It has been a long time since I have reviewed a movie on this site. I mean I have seen a lot of movie since my last review, but time just has not been on my side and also other pressing issues. So I thought why the fuck not and review a movie that will be showing at our local Alamo Drafthouse here in KC, a movie in which I will be hosting on Friday night. I previously chose this movie as a movie of the day post, and frankly I just had to do this full review. If you want to read the abridged review, check out the post here. If you want the full review, well check out my ABCs Review of The ABCs of Death after the jump.
Here we go!
A is for Ambitious: Ambitious this is, with 26 different directors each tackling a different letter of the alphabet, this anthology is a work of magnificence. Some of the directors are Ti West (The House of the Devil), Nacho Vigalondo (Timecrimes), Srdjan Spasojevic (A Serbian Film), Xavier Gens (Hitman), Jason Eisener (Hobo with a Shotgun), Angela Bettis (May) and Yoshihiro Nishimura (Suicide Club) just to name a few.
B is for Blood: And there are oil tanker quantities of blood in this movie.
C is for Chaotic: The film doesn’t hold back on any account of decency. If a director wants to get utterly sick and twisted, there is no restraint. It’s a purely chaotic film that fucks your eyes and mind for two hours straight.
D is for Death: 26 directors, 26 ways to die. Each death scene is basically more inventive than the next.
E is for Excitement: The best thing about this movie is that you just don’t know what is going to come next. For horror fans, this could be the ultimate in excitement for you as you are not certain on what is going to come next.
F is for Fuck: more so you will be saying, “what the Fuck did I just see.”
G is for Graphic: Everything is this movie is utterly graphic. From a no restraint subject matter to some of scenes of gore. This isn’t for amateurs.
H is for High: High as in high points. There are 26 scenes of death to view and there are certainly a couple that standout amongst the pack. I won’t go into individual scenes since the fun of this is seeing what comes next.
I is for Irresistible: While I have dabbled into horror movies a lot, I would never say I am a horror aficionado. Horror fans have been waiting for this movie for a long time and I must say that the lure and hook of the movie will draw in even the most tepid of horror movie watchers. It truly is irresistible.
J is for Jokes: Surprisingly some of the scenes are rather humorous, you know, in a twisted way.
K is for Kerfuffle: This movie will certainly cause some commotion amongst the viewers. Whether you are offended or delighted, there is definitely going to be some discussion afterwards about what you just saw.
L is for Low: There some low points in the movie, as there are with a lot of anthology films. You are going to get a mix of good and bad and there were a few scenes in which I didn’t like what I saw. It wasn’t the subject matter, it was just the way it was directed or presented. There is a balance in the movie
M is for Mystery: The best mystery of all is wondering what will come next. Since the title for each scene happens at the end of it, you don’t know what the theme of each scene is, so you are left with having to figure out what the letter stands for.
N is for Never: Never Forget what you see in this movie, I assure you that you won’t.
O is for Offensive: I don’t care if you are desensitized to a lot in the world, there will be at least one thing in this movie that you will find offensive. I promise you that.
P is for Palette: With all these different directors, there is something for every fans taste.
Q is for Questionable: Since there is pretty much no restraint and total control given to the directors, the subjects that they touch on range from everything under the sun. Some are fun to watch, others are mortifying. I don’t know how or why they chose to do a piece over particular subjects, but then again that is what makes horror movies unique. If you can’t push the boundaries, then you are doing justice to the art.
R is for Restraint: There is none to be had.
S is for Subjective: This is difficult to say, whether I think this is a good or bad movie. The medium is subjective as hardcore horror fans will probably like this and people like myself aren’t too keen on being assaulted for over two hours with a non-stop barrage of chaotic vignettes. For me, this is a one time watch, but an incredible endeavor of directorial work.
T is for Taboo: From animal cruelty, masochistic images, sexual sadism, infanticide, and violent imagery, everything that can be explored or portrayed is pretty much up for grabs. Nothing is taboo in this movie.
U is for Unique: There is no other anthology that brings together this many directors and a cavalcade of different styles in one movie. Every scene is different and never repeats which brings a unique feeling to The ABCs of Death.
V is for Vision: Visionary is what that should read, as this is a monstrous undertaking that scores some high and low points, but the end result is nothing but a kill stroke of genius.
W is for Watchable: I usually gauge my enjoyment of a movie by if it is watchable again and again. To say the least, I think this certainly is a one and done movie.
X is for Xenomorphic: The different directors all utilize there personal styles to essentially craft individual molds for their little vignettes. There isn’t a style that is replicated amongst the group, thus eliminating the possible repetition that might occur from the this endeavor. Also Xenomorphic means having a form not its own. The directors are free to work within the confines of the theme of the movie, but ultimately what is presented is all their own, so the movie itself doesn’t have a coherent thread of style that ties them all together except for the alphabet motif. PS finding a word that begins with X that fits here is hard as fuck.
Y is for You: You might be a changed individual after watching this. What has been seen cannot be unseen.
Z is for Zeal: There is something endearing about witnessing each individual segment and knowing that a particular director was given free reign to do what they want. A certain feeling of electricity can be seen through their work on the screen with the knowledge they got creative control on what they made.
Rating: I can’t give this movie a rating for everyone, but for me, this is a one time watch movie that mortified and entranced me. I couldn’t look away from what was on the screen, marveling at the work that put forth and essentially uneasy by certain segments. See it for yourself, but be warned about its content.