themselves disappointed by the slower pace, but that doesn’t mean the film is boring. Far from it – the drama, along with the build-up to what comes in the film’s third act, is arguably the most compelling part of the story.

...the execution of the stylization is so strong.

The film meticulously sets up every layer of the story, paving the way for the final third. Characters like Eleanor’s sister, Beatrice (Ellie Bamber), appear consistently throughout, but largely don’t serve a purpose until the finale (which may be obvious to some viewers who are suspicious of the presence of a few characters that are mostly inconsequential at first). The patience that the film shows in laying down all of these moving parts is impressive and, again, helps tremendously with the story’s payoff.

The Face of Horror is shot, acted, and colored like a traditional Hammer movie would be. The camera remains mostly still, though there are classic zoom-in shots for added emphasis, and the colors vibrate on screen. To have a movie look like this in 2026 is certainly a risk, as some audiences may find themselves disconnected from the story because of the retro-filmmaking. But The Face of Horror avoids that problem entirely, simply because the execution of the stylization is so strong.

The Face of Horror premiered at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.