TAD Film Fest Review: The ABCs Of Death 2

By Less Lee Moore

K is for Knell, by Kristina Buožytė and Bruno Samper

The ABCs of Death was a worthy, if not always satisfying, exercise in horror anthologies (review). In some ways, it’s more ambitious than the V/H/S series; trying to fit in 26 films by 26 directors is a challenge, especially when the only common theme is death. While I quite liked the first installment, I think The ABCs of Death 2 is in many ways a better film.

For one thing, the segments are more consistently entertaining if not outright better crafted. Secondly, it gives some newcomers a chance to shine. Finally, it actually succeeds in being scary in a few segments, which is no small feat for a short film to accomplish.

Some of the segments are gory, but also hilarious, particularly Jim Hosking’s G is for Grandad and Julian Barrett’s B is for Badger. The former is unpredictable, but genuinely funny while the latter is sardonic with excellent practical effects. E.L. Katz’s (Cheap Thrills) A is for Amateur is an amusing, gory mediation on fate. I also enjoyed the bizarre zombie world in Hajime Ohata’s O is for Ohlocracy.

There were quite a few filmmakers whose work I was unfamiliar with, but whom I am definitely interested in after seeing their offerings in The ABCs of Death 2. Dennis Ramalho’s J is for Jesus is stunning, combining religious symbolism and outstanding makeup effects to create a powerful and thought-provoking film. Similarly, Chris Nash’s Z is for Zygote is grimy and unsettling, while still managing to be funny. The fantasy life of the protagonist is Y is for Youth is realized in a truly unforgettable way. It’s comical but poignant and I want to see more from director Soichi Umezawa in the future.

It can be difficult to surprise an audience in a short film, but Juan Martinez Moreno does so beautifully in S is for Split. The split screen is perfectly executed and the unexpected ending will definitely make you ponder. Although I haven’t yet seen Lithuanian director Kristina Buožytė’s Vanishing Waves, I now realize I need to step up my efforts after viewing K is for Knell (co-credited with Bruno Samper), easily the most chilling segment in the entire film. I actually got goosebumps watching it and again thinking about it afterwards. Stop motion animator Robert Morgan also provides an unforgettable and grotesque segment with D is for Deloused.

There’s a bit of Canadian crossover love in The Soska Sisters’ T is for Torture Porn when Tristan Risk provides a tentacled comeuppance to sexist, film industry douchebags, including Astron-6’s Conor Sweeney. The sisters themselves show up in fellow Astron-6 member Steven Kostanski’s W is for Wish, which is both grim and laugh out loud funny, and has mind blowingly great special effects.

Honestly, I expected a lot more from Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo’s X is for Xylophone, but perhaps they were just riffing on Beatrice Dalle’s mother instincts À l’intérieur. The gore, however, is impeccable as always. The remaining segments range from OK to good to “meh,” but the less said about Todd Rohal’s abysmal P is for P-P-P-P SCARY! the better. It’s so dreadful I actually felt sick watching it.

The ABCs of Death has proven to be a franchise that transcends not only the anthology series but also the way in which we envision the possibilities of genre films. Well done!

The ABCs of Death 2 screened at Toronto After Dark on October 17. It is available On Demand and is also in limited theatrical release from Magnet Releasing and Drafthouse Films.