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Fund This Film: ‘Multiplayer’ is a Horror-Comedy Anthology Starring a Sega Genesis Time Machine and…

By  · Published on October 12th, 2013

Fund This Film: ‘Multiplayer’ is a Horror-Comedy Anthology Starring a Sega Genesis Time Machine and The Power Glove

Who knows if Multiplayer will be any good? Well, we can look at the past video projects of Squidjib Productions. I like their minute-long zombie chick shorts (they need to make more than the two). We can also watch the teaser trailer, which looks really low budget but promises a clever idea in place of great acting, cinematography and art direction. Also, we can sense the spirit coming from the people making it. I know, spirit doesn’t equal quality, but this is the kind of spirit that leads to at least fun cult classic, which brings movie and video game geeks together at, say, a Drafthouse theater for a good time and a special menu item of ketchup sandwiches.

I love the concept here, which is a four-part anthology revolving around old Nintendo and Sega products. As the headline states, there is one story featuring a time machine made from a Genesis console. And yeah, I’m pretty sure there’s a story with a Power Glove – at least there’s one in the teaser. Another features a haunted NES cartridge and is inspired by W.W. Jacobs’ classic horror short story “The Monkey’s Paw.” Still another is said to be a combination of The X-Files and The Ring. Bridging them all together is a campfire-set foundation said to be in the vibe of Are You Afraid of the Dark?, a reference I’m too old to get. The comparison made to Twilight Zone: The Movie makes more sense to me.

Not just a concept up for the begging, Multiplayer is already two-thirds shot. Their Kickstarter campaign is to raise funds for the last stretch of production as well as the different levels of post-production (score, special effects, etc.). The filmmakers have broken down their minuscule $5500 goal for you, and their rewards are plenty. One thing I do wonder about is their usage of the Nintendo and Sega brand items, which could wind up costing some hefty licensing fees down the road if there’s any intention for distribution beyond festival exposure. If it’s funny enough, though, whoever acquires it may deal with that. Until then, I think this looks destined to be seen by me at some SXSW of the future – 2015, I suppose since the final cut is estimated as being read by the middle of next year.

Do you want to see this film? Enough to help fund it?

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Christopher Campbell began writing film criticism and covering film festivals for a zine called Read, back when a zine could actually get you Sundance press credentials. He's now a Senior Editor at FSR and the founding editor of our sister site Nonfics. He also regularly contributes to Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes and is the President of the Critics Choice Association's Documentary Branch.