DVD Review – The ABC’s of Death 2 (2015)

From Fritz Lang’s Destiny (1921) to the hotly anticipated German Angst (2015) the anthology film has always been an eager and compatible bedfellow of the horror genre.There is something about the macabre and the horrific that embraces the format perfectly. Directors as diverse as George A. Romero and Federico Fellini have realised the powerful draw of the horror portmanteau and here from Monster Pictures comes arguably the most audacious foray into this popular territory yet – The ABC’s of Death 2.

26 segments tackling the thorny subject of death in just under two hours was destined to generate a patchy viewing experience.However the extremely clever,and in some cases brave, choice of directors ensures the viewing experience remains constantly entertaining and at times admirably depraved.

This selection of accomplished filmmakers serves as an indicative snapshot of all that is innovative about the current horror landscape.Being asked to contribute to this compendium must be seen as quite an endorsement and indeed invoke the kind of kudos a musician feels when asked to do the latest Bond theme.

There is little point in analysing each segment in depth as this kaleidoscope of ideas will provoke differing reactions in each viewer .Rest assured that the assembled talent serve up their bite sized horror titbits with suitable helpings of dark humour, sheer nastiness and a healthy side order of surrealism. In addition there is lashings of gore showcasing some superb effects.All , somewhat surprisingly, untouched by the British censors.

The core strengths of The ABC’s of Death 2 are that the production values are solid across the board and any interference regarding content and approach have been kept to a minimum. . This allows the imagination and conviction of the contributors to shine through and their ideas to be fully realised .

It is not easy to hold the attention in 2 minute staccato bursts but this mischievous little lucky dip of a horror flick manages to stay the course and does not buckle under the narrative free strain.

Low concentration dependence working in tandem with it’s breathless pacing make The ABC’S of Death 2 an ideal late night gathering DVD – if you don’t like one segment the next one soon comes along and there is much inspired madness to discover.

The DVD release of The ABC’s of Death 2 features a making of documentary ,directors commentaries and trailers.The film is available on DVD from the 23rd of March.

[rating=4]
Bradley Hadcroft

Genre: Horror,comedy Distributor:Monster pictures DVD Release Date:23rd March 2015(U.K.) Rating :18 Directors : 26 of them Cast: Martina Garcia,Jen Soska,Beatrice Dalle,Andy Nyman, Sylvia Soska