The ABCs of Death is a Hit and Miss Affair: A Movie Review

Directors: Kaare Andrews, Angela Bettis, Hélène Cattet, Ernesto Díaz Espinoza, Jason Eisener, Bruno Forzani, Adrián García Bogliano, Xavier Gens, Lee Hardcastle, Noboru Iguchi, Thomas Cappelen Malling, Jorge Michel Grau, Anders Morgenthaler, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Banjong Pisanthanakun, Simon Rumley, Marcel Sarmiento, Jon Schnepp, Srdjan Spasojevic, Timo Tjahjanto, Andrew Traucki, Nacho Vigalondo, Jake West, Ti West, Ben Wheatley, Adam Wingard, and Yudai Yamaguchi.

Writers: Kaare Andrews, Simon Barrett, Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani, Adrián García Bogliano, Lee Hardcastle, Noboru Iguchi, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Simon Rumley, Jon Schnepp, Srdjan Spasojevic, Nacho Vigalondo, Dimitrije Vojnov, Ti West, and Yudai Yamaguchi.

The ABCs of Death is a horror anthology, composed of twenty-six shorts. This anthology brought twenty-seven directors from fifteen countries together to create a fairly entertaining outing. Understandably, some of the shorts are stronger than others, while some are simply telegraphed in. The ABCs of Death is composed of several perversions, some poor usage of violence and a few shorts that are able to bring some social commentaries to their stories. The end result is eclectic series of films, which run the gamut of the horror genre.

The stories have a wide range. There were few limits placed on the directors, outside of a 5K budget. Each story had to begin with a red background and finish with the same colour and that was, basically, the only requirement. So, the stories tend to be all over the board. Even languages change from short to short. The end result is a very mixed bag.

The villain from "D is for Dogfight" is seen here

One of the weaker elements in this series is the use of violence. Much of the violence onscreen is without purpose. Timo Tjahjanto's "L is for Libido" involves a chainsaw murder during coitus. The violence here is meant as a spectacle, but it can feel soulless. As well, Yadai Yamaguchi's "J is for Jidai-gei" ends with a seen of seppuku. There is no context for the story, though. It is gore for gore's sake. Other shorts attempt to deliver a message amongst the mayhem, but their occurrence is the exception, rather than the rule.

The film also shows lots of nudity without sexiness. The majority of the nudity is of the female persuasion. Returning to Tjahjanto's piece, a women spreads her legs, but viewers will find a surprise. The woman's genitals have been replaced by an eye. This scene seems out to shock. In Yoshihiro Nishimura "Z is for Zetsumetsu," the women fight topless. However, their fighting instruments involve an enlarged penis and vegetables. None of the objects add to the film's sex appeal. The scenes involving nudity often involve perversions as seen in Noboru Iguchi "F is for Fart." In this piece, a young student falls in love with her teacher's odorous excretions. If horror fans are searching for sexiness, they will not find much here.

The social commentaries in some of the shorts are well done. This film element is strong in features such as Jorge Michel Grau's "I is for Ingrown." This short film covers the many thousands of women who disappear in Mexico each year. The film is a little obtuse at first, until viewers look a little closer. Also, French director Xavier Gens delivers a strong outing in "X is for XXL." This title focuses on the expectations related to women and beauty. This title is a shocker as one woman tries to slim down by cutting herself apart. This viewer was hoping that more of the shorts would have interesting social messages, like the ones mentioned here.

And, The ABCs of Death offered a few solid outings. This critic especially liked Canadian director Jason Eisener's short, "Y is for Youngbuck." This title acts as a throwback to '80s action films, much like Eisener's earlier work, Hobo with a Shotgun. This clip is short, bloody and somehow satisfying. Marcel Sarmiento's "D is for Dogfight" has a compelling visual style. In this story, a boxer squares off with a dog, in a battle to the death. Almost all of the scenes in this short are filmed in slow motion, which amplifies the film's tension. Kaare Andrews' "V is for Vagitus" is another interesting outing. This title appears much larger than its meagre 5K budget. It is, in fact, a science fiction extravaganza, which covers a lot of ground in just a few minutes. All of these short films are the highlights in this anthology.

The ABCs of Death is a hit and miss affair, though. Many of the features are simply juvenile, like Ti West's "M is for Miscarriage." In this title, West finds bloody toilet shots to be the order of the day. This film can easily be fast-forwarded through. Andrew Traucki's "G is for Gravity" is equally uninspiring. A surfer drowns after paddling several metres into the surf. This title is very anti-climactic and uneventful. Many other titles are just ho-hum, unfortunately.

Fans of horror are still encouraged to see this anthology. This film offers a few missteps, but many of the better showings make a viewing worthwhile. The use of sexuality is often strange in this piece and much of the violence is also handled poorly. But, there is some cleverness to be found here, often closer to the end of the anthology. Truly a spectacle, The ABCs of Death will sometimes shock and tittilate, but it might bore and disappoint you, as well.

Overall: 6.5 out of 10 (the lowlights almost outnumber the highlights, there are some interesting animations in this film, some of the shorts have no stories at all, it is fun guessing the titles for the shorts before they are shown).

*director Andrew Traucki has filled this reviewer in on his title "G is for Gravity." This story is actually based on a surfer who committed suicide. The title is meant to allude to the heaviness of life and the final shots of the surfboard represent a gravestone. This backstory might add some context for other viewers as it did for this one.

More on this title can be found at the film's fan page:

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