AI chatbots: some love them, most hate them. Regardless of what you think of these nearly-sentient robots, you gotta hand it to them that they do have a knack for stringing together a story. 15-minute short Face Crusher: Legends takes that to a whole new level when an aspiring filmmaker gets a story regurgitated back from the dark depths of the computer itself.
A filmmaker asks his chatbot for the scariest horror concept ever — instead he learns the gruesome legend of the Face Crusher!
Face Crusher: Legends, HHFF
Face Crusher: Legends is a simple premise: a filmmaker converses with his chatbot about a one-eyed, horned, humanoid monster that goes around crushing people’s faces, hoping that one of these story renditions will make a good fit for a movie. In these stories, the Face Crusher — with no rhyme or reason — crushes people’s faces into bloody, pulpy piles. Going from a woman’s bedroom, to a haunted Salem tour, to a nighttime pub, no one is safe as the Face Crusher‘s glowing singular eye hunts down his next victims.
I loved the storyline and gross-out moments, but I think my favorite parts were the easter eggs and setting. I recognized street signs and buildings throughout Salem — a nice touch from a very famous, spooky city — as well as the glorious Wilhelm scream! So among all the monsters and mayhem was a gag-laden underbelly that lightened the mood a bit.
But of course, Face Crusher: Legends is a horror story, so I’ll spotlight the scary aspects too. Moments of face smashing looked great, with one scene having someone attacked with their own severed leg. We do have a few close-ups of the mangled faces, but it’s not overly gruesome (unless you don’t like blood, of course).
Face Crusher: Legends had the heart of a monster movie with a creature that just keeps on killing. Plus, its bright and cheery atmosphere blends flawlessly with the brutal nature of the Face Crusher himself. And in the end, our intense want for a horrific story brought this creature to life, in more ways than one. It seems that this AI chatbot actually did create something good here… at least for the horror-hungry audience.
This and other films are available to screen at the 2026 Haunted House FearFest Film & Video Game Festival. Follow the festival for more!
