Death Laughs Among Us: The Complete Works of John Schnall

I'm not going to lie, I fell for the trap of "if it's a cool cover, it must be a good movie!" Thankfully, this time that horrible reasoning worked out. The main program is just over an hour and spans a lot of mediums over 3 or 4 decades. As such, there are some misses in terms of shorts that didn't quite land with me, but there are a lot more that were worth the price of admission-- and that's before even looking at the head-spinning number of bonus features, which range from Covid-era vlogs to audio projects. The t-shirt bundle is also a nice way to get the cool slipcover and a comfy shirt at the same time!

Great animation with quality packaging and presentation.

The collection pairs a cynical worldview with unique visual storytelling choices across each short. It documents a period when animators worked free from studio interference.

Nothing more exciting than a whole collection of films from someone I knew nothing of previously. This is an exhaustive and amazing release that's worth every penny and then some. Hats off to VHShitfest for this mammoth project and getting these films out into the world.

Nice collection of shorts, much more watchable and fun than the usual shot on video