ABCs of Death 2 Film Review – Toronto After Dark Film Festival 2014

October 20^th, 2014:  In 2013, a cinematic kaleidoscope of all things horror was released with the unassuming title, ABC’s of Death. This melting pot of next gen filmmakers from around the world were given free range to mines all facets of the genre one eye gouging letter at a time.  Alas, the genesis of a franchise was born.  Twenty-six discrete short stories more mayhem than meek, running the gamut from, fantasy to folklore, assassin to sadist, bloodbath to badass and everything in between.  Cinefiles looking for a slow burn will get short shrift here.  These crooked yarns are strictly of the fast twitch variety.  Magnet Releasing and Drafthouse Films’ latest anthology ABC’s of Death 2 provides an eclectic mix of horror genres, unhinged characters and stomach turning narratives that puts this sophomore effort heads and shoulders above its predecessor in every single way.  For ADHD’er and Ritalin junkies, this is the franchise for you.

With laser focus each tale of woe is a study in efficiency.  A is for Amateur by Evan Katz opens the film with a slick and savvy play on the assassin trope in the vein of JJ Abrams spy episode.  In many cases the strength of many of these shorts display green light capabilities for a full length treatment.  Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado who closed the 2013 Toronto After Dark Film Festival with Big Bad Wolves returns with their politically charged “F is for Falling” which is definitely worth the price of admission.  K is for Knell by Kristina Buozyte and Bruno Samper is a moody nightmarish depiction of other-worldly forces affecting residence in a condo tower.  Better still, S is for Split by Juan Martinez Moreno delves into a frenetic and violent home invasion with a climatic bait and switch ending.  But for me, nothing beat W is for Wish by Steven Kostanski.  The perky Saturday morning infomercial for a kid-marketed toy named Zorb which quickly explodes into a nightmarish orgy of monsters, lasers, dungeons, and, of course, death.  Kostanski must be a fan of the classic kitchy Saturday Night Live faux commercials because this subversive homage is a brilliant take on the original.

Enfant Terrible Ant Timpson has created a horror movie platform perfectly suited for our social media saturated society.  Eclectic mash-ups with immersive storylines that yield product ready evisceration and morbid gratification with a wink and a nod is cheeky if it wasn’t so much fun.  With so many standout segments worthy of in-depth post-mortems with friends over coffee, the longevity of this anthology could not be more secure.

Author: T-Mak