The ABCs of Death 2

The ABCs of Death 2

Following the surprise hit "The ABCs of Death," 26 new directors were given a letter of the alphabet and made a short film based off death from the particular letter they got. 

Once again, to properly review this film, I'll take each small film as its own:

A is for Amateur: A hired hitman has a plan to assassinate a target, but it doesn't go according to plan.  A clever way to start off the series, smart and very well-produced for a short film.  A-


B is for Badger: A wildlife documentary on the supposed death of local badgers due to a nuclear power plant goes terribly wrong.  Funny, violent, and the idiot gets what he deserves.  B+

C is for Capital Punishment: A group of townspeople decide a man is guilty of murder and perform their own brand of justice.  Gory, surprising and leaves you with a bitter taste in your mouth, so they did their job well.  A

D is for Deloused: A stop-motion short about a man being murdered, a cockroach getting stomped and then everything goes strange.  By far the best so far in this anthology, even if it didn't make sense, it was still completely unnerving and disturbing, much like "T is for Toilet" from the first film.  A+

E is for  Equilibrium: Two friends stranded on an island find a woman that threatens to come between them.  Following "D," this one was extremely stupid, unscary and more of a beer commercial than anything.  D.

F is for Falling: An Israeli female soldier is caught in a tree and found by a Palestinian boy who wants her dead.  Good for social commentary, but bad for horror.  D.

G is for Grandad: A grandson lives with his eccentric grandfather and discovers some painful truths.  Third strike for this series as again it wasn't at all entertaining.  D.

H is for Head Games: A man and woman kiss, but then it turns into a power struggle.  Interesting concept delivered by an artistic pen, but far from terrifying.  C-.

I is for Invincible: A family tries to kill their matriarch to get their inheritance, but she doesn't die.  Finally, a good addition after the previous poor deliveries, and also an interesting look into ancient mythologies.  B.

J is for Jesus: A homosexual man is put to death, while his lover has an exorcism performed on him, until an unlikely person arrives.  Provocative, and pretty demented.  B+.

K is for Knell: A woman witnesses a strange object in the sky, and the apartment complex next to her is filled with people killing each other, before turning their sights on her.  Could've been good if it was a full-length movie, but as it was, it was pretty nonsensical and could've had more.  D+.

L is for Legacy: A ritual sacrifice goes wrong, and an entire tribe pays for it.  Lots of throwbacks to "Cannibal Holocaust" here, with some inventive kills, but a nonsensical story.  C-.

M is for Masticate: After taking bath salts, a man turns into a cannibalistic zombie.  Once again, good for social commentary, bad for overall execution.  C.

N is for Nexus: Worlds collide on Halloween night as a fateful accident draws people together.  Interesting, unique and if not predictable at least well acted.  B-.

O is for Ochlocracy (Mob Rule): A unique take on zombies, as they are now the judicial system who try and sentence humans to death.  Very unique, fun, and inventive.  A-.

P is for P-P-P-P Scary!:  A throwback to "Three Stooges" sees three men bumbling their way in the dark and meeting a strange man and child.  Stupid, pointless, doesn't follow the letter given, and overall disappointing.  F.

Q is for Questionnaire: A man is given a series of intellectual questions, while a brain is transported to a gorilla.  Smart, intriguing and original, even if the gorilla obviously looked like a store-bought costume.  C-.

R is for Roulette: Three people play Russian Roulette with an evil twist.  Shot in black and white, it gives a "Night of the Living Dead' feel, and it was really inventive and intelligent.  A-.

S is for Split: A man talking to his wife on the phone gets an earful when the house is invaded and the wife is attacked.  Another compelling short, with an ending you wouldn't expect.  A-.

T is for Torture Porn: A group of guys making a porno finds a woman who is far more than she appears.  A great revenge tale and extremely violent.  B+.

U is for Utopia: In a world filled with perfect people, one imperfect man is targeted for extermination.  A great commentary on today's society and their perpetual attempt to look beautiful.  A+.

V is for Vacation: A man communicates over Skype with his girlfriend while he and his friend are on vacation, and the girlfriend discovers some shocking truths.  Another fantastic entry filled with blood, shock, and unsettling moments.  A+.

W is for Wish: A kid's commercial turns real as two boys are transported to a mythical land and come captive under the evil ruler.  Downright hilarious, a great homage to cheap 80s sci-fi horror, with a comic, albeit dark, ending.  A+.

X is for Xylophone: A babysitter is annoyed with the girl playing the xylophone, so she sets out to make some music of her own.  Incredibly dark, unrelenting and terrifying.  A+.

Y is for Youth: A girl wishes death on her step-father and mother, who both seem to have abandoned her.  Extremely unique (seeing a woman getting bit to death by a hamburger, a guy having a guitar coming out of his mouth), inventive and original.  A+.

Z is for Zygote: A pregnant woman lives alone while her husband disappears.  For 13 years she keeps the child in her womb until the child can't take it anymore.  This was the best of the whole set, with some totally gross out moments that stick with you.  A+.
 
Overall Summary:
While it seemed the first film had directors who phoned in their work, this set showcased some of the best of the directors, and even though a good number fell through the cracks, the ones that stood out stood out for a very good reason.  Much better overall than the original.

My Rating: A