ABCs of Death 2.5

This is not for people who like a typical horror movie from start to finish. If you thoroughly enjoyed the ABC's of Death 1 and 2 you will like a lot of the films in this one. Granted, each one is different and I don't think it's possible to love each one the same if at all and that should be expected by viewers. The producers tell you what you're going to get and there shouldn't be any surprises. I really love the fact that they had such a respect for the people who made these films that they did something with them. That being said, a couple of the shorts I straight up didn't like at all but it didn't deter me in the least bit. There were others that I just loved and found clever, strange or downright hilarious. This is a great one to rent if you have a small group of friends over and can watch it together.

Technically, this shouldn't be counted as one of the pieces of the original series cause there are a couple of reasons backing up this verdict. For one, this time the shorts are collected from fan entries around the globe as opposed to submissions from professional filmmakers. And two, it doesn't obey the alphabetical pattern of the last two; instead, they have decided to only employ the letter 'M'.

Not only did this particular decision influence the established format of this conception, but it also constrained all the creators from an artistic point of view as well as from boundlessly exhibiting their skills and creativeness. While the clips themselves aren't anything terrible, it's rather the quality on a collective level that took an apparent hit this time around as the gradual degradation in their typical standards is quite observable.

The challenge was to make a horror short of three minutes or less, inspired by the letter 'M'. Over 500 entries were submitted from around the globe, of which 26 finalists were compiled to make The ABC's of Death 2.5.

With such a short run-time in which to try and tell a story, the majority of 2.5's episodes prove predictably insubstantial, mere excuses for the film-makers to be as bizarre or outrageously gross as possible ('M is for Munging' being the winner there!). And as much as I enjoy the occasional spot of weirdness or gratuitous splatter, this rapid-fire collection left me longing for something a little more coherent.

Of the 26 entries, only a handful manage to impress: opening effort 'M is for Magnetic Tape' delivers a fun premise and some great special effects, 'M is for Malnutrition' ends with a neat Twilight Zone style twist, 'M is for Morman Missionaries' has a warped EC comics style payoff, and 'M is for Mother' features a big-ass spider.

The rest of the entries left me either disappointed or scratching my head in bewilderment.

I enjoyed abc of death 1 & 2! I find this 2.5 disappointing and quite boring.

I love the first 2 ABCs of Death movies, so obviously, this was a no-brainer when I found out it existed. Since I didn't have much money, I decided to rent it on Amazon Video rather than buy it. This was a very good decision.

The short films are good, entertaining, and creative, and I can definitely see why the studio decided to release this installment, in order to acknowledge the entries that were stellar, but just barely fell short, yet more than deserved recognition in their own right. Honestly, I would give this a 7 or 8, if not for one absolutely fatal flaw, in my opinion: they show what word is the basis of the short film BEFORE the short film is played.

In the first two installments, the short film plays and then the word is revealed, which brings a sense of mystery to the experience, as you're trying to figure out what the keyword is. When you know what the word is prior to seeing the short film, it takes away all of the mystery and fun of trying to figure out the premise and what word the director could be representing or interpreting. This makes it impossible to have that moment of revelation and realization, where everything just clicks and you can appreciate the nuance and creativity of every detail, something that made the first two movies so much fun to watch.

Keep in mind, this is just my opinion, and it is a major hindrance to the experience to me. If this dactor isn't as important to you as it is to me, then there is a lot of enjoyment to be had here. However, if you agree with me on this element, then I still recommend watching it, since the short films are done well, but only rent it, or watch if it is freely available on a streaming service. It will ultimately leave you far less satisfied than the first two.