Portraits of Death

Renowned photographer Nathan Smythe has come up with what he believes will be his greatest work yet, a book devoted entirely to artful pictures of beautiful young men dying or just at the moment of death. And so, with the help of his assistant Jasper he begins photographing models hanging, shot by arrows, as gladiators dying in the arena, as victims of strangulations, as street toughs losing knife fights, etc. Only problem is, Nathan, Jasper, and new assistant Zachary are all psychopaths whose fascination with death and killing goes way beyond mere art. And, really, just who is manipulating who? It becomes hard to tell as we journey down the ever-darker path to full-on insanity with these three killers and their hapless victims.

Directed by Frank Grauman, Portraits of Death leans on a strong ensemble — Daniel Rhyder, Lendon LeMelle, Matthew Campbell — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about horror titles of 2011.