If you claimed that The ABCs of Death was the most ambitious horror anthology ever mounted, I'd have to agree. The genre is no stranger to making the omnibus format its own, be it Trick 'r Treat and its crisscrossing narrative or Creepshow modeling itself as an EC Comics throwback. But The ABCs of Death really takes things to another level in giving its participating filmmakers a letter of the alphabet and the freedom to make any twisted little vignette their dark hearts desired based on a word beginning with that letter. That means 26 back-to-back shorts, and like most anthology flicks, its segments are pretty equally divided between winners and losers. But The ABCs of Death has so many bizarre tricks up its sleeve, even the stinkers have something interesting about them.

**WARNING -- In case you plan on watching The ABCs of Death, turn back now if you wish for the letters and their accompanying shorts to be a surprise.**

A Is for Apocalypse - A woman tries to get a last-minute murder in as a cataclysm rages outside. A darkly-comic short with a neat little twist (which will become a running theme throughout the film), this ditty is a quick, funny, bloody good watch.

B Is for Bigfoot - A scary bedtime story comes back to bite the guy telling it. This one is best described as 80% strong set up and 20% predictably ironic punchline. It's not bad, but it misses a huge opportunity by supplying a nondescript maniac in place of an actual sasquatch.

C Is for Cycle - An investigation into weird goings-on around his house leads a man to a shocking discovery. I'm not entirely how this short's logic comes together, but between its nasty streak and the glee with which it messes with your head, you can't fault it too much.

D Is for Dogfight - A fighter in a skeezy underground brawl faces down an unexpected opponent. Playing out entirely in slow-motion, some might call out this segment for being more stylish than substantive, but its compelling turn of events had me hooked til the very end; far and away, this is my favorite short of the lot.

E Is for Exterminate - An itsy, bitsy spider causes a world of trouble for an average schmoe. Helmed by Angela Bettis (of May fame), this vignette is basic urban legend material, with nothing notable to speak of (save for its silly arachnid effects).

F Is for Fart - A Japanese schoolgirl and her teacher reveal their feelings for each other while a black gas envelops everyone around them. Without a doubt, this is the point in which our feature has set up shop in Crazyville -- it's more jaw-droppingly goofy than it is frightening in any way, although fans of director Noboru Iguchi will know that this is par for the course.

G Is for Gravity - Tragedy befalls a surfer out on a day's excursion. Shot from a first-person perspective, this short is one of the flick's most pared-down in structure and least fulfilling; simplicity can be an asset sometimes, but here, it feels like a way to skip doing any work.

H Is for Hydro-Electric Diffusion - An anthropomorphic bulldog attempts to escape the clutches of Nazi fox/stripper. Chalk this right up with the "F" section as one of the film's strangest detours, although its cartoony nature ensures your eyes remain trained onscreen at all times.

I Is for Ingrown - A bound and gagged woman narrates her own ordeal at an attacker's hands. If director Jorge Michel Grau's intention was to be as cryptic as he possible could, then mission accomplished; it's too bad not telling the audience a damn thing didn't make his contribution the slightest bit absorbing.

J Is for Jidai-geki - An executioner finds himself distracted from his task by the samurai he is to kill and the increasingly silly expressions he makes. This one is as pointless and juvenile as they get, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't chuckling right along with its warped sense of humor.

K Is for Klutz - A woman's trip to the bathroom becomes an all-out war against a certain something that refuses to be flushed. One of the flick's few animated selections, this short from Anders Morgenthaler (Princess) won't win over those with an aversion to extreme toilet humor, although it says something that I certainly didn't see that ending coming.

L Is for Libido - A man is kidnapped and forced to fight for his life in a disturbing game. I can't even begin to describe what transpires in this segment, but although it's incredibly difficult to watch, it's also just as suspenseful and well-directed. It's an extremely rough piece of work, and it's easily one of the movie's highlights.

M Is for Miscarriage - Another short, another woman having difficulty getting something to go down the toilet. That title there says it all, but this contribution from Ti West (The Innkeepers) is not only the film's briefest, it's also the most pointless, least engaging, and all-around worst of the bunch.

N Is for Nuptials - A guy's proposal to his girlfriend goes sour thanks to a big-mouthed bird. The ending is perhaps a bit too much, but the lead-up to it is a series of unfortunate events that snowballs further and further into pitch-black comedy gold.

O Is for Orgasm - Scenes from a sexual encounter are intercut with images of bubbles, dolls, and lit cigarettes. The element of death doesn't really show itself until the segment's final moments, but I have to admit that this defiantly abstract selection is oddly stirring and even beautiful to behold.

P Is for Pressure - A woman turns to prostitution and even more terrible lows as a means of supporting her children. As with the previous short, this one isn't "horror" in the typical sense of the word, but it is a dark, chilling, and tragic look at how far one person is forced to stoop in the name of providing for her loved ones.

Q Is for Quack - Director Adam Wingard and his crew wrack their brains over what to come up with when they're assigned the "Q" letter. Another story that's more intentionally funny than scary in any way, Wingard's meta humor nevertheless is a lot of fun and all the incentive you need to see it all through to the end.

R Is for Removed - A man is kept locked up in a hospital while his skin his sliced off to create literal film strips. A tale that leaves itself open for interpretation (although celebrity culture appears to be the topic most on its mind), its imagery is consistently startling and profound, even when it doesn't necessarily make a lot of sense.

S Is for Speed - A pistol-packin' mama goes on the run from a hooded monster who'll stop at nothing to get her. I dare not give away the final turn of the screw, but suffice to say, our heroine's struggle is a stylish and intriguing metaphor for what becomes of her.

T Is for Toilet - A young child comes to learn that his fear of using the potty may not be as unfounded as his parents think. Like the "K" segment, this one is animated, focuses on the porcelain throne, and ends on a rather wicked note, although the gallows humor goes down much more smoothly here.

U Is for Unearthed - An unseen ghoul is summoned from its resting place for one last showdown against some human attackers. Employing the first-person perspective with a lot more cleverness than the "G" story, this short from Kill List helmsman Ben Wheatley is quite the novel and creepy little jaunt.

V Is for Vagitus - In a future where births are strictly regulated, a cop comes to question her duties after coming upon a family that's broken the rules. Director Kaare Andrews packs so much in terms of plot, action, and visual effects, you're left let down that this didn't end up becoming its own, full-blown feature film.

W Is for WTF! - In another self-referential slice of cinema, director Jon Schnepp is beset by random images as he tries to think of something for his "W" short. A shameless parade of immature shock humor, Schnepp's contribution is as completely inane as it is honest to God funny.

X Is for XXL - An overweight woman succumbs to societal sneerings and resorts to a rather extreme method of shedding her pounds. I was no fan of filmmaker Xavier Gens's Texas Chainsaw ripoff Frontier(s), but I have to say that he's as adept at making with the graphic violence here as he is at delivering effectove commentary on the issue of body image.

Y Is for Youngbuck - A schoolkid exacts his bloody revenge upon a lecherous janitor. With its over-saturated photography, gratuitously phony gore, and synth-driven score, admirers of creator Jason Eisener's Hobo with a Shotgun will feel right at home with this short's inherent sleaziness.

Z Is for Zetsumetsu - This hyper-critical attack on U.S./Japan relations boasts naked brawling beauties, Dr. Strangelove stand-ins, and various deadly weapons emerging from the last places you'd think. The film sure saved one of the zaniest, most unbridled shorts for last, but its political commentary is conveyed with such obvious passion and ferocity, it's almost enough to look past the beyond-lewd imagery surrounding it...almost.

Some will praise The ABCs of Death for its variety and its scale. Others will see only one senseless and disgusting display after the next, a challenge to see how far you can get before your gag reflex gives up the ghost. As for myself, while The ABCs of Death is inarguably rough around the edges (which is likely what several of its creators intended), there's enough genuine creativity on display here to warrant a look-see by any horror nut.

(Released by Magnolia Pictures and rated "R" by MPAA.)