While the first ABC’s of Death film had more disappointing segments than good ones, it did at least have a few interesting directors on board in Ben Wheatley (Kill List), Adam Wingard (You’re Next), Ti West (The Sacrament) and Jason Eisener (Hobo With A Shotgun). The most famous contributor on offer for the sequel is probably the surprising entry from one half of The Mighty Boosh, Julian Barrett – One of a number of British directors to work on the project.
The concept of having 26 different directors each contributing a short film based around death for each letter of the alphabet is an intriguing one, just intriguing enough to merit a sequel. While ABC’s of Death is probably more consistent across the board, it’s best moments do not rival the originals finest work.
Having a mixture between macabre horror comedy and then straight out nasty torture porn is an uneasy mix and makes it difficult to fully enjoy any of the short films on offer. If these are the best up and coming directors in the genre than the horror landscape looks to be pretty grim for a few more years yet.
The compendium is a film making style that particularly suits horror with classics like The Twilight Zone and Tales From The Crypt as well as more modern titles such as V/H/S. The ABC’s of Death however is a good idea with a strong concept but poorly executed.