Caesar and Otto’s Deadly Xmas (2012) (DVD Review)
Directed By: Dave Campfield
Starring: Dave Campfield, Paul Chomicki, Deron Miller
Rated: UR/Region: 0/Widescreen/Number of disc: 1
Available from Wild Eye Releasing
Caesar and his half brother Otto take on duties at Xmas Enterprises as Santa and his elf. However, the bodies begin to pile up when a fellow store Santa (CKY’s Deron Miller) develops a vendetta against them, and he soon turns Caesar’s list of cancelled Thanksgiving Dinner guests into a list of Xmas-inspired victims! A cross between Scary Movie and Silent Night Deadly Night, C&O’s Deadly Xmas takes the Christmas slasher into all new gruesome and hilarious territory.
If you have never seen a “Caesar and Otto” film before (and I hadn’t), then it may take some time to really get where a film like this is coming from when you first watch it. After a bit of time passes you then tend to settle in, figure out what you are dealing with, and just sort of go with the strange flow of the film. I do admit I think the movie works better as a comedy than as a horror film, but that was probably the natural intent anyway. I think “Caesar” and “Otto” play their roles about as well as you’d hope, but the movie won’t be for everyone and will take an odd sense of humor to really GET.
The movie does manage to pack in some clever jokes and a whole lineup of horror movie favorites that make cameos. I think they all pretty much fit their roles well and it never does seem to hurt to have a cult movie legend or two pop up in your film. The plot isn’t a dumb one by any means and it actually straddles the line of being smart while tossing in very self-aware jokes and references to other films. I do wish we had more blood to go around here, but what we do get isn’t bad. That all adds up to a very fun movie that will be a little too strange for some, but entertaining none the less.
– Three Commentary Tracks (Director, Cast/ Crew, Actors)
– Behind the Scenes Featurette
– Alternate Scenes
– Short film: Piggyzilla
– Short Film: Otto’s First Job
– Trailers
– Bonus Short Film: The Perfect Candidate
