Horror Directors Take a Stab at Comedy on Xbox Channel

Sometimes, I think a good sense of humor is a necessity for horror directors. If they can’t laugh about severed heads strewn across the screen, then their films will have no personality. Xbox Live’s new Independent Video Channel further supports my theory with its recent launch of “Horror Meets Comedy”: a series of downloadable comedy shorts, which allows horror directors to make audiences chuckle instead of scream for once.

For those of you who were lucky enough to have attended the San Diego Comic-Con in July, you might already know what I’m talking about. Attendees were treated to an exclusive panel and a behind-the-scenes look at all of the frightfully funny action to ensue. For those of you that weren’t, read on.

Expect to see works from horror veterans like James Gunn of Slither, David Slade of 30 Days of Night, James Wan of Saw, and Adam Green of Hatchet on the network. The directors were given a meager short film budget, and the final results range from few-day-long productions to full-blown animations. Xbox owners can download these shorts for free, and a new one is being released each week until January hits.

The US Air Force is sponsoring this project, and Peter Safran, responsible for genre-spoofing titles like Scary Movie and Meet the Spartans, is producing. “Their youthful and innovative approach is the perfect combination for this unique digital venture with Xbox 360,” he says of the directors, “and we expect to see some very creative, horrifying and hilarious shorts as these masters of horror present their comedic vision.”

James Gunn—aside from releasing his short Sparky & Mikaela on the channel—is also serving as executive producer of “Horror Meets Comedy”—a title that suits him well, considering his pre-existing love for Xbox and his work’s already comedic qualities. He cites this endeavor as a perfect way for him to collaborate with his other horror director friends, and believes that the low budgets inspired them to “do something outside of the box” (albeit inside the Xbox) and create one-of-a-kind brainchildren as a result.

Despite their gruesome claims to fame, comedy was not a big jump for many of these directors. Adam Green, for example, had already been making comedic shorts for around a decade. Here’s a trailer for his contribution to the series, Fairy Tale Police, which is part COPS, part Grimm, and all fun:

The filmmakers will be able to maintain rights to their work after their exclusivity contract with Xbox ends, giving them the ability to share these comedic gems elsewhere, if they choose to do so. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that January won’t be the ending of this venture, and more devilish directors with a funny bone will throw their ideas into the cauldron, as well.