A Major Disappointment

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

The first ABCS OF DEATH was a fun little experiment in short-form horror storytelling. Now the producers have returned with another 26 teams of filmmakers for a second lesson in blood, guts, and often laughs. I was pretty keen on the first one despite its weaknesses so I was more than happy to settle in for another round. For the unfamiliar, THE ABCS OF DEATH assembles horror filmmakers from around the world, gives them a budget, and assigns a letter of the alphabet around which they create a short film. To be honest, I actually didn't like this one when I first watched it. I thought it relied too heavily on shock value to get reactions, but a second viewing helped me realize I was applying my disgust for one or two particular shorts against the film as a whole. That's not fair, as there is actually a lot of good stuff here.THE GOOD: A, E, F, G, M, O, S, V, W, Y, and ZAs usual, I tended to love the crazier shorts the best. "Grandad" and "Masticate" were some of the funniest segments, but the honor for most insane goes to "Wish", where a couple of young boys are sucked into the world of an 80s era toy commercial (in the vein of He-Man) and realize it's not so fun anymore. The cheesy costumes and production design are perfect and the ending is equal parts funny and unsettling. "Amateur", "Equilibrium", and "Ochlocracy" get their share of laughs with "Equilibrium" earning some bonus points for creativity in camera blocking and choreography during an extended camera take. And then some of the filmmakers chose to go a more serious route. "Falling" is the simple tale of an Israeli paratrooper whose chute got caught in a tree and she's left at the mercy of a young Palestinian boy, injecting a bit of a social commentary. "Split" is one of the more brutal, as a man speaks with his wife over the phone during particularly punishing home invasion where we're reminded "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned".THE "BAD": …That's not really fair. I wouldn't go so far as to call any of these bad, necessarily. The collection has its low points, as any anthology is bound to. Some of them just weren't as memorable. "Nexus", "Knell", and "Utopia" were all well done but I didn't think they were on par with a lot of the stronger material. Really, I'd have loved "Knell" if I understood what it was going for. The "commentary" track was none too helpful but added some extra uneasiness with it's bizarre…what was it? Chant? Poem? I don't know but it probably would've been better if it'd been used as the main audio track for the short. I still wouldn't know what was going on, but it added an extra feeling of unease to an already strange short. I should also mention "P-P-P-P-SCARY!" to this section but…as completely out of place as it felt…I don't hate it. It's…weird…and it's not scary, but it's unique. Kudos for that.THE UGLY: D and X"Deloused" is the most nauseating segment in the entire film. That's isn't necessarily a complaint. It's a surreal stop-motion segment with some of the most hideous puppetry I've seen. Keep in mind I don't mean to say the puppets or design were lame or amateur; I mean they were the stuff of nightmares. Its hellish imagery ensures that it stands out against the other segments and guarantees you won't forget it. Meanwhile, "Xylophone" is the one segment I'd love to forget. After a second viewing, I realized this was the segment that painted the movie in a bad light for me. I'm not a fan of child death in film for the sole purpose of shock value. "Split" and "Wish" also involve child death/murder but neither is anywhere as gratuitous. This might not bother others, and that's cool, but it made me ill and I could've done without it.By the power of these 26 filmmakers combined, THE ABCS OF DEATH 2 is ultimately a stronger film than the first. There was a lot of really cool stuff here and it gives attention to aspiring horror filmmakers that have some awesome talent, and hopefully that attention leads to some bigger opportunities in the future. These movies provide a showcase for talent that might not get the coverage that the big studio films relish in, and I'm open for another round if the producers keep this franchise going.

The idea is so great, let us gather some famous directors and let them do a short so we can compile it on a DVD. But sometimes you better watch out what you are doing, because i was looking forward to the second entry liking part 1 but after seen it I was left with a bitter feeling.For me the A en Z entry was by far the best. There are a few other ones that did deliver the gore and scare but most of the entries I asked myself, how did they ever got on this DVD. There's no gore or horror to catch. I have seen it before with the V/H/S franchise. Starting off above mediocre, part 2 being the best and part 3 sucks real hard. If you think you are going to sit and watch 2 hours of gore and horror then you are wrong. I don't mind the stop-motion shorts and done with clay, they are good but there's so much crap here that I hope part 3, which is announced already will pick up again the real horror. Maybe the Asian entries are above mediocre and do contain gore and full frontal, and A do deliver nudity and black humour, if all entries would have been done that way (or like Z) this would have been a gem but for know it's below mediocre.Gore 1,5/5 Nudity 1/5 Effects 3/5 Story 2,5/5 Comedy 0/5

Another collection of twenty-six horror shorts from twenty-six very different directors, The ABCs of Death 2 is, once again, an extremely mixed bag, in subject matter and in style. With such a varied range of work, it's likely there'll be something to intrigue most adventurous horror fans, but be prepared to wade through an awful lot of nonsense to get to the good stuff.A is for Amateur, directed by E.L. Katz, kicks off proceedings in fine form. This segment follows an accident prone hired killer who successfully carries out his latest hit, even if it doesn't happen quite how he had imagined. Expertly told, with an unexpected twist and a deliciously dark sense of humour, this was easily my favourite part of the whole film—a shame because that meant that everything that followed was a disappointment by comparison.The best of the rest:C is for Capital Punishment (directed by Julian Gilbey), which effectively highlights the potential failings of the death penalty and boasts a really brutal decapitation.G is for Grandad (Jim Hosking): seriously warped fun that sees a young man taunted by his grandfather, who just happens to have no penis!M is for Masticate, a stylish zombie short filmed almost entirely in slow-motion.V is for Vacation: a man regrets calling his girlfriend when his friend grabs the phone and shows her what they have really been up to while on vacation.W is for Wish: two boys wish themselves into the World of Zorb, the fantasy setting for a popular range of toys. It isn't as much fun as they expected.Z is for Zygote, which sees a woman delaying giving birth for 13 years, the child growing inside her until there is no more room. In order to create more space, the kid removes her mothers internal organs and bones. Nice 'n' grisly with a really twisted finish.The absolute dregs:H is for Headgame: director Bill Plympton delivers an animated short that looks like an excerpt from his 1988 film 'How To Kiss'. Yawn!L is for Legacy, directed by Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen: Nigerian movie-making at it's most amateurish.P is for P-P-P-P SCARY!: No… P is for P-P-P-P S**T!What was the point?:N is for Nexus: seriously, what was the point?What the hell was that all about?:Y is for Youth: seriously, what the hell was that all about?

Another 26 short films from prolific film makers and actors, showcasing death, violence, and general filth in all its 18 rated glory.And even though its a massive step forward from the almost pornagraphic first movie, but like a birthday party for children, some people have to spoil it for everybody else.Julien Barratts short is easily the funniest thing here, and there are some wonderful ideas, like a drug that turns people into zombies, and a zombie courtroom are both visceral and standout.But some are downright confusing, like the phone call that ends up with two ladies of the night killing their employees, shouldn't have made the call, and the chapter that spoils the flow and the fun of the film, the letter S.It starts off well enough, in the vein of Carpenters Halloween, and then you hear a baby crying, and your thinking to yourself, 'they won't, they won't, they won't....................I can't believe they did' and it really puts a dampener on what should be challenging fun.So its an enjoyable anthology of unique ideas, but S, and come to think of it Z, are just too over the top and insulting, you wouldn't want to watch it again.I certainly won't be..