The Face of Horror

Anna Biller, the filmmaker behind the cult favorite The Love Witch, is back with a new nightmare. The Face of Horror transplants the most famous Japanese ghost story, Yotsuya Kaidan, to 14th-century England, trading samurai for knights and tatami mats for cold stone castles. The film stars Jonah Hauer-King and Kristine Froseth, and it's set to premiere in the Midnight Madness program at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival, which runs September 10–20.

Biller shot the film in Prague, and the first look, revealed in September 2025, shows her signature saturated, period-perfect aesthetic. This is a gory tribute to classic Technicolor horror, but it's also a sharp look at gender, power, and the masks we wear. With a cast that includes Leo Suter, Ellie Bamber, Bella Heathcote, and Ben Radcliffe, The Face of Horror is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated genre films of the year. [edit]

Edward Carnifex, a handsome but deeply flawed knight, marries his devoted love, Eleanor, after murdering her father to secure her hand. The marriage is built on bloodshed and deception, and Edward's devotion proves fleeting. He soon betrays Eleanor for a wealthier, more advantageous bride, abandoning his vows and his wife.

Eleanor, heartbroken and betrayed, pines away for her errant husband. When she dies, she returns from her grave as a ghost, determined to seek bloody revenge on the man who wronged her. The film's central conflict is a supernatural tale of betrayal, murder, and retribution, set against the backdrop of medieval England's rigid social hierarchies and the brutal realities of knightly honor.

As a single feature, the story unfolds within the confines of a film's runtime, with no seasons or episodic arcs. The title suggests a meditation on the nature of fear and the faces we present to the world, both literally and metaphorically.[edit]