Give Me Somethin’ to Break: On Hollywood’s Face-Smashing Obsession

If what Emmanuel Levinas said about the human face is true — that it “orders and ordains” us — then sudden, violent facial destruction signals a rapid descent into disorder and chaos. Such a downward spiral is frequently reflected in contemporary horror cinema, which rarely passes up an opportunity to feature someone’s nose getting caved in, their teeth shattered, their likeness reduced to a messy pile of flesh and bone. The trend is so pervasive that the intended shock value...