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Thursday, June 27, 2013

MOVIE REVIEW: THE ABCS OF DEATH




Twenty-six horror directors collaborate on an anthology film where each filmmaker directs a segment focusing on a death based on a letter in the alphabet. Among the directors involved are A Serbian Film's Srdjan Spasojevic, The House of the Devil's Ti West, and Black Death's Christopher Smith. Drafthouse Films and Timpson Films produce. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Directors: Adrían García Bogliano, Xavier Gens, Ti West, Yudai Yamaguchi, Ernesto Diaz Espinoza, Yoshihiro Nishimura, Andrew Traucki, Adam Wingard, Simon Rumley, Anders Morgenthaler, Noboru Iguchi, Ben Wheatley, Jake West, Marcel Sarmiento, Jason Eisener, Nacho Vigalondo, Angela Bettis

Release Date: Mar 08, 2013

Unrated contains violence, horror, gore

Runtime: 2 hr. 3 min.

Genres: Horror

Review:

The ABC’s of Death is a strange but fascinating experiment in micro filmmaking. It’s terribly uneven all around but some of the shorts do shine while other repulse. Pretty much every aspect of horror and gore is covered within these 26 shorts. There are overly serious yet well made (A is for Apocalypse ; P is for Pressure) while some are slapstick (K is for Klutz, J is for Jidai-geki (Samurai Movie)). A handful I found inventive, well crafted and very clever (D is for Dogfight, C is for Cycle, S is for Speed, U is for Unearthed). Then there are a few (L is for Libido, M is for Miscarriage, Z is for Zetsumetsu, Y is for Youngbuck) that don’t just push the boundaries of good taste but jump over it all together hedging into repulsive territory. Other shorts are just batshit crazy (W is for WTF!, H is for Hydro-Electric Diffusion). Needless to say this is the type of film that I can only recommend to hard core horror fans. The variety and styles on display are interesting and each will affect each viewer differently depending on your own personal taste. Unlike the VHS series, The ABC’s of Death has no over arching story line tying them together so it’s easy to take each piece on its own merits or lack there of.

C+

4 comments:

  1. I guess I'm one of these hardcore horror fans ;) Damn, I hoped you would enjoy it more. I had a blast and I can't wait for the sequel.

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  2. While the grade isn't super high I did enjoy it quite a bit. I liked seeing all the different styles and takes on horror but the quality was very up and down for me.

    Actually, I'm looking foward to the sequel as well!

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  3. As you know, I am not a horror fan so I will skip this one for sure. I am much more of a fan of suspense and thrillers when it comes to horror sub-genres like Psycho, Alien, and Jaws three of my favorites.

    -James

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    Replies
    1. Probably a good move to steer clear of this one since horror isn't your wheelhouse because this one covers the extremes of the genre.

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