*Warning: Contains NSFW image(s)
Starring: Various actors
Directed by: Various directors
Reviewed by: Freekz80
So… I suppose I should explain myself. This might come as a surprise to many of you considering I rated the original ABCs of Death a 1/10. It deserved it. Oh god, it deserved it. But I decided to give the series another chance, and if there was ever a case of a sequel actually being superior to the original, besides Halo 2, this is it. These shorts actually weren’t bad. As I did with my review of the original, I’ll take a few shorts that stood out to me and review them individually.
A is for Amateur (E.L. Katz)
Being the first short in the lineup, it’s pretty important that this one deliver as to give the first good impression! No fear, Katz does a great job with this short. A hitman encounters some… issues while attempting a hit. It’s definitely unique in the way it plays out, and it’s unexpected! Always a plus. ABCs of Death 2 is off to a good start!
B is for Badger (Julian Barratt)
You know it’s good when you weren’t quite ready for the short to end. This one features a film crew looking to document some local wildlife, and they stumble upon something quite startling. Gory, incredibly gory, but that’s just the way we like it. Wow, ABCs 2 might actually be a good film!
D is for Deloused (Robert Morgan)
Pretty disturbing, if not absolutely disgusting. Essentially, a man is executed and exacts vengeance upon his killers with the help of a strange bug. I wasn’t a huge fan of the claymation here (also largely disliked it in the original film) and to be quite honest, I couldn’t wait for this particular short to end. This one was a turn off.
M is for Masticate (Robert Boocheck)
In this short, a man is shown running down a street, tackling a victim and then attempting to eat him. That’s it. It kept me watching without too much gore, and nothing absolutely disgusting or disturbing, which is fantastic. The use of slow motion was pretty effective as well. I definitely enjoyed it.
S is for Split (Juan Martinez Moreno)
This is another example of the finer shorts in ABCs of Death 2. A man staying in France calls his wife, only for her to be attacked in their home while on the phone. The cinematography is very well done. It’s disturbing, suspenseful, and violent. It’s great that all of that can be accomplished with nothing being blatantly overdone. It’s also got an interesting twist!
X is for Xylophone (Juilen Maury, Alexandre Bustillo)
I really have no idea what the point of this short was. This one was almost as bland and uneventful as “G is for Gravity” from the first ABCs of Death. Needless to say, I didn’t like it at all. I guess you don’t have a whole lot to work with when you are stuck with a shitty letter of the alphabet, haha!
Y is for Youth (Soichi Umezawa)
Alright, what the fuck? Why are the Japanese shorts always so strange and disturbing? Why don’t they ever make any sense? Is there something I need to know about? This particular short reminded me of “Z is for Zetsumetsu” from the original film, and let me clarify, that is NOT a good thing. I mean, I guess they had some… ahem… uhm, “interesting” props and special effects?” That’s really about it. The execution was poor, the story is not coherent, and is essentially nonexistent.
While this film definitely is an improvement over the first, it still has some flaws. I suppose that is unavoidable with 26 different directors, but I am still reviewing the film as a whole. Would I recommend you watch it? Yes, but only once. There are some great shorts, and there are some downright awful shorts. In comparison to the first film, which had literally zero decent shorts, this is a step in the right direction. But alas, a polished turd is still a turd.
…just kidding. ABCs of Death 2 was a decent experience!
Beware: Tons of blood and other nasty body fluids, giant badgers, giant Japanese dicks, and, uh… a slew of other shit that makes no sense.
Like Film Freak Reviews on Facebook!
