Horror anthologies usually play it safe. You get a frame story, three or four decent segments, and maybe one total dud that you forget by the time the credits roll. But ABCs of Death 2 isn't a normal movie. It’s a chaotic, beautiful, and sometimes repulsive marathon that throws 26 different directors at the screen to see what sticks. Honestly? Most of it sticks.
It’s been over a decade since this sequel dropped, and while the first film was a bit of a mess—let’s be real, some of those shorts were borderline unwatchable—the second outing actually figured out the formula. It’s faster. It’s meaner. It’s got a much higher budget-to-talent ratio. You’re jumping from high-concept sci-fi to stop-motion animation to pitch-black comedy in the span of five minutes. It’s exhausting in the best way possible.
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Why ABCs of Death 2 Actually Worked
The premise is simple but punishing. 26 letters. 26 directors. 26 ways to die. Each filmmaker was given a letter of the alphabet and total creative freedom, provided their segment ended in a death. That’s it.
What makes ABCs of Death 2 feel so much more cohesive than the original 2012 film is the curation. The producers, Ant Timpson and Tim League, clearly tightened the screws. In the first film, you had segments that felt like half-baked student projects. Here, you have guys like Julian Barratt (from The Mighty Boosh) and E.L. Katz (who directed the brutal Cheap Thrills) bringing genuine craft to the table.
The pacing is relentless. Because each segment is only about three to four minutes long, the movie never has time to get boring. If you hate what you’re watching, just wait sixty seconds. Something completely different is coming. You might go from a segment about a literal execution to a surrealist piece about a man birth-looping himself. It’s a lot to take in.
The Standout Segments You Can’t Unsee
We have to talk about "V is for Vacation." Directed by Jerome Sable, it’s a found-footage nightmare that starts out looking like a douchey travel vlog and ends in a way that makes your skin crawl. It’s effective because it uses the format perfectly. Then you have "A is for Amateur," which subverts the "cool assassin" trope so effectively it makes you wonder why more action movies don't lean into the sheer awkwardness of accidental death.
But the real MVP? That’s probably "Z is for Zygote."
Directed by Chris Nash—who recently blew up the horror world with In a Violent Nature—this segment is a masterclass in body horror. It’s about a woman who keeps her pregnancy going for thirteen years. I won’t spoil the visual payoff, but it involves some of the most impressive practical effects in indie horror history. It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to look away but you’re physically unable to. Nash has this way of lingering on the gross stuff just a second too long. It’s brilliant.
The Global Flavor of the Alphabet
One thing people overlook is how international this project was. It wasn't just a bunch of Hollywood guys. You had directors from Nigeria, Brazil, Japan, France, and Israel. This gives ABCs of Death 2 a texture that most American horror movies lack. You’re seeing different cultural anxieties play out.
"M is for Masticate," directed by Robert Boocheck, was actually the winner of the "Search for the 26th Director" competition. It’s a slow-motion sequence set to a jaunty track, and it’s arguably the funniest part of the whole film. It proves you don't need a massive studio budget to make something memorable. You just need a weird idea and a decent camera.
The "A" for Effort vs. The "F" for Failure
Not everything is a masterpiece. That’s the nature of the beast. Some segments feel like they’re trying too hard to be "edgy" without having a point. "P is for P-P-P-P Scary!" feels like a weird throwback that doesn't quite land the punchline. But even the misses are interesting because they represent a specific filmmaker’s unfiltered vision.
In a world of sterilized, PG-13 jump-scare movies, there’s something refreshing about a film that allows someone to fail spectacularly. ABCs of Death 2 is a reminder that horror is at its best when it's experimental. It’s a playground for the deranged.
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The Technical Side of the Chaos
Most of these shorts were shot on a shoestring. However, the digital cinematography in the sequel is leaps and bounds ahead of the first one. Most segments were shot on Red or Arri Alexa kits, giving the whole anthology a "prestige" feel that contrasts hilariously with the subject matter.
The sound design is also surprisingly tight. In an anthology, the audio levels can be all over the place, but the post-production team did a hell of a job making sure the transition between a quiet, brooding Japanese segment and a loud, abrasive American one wasn't jarring. It flows. It’s a weird, bloody river, but it flows.
Why We Don't See Anthologies Like This Anymore
The mid-2010s were a goldmine for this stuff. You had V/H/S, The Theatre Bizarre, and Southbound. But ABCs of Death 2 was the peak of the "extreme" anthology trend. Nowadays, streamers want things that fit into a neat little algorithm. They want 10-episode series with a consistent tone.
A movie like this is an algorithm's nightmare. How do you categorize something that is a comedy, a drama, a sci-fi, and a snuff-film parody all at once? You can't. And that’s exactly why it’s worth watching today. It represents a moment in time when indie horror was obsessed with pushing boundaries just to see where they would break.
The Legacy of the Directors
If you look back at the roster, it’s a "who’s who" of people who went on to do big things.
- Jim Hosking (G is for Grandad) went on to make the cult hit The Greasy Strangler.
- Vincenzo Natali (U is for Utopia) already had Cube under his belt but used this to flex his dystopian muscles.
- Kristina Buozyte and Bruno Samper (S is for Split) eventually gave us the sci-fi epic Vesper.
Seeing their early, raw work in this format is like looking at a sketchbook for a famous painter. You see the themes they’re obsessed with before they had to worry about box office returns or "mass appeal."
Watching It Today: A Warning
If you’re going to dive into ABCs of Death 2, don't try to watch it like a standard narrative. Don't look for a plot. It’s a gallery. Treat it like you're walking through a haunted house where every room was designed by a different lunatic.
Some parts will offend you. Some will make you laugh. A few might actually make you sad. "K is for Knell" is an eerie, haunting piece of minimalist horror that stays with you long after the more "gory" segments have faded. That variety is the film's greatest strength.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Viewing
Don't check your phone. It’s tempting because the segments are short, but the movie relies on its momentum. The "B" segment leads into "C" with a specific rhythm. If you break that rhythm, you lose the cumulative effect of the madness.
Also, watch it with friends. This is the ultimate "did you see that?" movie. It’s built for reacting. It’s built for arguing about which letter was the best. Honestly, half the fun is the debate that happens during the credits.
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Practical Steps for Horror Fans:
- Watch the 26th Director submissions: If you love the film, go to YouTube and look up the entries for the "Search for the 26th Director." There are hundreds of them, and some are arguably better than what made the final cut.
- Track the directors: Pick your three favorite segments and look up the directors' feature films. This is the best way to discover niche horror you’d never find on a Netflix home screen.
- Skip the first movie (mostly): If you’re short on time, you don't need to see the first ABCs of Death to enjoy the sequel. The second one is superior in almost every technical and creative category.
- Look for the "Making Of" content: There are some great behind-the-scenes stories about how "Z is for Zygote" was filmed in a tiny room with almost no money. It’s inspiring for aspiring filmmakers.
The anthology format might be dormant for now, but this film remains a high-water mark for the genre. It’s gross, it’s smart, and it’s completely unapologetic. It doesn't care if you like it, and that’s why it works.