midnighttriplefeature

The concept behind ABC's of Death is an inspired one. Take 26 genre directors, give them each a letter and a budget of $5000, and have them direct a short based on their given letter. The directors are given 100% freedom to write and direct as they see fit with no intervention from the production studio. It's like a visual take on the saying "when the cat is away the mice will play". The only problem is some of the mice just aren't as good at playing the game as others and can make the better players look bad. That's kind of what happens with ABC's of Death. There are a few moments of true entertainment and enjoyment but they are often overshadowed by their less entertaining and enjoyable counterparts. That's not to say these aren't all talented directors because they are, it just didn't work out for them in this format. The other issue is there is no real editing here. The letters are presented in order so we get no real sense of flow beside the fact that the letters follow each other. What follows is a rundown of each letter. The only way I could think to rate a movie like this is to rate each segment and average them together for an overall rating. A is for Apocalypse: Unfortunately I was more interested in seeing the apocalypse than what was portrayed on screen. 2/5 B is for Bigfoot: Simple take on a boogeyman story but enjoyable nonetheless. 3.5/5 C is for Cycle: I think they over-thought this one, it just isn't working for me. 1.5/5 D is for Dogfight: Well shot and choreographed, predictable ending. 2/5 E is for Exterminate: A man is terrorized by a spider he just can't squash. Enjoyable. 3/5 F is for Fart: Yeah, I just didn't get this one. 1/5 G is for Gravity: I had no idea where this one was going, and it really didn't go anywhere. 1.5/5 H is for Hydro-Electric Diffusion: A male dog is watching a female fox strip when things start to go unexpectedly. Definitely can't say I've seen anything like this before. 2/5 I is for Ingrown: This was the first entry that made me feel legitimately uncomfortable. It's a tough one to watch and only strengthened by the comment in the credits regarding female murders in Mexico. 2.5/5 J is for Jidai-Geki (Samurai Movie): A samurai is having trouble beheading a man. Funny, odd and entertaining. 2.5/5 K is for Klutz: The first animated entry in the compilation. A woman can't seem to rid herself of a pesky stool. 3/5 L is for Libido: At moments I felt like I was watching a condensed version of Serbian Film. This one's kind of all over the place for me. I think it goes a bit too far in trying to shock but still some interesting ideas. 2.5/5 M is for Miscarriage: Awful. Easily the worst one in the bunch. Even more shocking when I saw that Ti West directed this. 0/5 N is for Nuptials: A man buys a parrot that can't shut it's mouth around his girlfriend. Even though the joke is old it still works. 3.5/5 O is for Orgasm: Not as exciting as it sounds. .5/5 P is for Pressure: A story about a prostitute who wants to buy her daughter a bike. Will do anything for the cash. Not working for me either. .5/5 Q is for Quack: Adam Wingard plays himself and it's hilarious. Finally an entry that I loved. By far my favorite short in the series. 5/5 R is for Removed: Maybe I'm just not a smart viewer. I just didn't get it. Visually it's clever and there are some effective gore effects but I just didn't get it. 1/5 S is for Speed: Interesting entry featuring fast cars and flamethrowers with an interesting twist at the end. Different but enjoyable. 3/5 T is for Toilet: Another entry featuring a toilet. A boy is deathly afraid of his toilet. A lot of fun. 3.5/5 U is for Unearthed: A really effective take on a vampire story. 4/5 V is for Vagitus (The Cry of a Newborn Baby): An impressive take on a dystopian future where fertility is controlled. My 2nd favorite of the lot. 4.5/5 W is for WTF!: A really enjoyable short where every idea for W is thrown on the screen. 4/5 X is for XXL: A graphic and gruesome portrayal of the effects of negative body image. 2.5/5 Y is for Youngbuck: Uncomfortable yet fun. A perverted janitor gets his comeuppance. Great soundtrack. 3.5/5 Z is for Zetsumetsu (Extinction): This one should have been called WTF. 2/5 Overall: 2.5 I am not surprised this fell literally right in the middle of the rating scale. It sums up my feelings on the movie pretty well.