Faces of Death

The original Faces of Death movie, released in 1978, had the conceit of a pathologist exploring gruesome ways to die via footage purportedly culled from around the world. Many thought the deaths were real. In reality, most of the scenes were staged. But it still had the producers' desired effect: outrage, revulsion, banning (although not in 52 countries, as hyped by the film's makers), and, of course, a money-making hit that spawned sequels and imitators.