Joe Lynch Overseeing Three Video Game/Horror Mash-up Short Films for G4TV.com

Steve Barton   |  

Oct 12, 2011

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If there’s anyone out there who fits the bill of overseeing a mini-film festival of three shorts blending video game premises with familiar tropes from people’s favorite horror movies better than Joe Lynch, we can’t think of who it might be. Which is why we’re super-excited to share the news about his latest project for G4TV.com’s Epictober celebration, which begins October 24th. Read on for the details!

As USA Today explains it, this is what Joe is up to:

Before he got his current gig on the upcoming FEARnet horror sitcom “Holliston” and directed Knights of Badassdom (coming to a theater near you in early 2012), Lynch acted as creative director for the G4 TV cable network’s website, in charge of developing Web series and live coverage for E3, Comic-Con and other events.

Watching websites such as Funny or Die and Atom.com generate original viral videos that proved entertaining and culturally relevant inspired Lynch to bring back short films with G4 Films by taking well-known games and working them around the language of cinema.

Clocking in at under 10 minutes each, the shorts are helmed by directors of Lynch’s choosing who have proven worthy from their work in the short-film milieu or were “guys who really knew how to make a lot out of anything,” he says. “It’s not like we just went, ‘Let’s put Excitebike with Texas Chainsaw Massacre!’ It wasn’t matching it with index cards,” Lynch says. “It was putting a lot of thought into which games we thought were going to be the most compelling and also stuff that you wouldn’t necessarily think.”

Here’s the full rundown from G4tv.com along with a few stills and a teaser trailer to clue you in on what to expect:

Inspired by “Duck Hunt,” “The Hunt” is about three hunters who come face to face with a monstrous entity keen on their demise. “The Hunt” is directed by Sam Balcomb, co-founder of Rainfall Films, who has produced content for Britney Spears, Steven Tyler, ABC Studios, IGN.com, Willow Smith, Katy Perry, and more. “The Hunt” is the “Opening Selection” of the G4 Films Epictober Film Festival available on G4tv.com on October 24th.

Directed by Drew Daywalt and co-written by your favorite G4 Feed writer/evil nemesis Stephen Johnson, “Kart Driver” will give the legendary racing game “Mario Kart” a darker, deadlier spin. Fury and obsession lead an heroic plumber to seek out and bring home his damsel in distress, even if it means facing off with a creature from the very bowels of hell. Director Drew Daywalt is a founding member of FEWDIO, the world’s first online horror troupe, and Daywalt’s Fear Factory. Daywalt directed the feature Stark Raving Mad and three episodes of the new MTV horror-comedy television series “Death Valley.” He also recently completed the screenplay for the remake of Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things for George Romero. “Kart Driver” is the “Centerpiece Showcase” for G4 Films Epictober Film Festival and will debut on G4tv.com October 25th.

Inspired by the best-selling mobile game, Rovio’s “Angry Birds,” “The Birds of Anger” harkens back to Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 classic The Birds and gives gamers a glimpse into a world where birds not only target pigs, but people as well. “The Birds of Anger” is directed by Gregg Bishop, director of Dance of the Dead, which had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival and was hand-picked by director Sam Raimi for distribution through Lionsgate and Ghost House Pictures. “The Birds of Anger” is the “Closing Selection” for G4 Films Epictober Film Festival and will be available on G4tv.com on October 26th.

Mark your calendars; this looks like a blast!

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