TERRIFIER Star Jenna Kanell's New Gory Revenge Film "FACELESS AFTER DARK" Proves Some Fans Take Things Too Far

The final girls in horror films have it rough. They’re often alone, helpless, and sometimes sustain pretty serious injuries from the masked killers stalking them at night. But at the end of the day, it’s just a movie. This means the actresses portraying these resilient survivors surely are fine once the cameras stop rolling, right? …RIGHT?

Dark Sky Films presents FACELESS AFTER DARK, a new film from director Raymond Wood, written by Todd Jacobs and the star of the film Jenna Kanell.

Jenna plays B-movie actress Bowie who is making ends meet on the fringe of horror by all means necessary; starring in films that she more-or-less doesn’t love the direction of, selling personalized videos online to dedicated fans, and even attending the occasional niche Horror Convention where she sells autographs for $20 a pop. But when one of Bowie’s crazed fans decides to show up at her house with a knife and clown mask, her biggest role will now become a grim reality!

Bowie (Jenna Kanell) facing off with a killer clown

FACELESS AFTER DARK immediately starts by throwing us into one of Bowie’s films. An old-school VHS effect is thrown on top of footage of her tussling with a killer clown, all on the set of a well-lit vacant warehouse. Bowie gets the best of the clown, and just when she’s about to finish him off with a machete, the camera pulls out into the world of Bowie’s reality. We see the director of the film in her chair, and Bowie criticizes the cheesy line she is being asked to blurt out at the climax of the scene they’re filming. This was a great way to train the audience on the meta-commentary surrounding horror film actresses, like Jenna herself, that was to come later in the film.

In the film, Bowie struggles with many things, the central focus being online harassment in which fans sexualize and demean her, something many female actresses like Jenna go through in the age of social media. Alongside this, Bowie struggles with envy towards her creative peers. Her girlfriend Jessica (Danielle Lyn) lands an acting gig in a major studio film, in which she immediately flies to London for a costume fitting. Bowie’s childhood friend and collaborator Ryan (Danny Kang) has now become a successful filmmaker (in major part due to his daddy’s money), unwilling to cast her in his own projects. After being left by Jessica and denied a part in Ryan’s latest film, consistent harassment online pushes Bowie to the brink, resulting in the fantastic, gory revenge film that is FACELESS AFTER DARK!

Let it burn, Bowie!

Jenna Kanell’s contribution to the story as co-writer is ever-present in the script when showcasing Bowie’s experience as an actress and public figure. Jenna previously became a horror icon herself, portraying Tara in Damien Leone’s TERRIFIER films. So FACELESS AFTER DARK feels like a cathartic artistic expression that comes from the result of sudden fame in the world of horror films.

The passion put into the film bleeds through the screen with a very earnest frustration being fed to the audience with an incredibly thoughtful, fun horror flick. FACELESS AFTER DARK plays off of horror tropes at times that will stun you and make you eager to find out what happens next. Without spoiling anything I’ll say, if you check out this film you are in for a wild ride!

FACELESS AFTER DARK is available on VOD May 17th

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