Last summer Microsoft hired some well-known directors to make horror/comedy shorts to be posted as original content on Xbox Live. They were released at the end of last year. You can see the synopses here.

They managed to totally slip under my radar, probably because I was in the middle of playing about a hundred and twenty seven different great games released during the holidays. So thanks to director James Gunn for griping about the process, which reminded me to track these down and watch them. Gunn's short film, Humanzee, was shot and then rejected (the trailer is here). Gunn isn't happy about it. He shot a replacement short, but even that was heavily edited.

Watching these shorts, it's clear that Microsoft is in over its head. They've hired some bold directors, only to then pull their punches before posting anything on Xbox Live. Perhaps it's because the whole shebang is sponsored by a recruitment service for the US Air Force. Perhaps it's because there's no age gate. Perhaps it's because Xbox Live is for families. All but one of the shorts opens with a set of bipolar disclaimers. First you're warned about mature content. "Contains sexual situations, violence, and adult situations," the disclaimer says. Then comes a counter-disclaimer: "The following video has been modified from its original form to remove mature content not suitable for all audiences". The implication is that only mature content suitable for all audiences is allowed. Wait, what?

Profanity is bleeped out of each short. Gore is brief or implied. There is plenty of titillation but no nudity. Some of them are pretty bad, but a few are really clever. Lucky McKee's Blue Like You is excellent. A few show distinctive touches, and Gunn's is among those. Why on earth would Microsoft would go to the trouble and expense to hire these people to make original content, only to then fret about it being offensive. Because if you're going to hire James Gunn, a veteran of the Troma films that have always pushed the boundaries of good taste, you can expect he's going to offend someone.

By the way, for some reason, Marcus Nispel's announced short is missing in action. Did the director of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th remakes get too big for Xbox Live? Or did he wise up to how safe Microsoft wanted to play it?