THE ABCS OF DEATH (2012)

THE ABCS OF DEATH is a collection of 26 short films, one for each letter of the alphabet, and each made by a different director (or directors), looking at the subject of death. It is rated 18 for strong violence, gore, sex, sexual violence and hard drug use.

Many of the films feature strong violence and gore. Examples include: a woman chopping a man's hand in half, resulting in a gaping, bloody wound; a pan of boiling water being poured over a man's head; a samurai chopping off another man's head, with copious blood. In one of the films a small child's head is ripped off, although the violence is shown only in darkened silhouette. The severed head and the headless corpse are both seen later in the film. The strongest gore occurs during a film about a woman who carves herself into her ideal shape. We see the woman set about herself with a knife, a razor and an electric carving knife, whittling herself down. There are plenty of blood-spatters and her raw flesh is covered in blood.

A few of the shorts feature a focus on sex, including sight of a man masturbating to online pornography, although the pornography he is watching is not seen by the viewer. One of the films contains a series of close-ups of a man and a woman having sex. The man puts his head between the woman's legs, followed by a suggestion of asphyxiation with a leather belt during sex. Other shorts include sight of erect penises and simulated ejaculation.

In one of the films it is implied that a young boy is being raped, although there is no sight of this happening. Two men are encouraged to masturbate over what they are watching, although one of the men simply vomits in disgust at what he sees. A man is then seen on a bed, being straddled by a woman wielding a chainsaw, who brings the blade down onto him, with huge blood-spurts.

In another film a woman wears a gigantic prosthetic penis. We see ejaculation from the fake penis and then a blade shoots from the tip of the penis. It is implied that the blade penetrates another woman, although nothing is shown other than a spurt of blood and blood on the woman's clothing.

There is some sight of drug use, including cocaine being snorted through a rolled-up note and sight of powder being cooked up and then injected through a syringe into a woman's arm.

The film also contains strong language ('f**k') and a single use of very strong language ('c**t').

No-one younger than 18 may see an 18 rated film in the cinema. No-one younger that 18 may rent or buy an 18 rated video or DVD.