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THE ABCS OF DEATHMovie Reviews
Horror anthology of 26 individual chapters, each filmed by a different director given free reign to choose a descriptive word and create a story involving death. Cast:Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Kyra Zagorsky, Erik Aude, Dallas Malloy, Iván González, Lee Hardcastle, M@tch, Sarah Bonrepaux, Darenzia, Fraser Corbett, Hiroko Yashiki, Peter Pedrero, Je$$ica, Arisa Nakamura, Lucy ClementsDirector:Angela Bettis, Hélène CattetRelease Date:March 8, 2013DVD Release:May 21, 2013From:MagnoliaLength:2 hr 9 min
The ABCs of Death opened in key cities to weak reviews. • Tasha Robinson wrote for the AV Club, "For a film so dedicated to visions of grotesque, unexpected death, 'ABCs' often feels childish, like it's endlessly giggling at its own prurient naughtiness." More Reviews Below...
The ABCs of Death Positive Reviews (16 Reviews, reviews below)
Kate Erbland, MSN Movies: POOR(cg) "...bloated... disappoints because its many talents can't even lobby around its single unifying theme in a satisfying way.... barely offers even cursory cohesion..."(See all of Kate Erbland's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 446 words, 03/07/13
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (5 Reviews)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: MODERATE "...in many ways, your typical horror compendium.... At its best when merging shocks with social commentary... improves significantly as it nears the end of the alphabet."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 251 words, 03/08/13
Roger Moore, Chicago Tribune: MODERATE(cg) "About half of the short films work and half don't.... can be a grim slog for those not inured to the splatter/spatter/slasher end of the horror spectrum."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 402 words, 03/08/13
Mark Holcomb, Village Voice: WEAK "...berserkly inconsistent. What's unexpected is how thoroughly the movie's ample duds overshadow its treasures, and how uninspired it feels as a whole."(See all of Mark Holcomb's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 264 words, 02/20/13
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...extremely ambitious.... But four great pieces out of 26 is a pretty thin ratio, and you have to endure an awful lot of misfires to get to the good bits."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 165 words, 05/23/13
KEY CITIES (3 Reviews)
Ethan Gilsdorf, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "Do your tastes delve into the sick, ultra-violent, and disturbing? Then you may find this anthology of about two dozen short films inventive and funny."(See all of Ethan Gilsdorf's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 413 words, 03/08/13
Jeff Shannon, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...its carnage is deliriously fictional and brazenly cinematic, coming from the deranged minds of 26 established and up-and-coming directors of horror."(See all of Jeff Shannon's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 267 words, 03/08/13
Jamie S. Rich, Portland Oregonian: WEAK(cg) "...brutality, excrement and viscera. Yes, some segments disturb and repel, and many try for dark humor, but the squirms they induce are far from pleasurable."(See all of Jamie S. Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 99 words, 03/08/13
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (5 Reviews)
Mark Holcomb, Village Voice: WEAK "...berserkly inconsistent. What's unexpected is how thoroughly the movie's ample duds overshadow its treasures, and how uninspired it feels as a whole."(See all of Mark Holcomb's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 264 words, 02/20/13
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: WEAK(cg) "...in general this is a good idea wasted, disturbing mostly for its puerility, crudeness, and misogyny. The $5000-per-short budget probably didn't help..."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 160 words, 03/14/13
Tasha Robinson, AV Club: FAIR(cg) "For a film so dedicated to visions of grotesque, unexpected death, 'ABCs' often feels childish, like it's endlessly giggling at its own prurient naughtiness."(See all of Tasha Robinson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 450 words, 03/07/13
Ed Gonzalez, Slant: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "27 directors assigned a different letter of the alphabet.... Most of the filmmakers are content riffing on familiar horror themes and cultural hang-ups..."(See all of Ed Gonzalez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 784 words, 03/02/13
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "...extremely ambitious.... But four great pieces out of 26 is a pretty thin ratio, and you have to endure an awful lot of misfires to get to the good bits."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 165 words, 05/23/13
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: MODERATE "...in many ways, your typical horror compendium.... At its best when merging shocks with social commentary... improves significantly as it nears the end of the alphabet."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 251 words, 03/08/13
Ian Buckwalter, NPR: WEAK "With 26 films, one for each letter of the alphabet, one might expect enough gems in the mix to make up for any stinkers. That's sadly not the case."(See all of Ian Buckwalter's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 759 words, 03/07/13
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: VERY GOOD "...enormously impressive and massively indulgent.... It contains some of the subtlest and most ambiguous filmmaking of the year and some of the dumbest."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 909 words, 03/08/13
Justin Lowe, Hollywood Reporter: MODERATE "Both the originality and quality of the shorts are variable, with the majority coming off as mere genre exercises rather than fully conceived films."(See all of Justin Lowe's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 721 words, 03/08/13
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times: MODERATE "...in many ways, your typical horror compendium.... At its best when merging shocks with social commentary... improves significantly as it nears the end of the alphabet."(See all of Jeannette Catsoulis's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 251 words, 03/08/13
19.7 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
The ABCs of Death's reviews are separated by an average 19.7 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
The ABCs of Death (16 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:The ABCs of Death's reviews cover 18.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 6,368 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 398 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
The ABCs of Death Coverage, Volume & Length (16 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 72.0 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
The ABCs of Death's reviews on average broke 72.0 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is The ABCs of Death's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
The ABCs of Death (16 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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