To rewrite the function \( f(x) = \sin(2x + \pi) - 1 \) as a cosine function, we start by using the relationship between sine and cosine:
\[ \sin(\theta) = \cos\left(\theta - \frac{\pi}{2}\right) \]
In this case, we have:
\[ \sin(2x + \pi) = \cos\left((2x + \pi) - \frac{\pi}{2}\right) = \cos\left(2x + \frac{\pi}{2}\right) \]
Now substituting this back into the function:
\[ f(x) = \sin(2x + \pi) - 1 = \cos\left(2x + \frac{\pi}{2}\right) - 1 \]
Thus, we find that the function can be rewritten as:
\[ f(x) = \cos(2x + \frac{\pi}{2}) - 1 \]
Therefore, the correct choice from the options provided is:
\[ \boxed{f(x) = \cos(2x + \frac{\pi}{2}) - 1} \]