This is a pretty cool concept and we're looking forward to see how this all plays out. Drafthouse Films, Timpson Films and Magnet Releasing are launching a project to create a 26-part horror anthology series, with each chapter featuring a new director and based on a death word representing each letter of the alphabet:
"It is up to each filmmaker to interpret the letter and word they are assigned to tell a deathly tale, from the accidental to murder most foul."
Continue reading to check out the official press release and initial list of directors...
"Drafthouse Films, Timpson Films and Magnet Releasing announced today that they will produce THE ABCs OF DEATH, a twenty-six chapter anthology feature that showcases death in all its vicious wonder and brutal beauty. Alamo Drafthouse CEO/Founder Tim League and Timpson Films CEO Ant Timpson will co-produce. Magnolia International will also handle all international sales. Production begins in June 2011, with completion slated for January 2012, six months, six weeks and six days later.
Twenty-five established directors and emerging new stars from all over the world are participating. The twenty-sixth director will be chosen as part of a worldwide competition to find a new filmmaking talent. Each director will be assigned a letter from the alphabet that represents a word to act as a springboard for a short story of death. It is up to each filmmaker to interpret the letter and word they are assigned to tell a deathly tale, from the accidental to murder most foul. The sum of these parts, from A to Z, will be THE ABCs OF DEATH.
The current list of confirmed participating directors includes:
Banjong Pisanthanakun (Shutter, Alone), Angela Bettis (Roman), Adrian Garcia Bogliano (Cold Sweat), Jason Eisener (Hobo With A Shotgun), Ernesto Diaz Espinoza (Mirageman), Bruno Forzani and Héléne Cattet (Amer), Gadi Harel (DeadGirl), Thomas Malling (Norwegian Ninja), Yoshihiro Nishimura (Tokyo Gore Police; Frankenstein Girl Vs. Vampire Girl), Simon Rumley (The Living and the Dead; Red, White and Blue), Tak Sakaguchi and Yuji Shimomura (Yakuza Weapon), Marcel Sarmiento (DeadGirl), Srdjan Spasojevic (A Serbian Film), Timo Tjahjanto (Macabre), Andrew Traucki (Black Water, The Reef), Nacho Vigalando (TimeCrimes), Jake West (Doghouse, Evil Aliens), Ti West (The House of the Devil, The Innkeepers), Ben Wheatley (Down Terrace, Kill List), Adam Wingard (Pop Skull, A Horrible Way To Die)
'Helming Fantastic Fest for the past seven years has brought us in touch with an amazing community of filmmaking talent. THE ABCs OF DEATH offers us a chance to work closely with a large number of visionary filmmakers to create a film with more jaw-dropping moments than a whole summer of blockbusters' says co-producer Tim League.
'This project was inspired by my young sons being introduced to the world through their ABCs books. The idea of subverting that format to reveal a study in all the dastardly and humorous ways a person can leave this world appealed on multiple levels. And it was somewhat fitting to learn that the earliest forms of the ABCs books actually did use fear of punishment to teach the young,' says co-producer Ant Timpson.
'I got to the letter A and said yes,' said Magnet SVP Tom Quinn. 'We’re super excited to be working with a familiar cast of Magnet directors as well as Tim League and Ant Timpson.' "
For more information, check out the official website at http://newsite.drafthousefilms.com/the-abcs-of-death
After spending more than 10 years as a consultant in the tech and entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his interest in horror and sci-fi. Since then, it has grown into an online magazine with a staff of writers that provide daily news, reviews, interviews, and special features.
As the Editor-in-Chief of Daily Dead, Jonathan is responsible for bringing the latest horror news to millions of readers from around the world. He is also consulted with as an expert on zombies in entertainment and pop culture, providing analyses of the zombie sub-genre to newspapers, radio stations, and convention attendees.
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