By The ABCs of Death was an interesting experiment as far as anthology horror movies go. Despite some great entries by Marcel Sarmiento (D is for Dogfight), Xavier Gens (X is for XXL), and Lee Hardcastle (T is for Toilet), the film was a bit of a mixed bag. That’s not stopping them from trying it again.
Yesterday at Cannes, ABCs of Death 2 was announced, and many of the participating directors were made official, including:
- Bill Plympton
- Rodney Ascher (Room 237)
- Sion Sono (Suicide Club)
- Vincenzo Natali (Cube)
- Álex de la Iglesia (The Last Circus)
- Kristina Buozyte and Bruno Samper (Vanishing Waves)
- Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado (Big Bad Wolves)
More directors will be announced over the summer, and the contest for the 26th letter will happen again. (That’s how Hardcastle’s short wound up in the first film.) My hope is that none of the filmmakers half-ass their work like Ti West did in the first one.
ABCs of Death 2 will be out some time in 2014. Check out the full press release after the cut.
Magnet Releasing in Association with Timpson Films and Drafthouse Films announce ABCs OF DEATH 2
Cannes – May 15, 2013 – Producers Ant Timpson, Tim League, and the Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnet Releasing announced today the production of ABCs OF DEATH 2, a high energy sequel to the 2012 anthology hit that delivers 26 new dark tales from the industry’s most celebrated genre directors. Taking all that was great from the first installment, ABCs OF DEATH 2 aims to be a wilder, leaner, faster paced and even more entertaining anthology this time around, with a new crop of award-winning, visionary filmmakers from around the globe.
In a significant departure from the first installment, ABCs OF DEATH 2 is expanding beyond horror directors. The sequel’s new roster includes Goya Award winner Álex de la Iglesia (THE LAST CIRCUS, DAY OF THE BEAST); ROOM 237 mastermind Rodney Ascher; Academy Award-nominated animator Bill Plympton; Filipino icon – and Director’s Fortnight inductee – Erik Matti (ON THE JOB, MAGIC TEMPLE); and the founder of Nigerian “Nollywood” cinema Lancelot Imasuen.
Additional confirmed filmmakers include Lithuania’s Kristina Buozyte and Bruno Samper (VANISHING WAVES), Japan’s arthouse provocateur Sion Sono (COLD FISH, SUICIDE CLUB), SPLICE and CUBE’s Vincenzo Natali, indie horror icon Larry Fessenden (THE LAST WINTER, HABIT), THE COLLECTION’s Marcus Dunstan, France’s Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo (INSIDE, LIVID), E.L. Katz (director of the SXSW breakout hit CHEAP THRILLS), twin auteurs Jen and Sylvia Soska (AMERICAN MARY, DEAD HOOKER IN A TRUNK), Israel’s Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado (RABIES, BIG BAD WOLVES), A LONELY PLACE TO DIE’s Julian Gilbey, Brazil’s most controversial filmmaker Dennison Ramalho (NINJAS and LOVE FOR MOTHER ONLY), THE LEGEND OF BEAVER DAM and the upcoming STAGEFRIGHT’s Jerome Sable, and animator Robert Morgan – creator of the BAFTA Award nominated short BOBBY YEAH.
Additional filmmaker announcements, as well as the return of the series’ popular 26th Director competition (which allows one exceptional fan-made entry to become part of the finished film), will occur throughout the Summer of 2013.
“The ABCs OF DEATH was a wildly ambitious anthology that connected with genre fans in a big way, and we’re all very excited about the potential for the sequel,” said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles. “With talented producers Ant and Tim and the incredible roster of directors assembled, we’re confident that ABCs of DEATH 2 will be even better than the first.”
“This time around we’re all determined to expand the concept to even more hyperkinetic, comically deranged and mortally dizzying heights of how someone can shuffle off this mortal coil,” said Producer Ant Timpson.
Magnet is planning a 2014 release of the film. ABCs OF DEATH 2 is produced by Ant Timpson and Tim League, in conjunction with associate producers Todd Brown, Marc Walkow, Mitch Davis, and Ted Geoghegan.
About Magnet Releasing
Magnet is the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, specializing in films from the vanguard of horror, action, comedy and Asian cinema, and the home of genre classics like Tomas Alfredson’s Let the Right One In, Takashi Miike’s 13 Assassins, Christopher Smith’s Black Death, Ti West’s The House of the Devil, Andre Ovredal’s Trollhunter, Gareth Edward’s Monsters, Neil Marshall’s sword and sandals bloodbath Centurion, and Tony Jaa’s Ong Bak trilogy to name a few. Recent releases include the terrifying anthology V/H/S,Michael Dowse’s hockey comedy Goon, Tim & Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie, Panos Cosmatos’ psychedelic head trip Beyond the Black Rainbow, horror anthology The ABCs of Death, Xan Cassavettes’ stylish vampire film Kiss of the Damned, and Don Coscarelli’s John Dies at the End. Upcoming releases include V/H/S/2, Adrián García Bogliano’s Here Comes the Devil, Viking epic Hammer of the Gods, twisted horror-comedyMilo and many more.
