Caesar and Otto's Deadly Xmas

Two Christmases ago, I reviewed an amiable little horror film called Caesar and Otto's Summer Camp Massacre, the first feature-length directorial effort of Dave Campfield. The film was a big gift in a small package, combining hilarity within setups, nicely-done practical horror effects, and a pleasant buddy chemistry akin to that of Abbott and Costello. The concluding title of the film blatantly told us that a "deadly XMas" would be on the way and that these characters weren't going anywhere.

So here is Caesar and Otto's Deadly XMas, an equally fun little trip down the lane of low-budget horror that never ceases to surprise me. In a wake of horror films such as Mega Piranha and Sharknado - films that belong in the gutter and don't try to rise above their already ludicrous setups - a franchise like Caesar and Otto is a silver lining because it showcases film-lovers making film. The two stars, Campfield and Paul Chomicki, clearly have a fondness for campy, eighties horror and these films are showcases of how that kind of style can be exemplified in the present. If anything, they provide young film-lovers with the ambition and the mindset that they themselves can make exactly what they love to watch.

Campfield and Chomicki reprise their roles as Caesar and Otto, respectively, who arrive at a local Santa-recruitment center, prepared to tackle the job of being Santa and an elf this Christmas. However, in the midst of throwing a party that many backed out on last minute, Caesar's list of people who couldn't go to the party gets snatched up by a man dressed like Santa Claus on a murderous rampage (CKY bandmember Deron Miller). Immediately, this is a huge homage to Silent Night, Deadly Night, a controversial eighties classic that has found heavy admiration from fans of eighties horror. Now Caesar and Otto must avoid but also try to capture the murderer, and discover that Christmas and XMas are not interchangeable terms as they so taught.

Special appearances by horror actors, much like in the film's predecessor, are very common, with people like Troma's founder Lloyd Kaufman, Sleepaway Camp's Felissa Rose, scream-queen Linnea Quigley, and Martin Sheen's brother Joe Estevez turn up rather frequently, giving genre-devotees something to play along with while watching the film. The film's content, on the other hand, is a mix of horror and comedy, a mix that sometimes works and sometimes doesn't in the broad spectrum of the genre. In just seventy-nine minutes (eighty-three if you count the credit cookies, including one that pays tribute to a scene any horror fan would know in an instant), the film hurls many jokes at its audience, some falling flat, some warranting warm, nostalgic smiles, and others warranting big laughs.

Consider the scene where Caesar and Otto are trying out for the position as a Santa and need to pretend a small doll is a real child. Otto's corny but charming scene of falling in love with the doll clicks on-sight because of Chomicki's timing, along with Campfield's tryout as Caesar, who plays jittery and nervous in a way that works largely because of its timing.

The special effects, once more, are all done practically, with no CGI to speak of. All the blood is detailed naturally and added on in a way that is believable to look at. By doing this, the duo accentuate that the film was actually a good time to make, decorating each other with buckets of fake blood and red-paint, rather than adding much of the magic in post-production. This kind of close-to-home campiness is what we need more of in the horror genre and Campfield illustrates that by showing the wonders it can work.

The film concludes, once more, by giving us blatant insight into the future, this time telling us that Caesar and Otto's Paranormal Halloween is in the works. I like this idea for two reasons. One, because this is a holiday the duo could have a lot of fun with, and, two, if I can assume the film will go out of its way to parody the Paranormal Activity franchise, I have faith that the duo of Caesar and Otto can bring funnier parody material of the franchise than the what has been brought to the table within the last few years. I'd gladly drop money on this project than the forthcoming A Haunted House 2. At least this film knows what it wants to be and has humor and wit to back up its antics.

Starring: Dave Campfield, Paul Chomicki, Deron Miller, Lloyd Kaufman, Felissa Rose, Linnea Quigley, and Joe Estevez. Directed by: Dave Campfield.

Despite what some might have you believe, comedy is a fairly personal experience. I've said it before: what one person finds funny isn't necessarily what another person finds funny. As a result, it's an increasingly difficult narrative to tap … that is unless you're willing to go backward in time to go with what's been tried and true for years. Shtick. Some folks will call it slapstick. Others will call it bloated wordplay or puns. Whatever it is, it works, and that's what's at the heart of CAESAR & OTTO'S DEADLY XMAS. Yes, some of its bloody. Sure, some of it's a bit gruesome. But it's all done in the spirit of "getting a laugh." On that front, the film works just fine.

(NOTE: The following review will contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and characters. If you're the type of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I'd encourage you to skip down to the last three paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you're accepting of a few modest hints at 'things to come,' then read on …)

From the slipcase: "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."

There's really no reason to spend all that much time dissecting DEADLY XMAS. This is cinema shtick meant for folks who enjoy cinema shtick. While I'll be the first to admit it may not be what I find all that funny, I certainly would never begrudge anyone who enjoys it. There's plenty in here to smile about; and, if it's laughs you're looking for, then I've no doubt you'll find 'em. Much of it is fairly traditional vaudeville style humor – some of the jokes you can see coming a mile away not because of the script predictability, per se, but because it's a natural part and parcel of characters like this. Odds are, if you've fond antics funny before, then you'll find them funny again.

The characters of Caesar & Otto are the creation of Dave Campfield and Joe Randazzo. Campfield is one of the film's stars (Caesar himself), so there's no one who knows his misadventures better.

And don't miss scream queen Linnea Quigley in a clever bit for laughs … just in time for the holidays!

CAESAR & OTTO'S DEADLY XMAS (2012) is produced by Wild Eye Releasing and Fourth Horizon Cinema. DVD distribution is being handled by MVD Visual, A Division of MVD Entertainment Group. As for the technical specifications? Well, this is an independent feature, so it looks and sounds about as well as the next indie feature you'll likely see today – audio was a bit muffled at times, probably due to production restraints, but it wasn't all that distracting. As for special features? Dave Campfield and his band of lunatics have ponied up a veritable bonanza for fans: there are three separate commentary tracks; a behind-the- scenes documentary; some alternate scenes; and three (count 'em!) short films that'll likely bring you equal laughs and smiles. Seriously, it's a nice collection, clearly put together by folks who love what they do.

RECOMMENDED. Look, if slapstick is your thing, then you're likely to love CAESAR & OTTO'S DEADLY XMAS. If you even just like fairly broad comic shtick, then you'll probably like it. To be honest, it just isn't my thing – never has been. I tend to like humor a bit different than the average THREE STOOGES' short, but I don't begrudge anyone his or her particular chuckles. Writer/director/star Dave Campfield has a particular eye and ear for this particular comedy, and it probably plays well to most in the audiences; his script is always smart – though perhaps a bit predictable – but, as indie fare goes, there's nothing wrong with it. Turn off your brain and enjoy the holidays, folks … even if it's a bit bloodier than the one you had last year!

In the interests of fairness, I'm pleased to disclose that the fine folks at MVD Visual provided me with a DVD copy of CAESAR & OTTO'S DEADLY XMAS by request for the expressed purposes of completing this review.

Caesar and Otto's Deadly Xmas (2012) is a holiday horror that I recently watched on Tubi. The storyline follows a pair of brothers who are offered a job to play Santa and an elf in an upcoming movie. One of the brothers is deathly afraid of Santa but he badly needs a job. The brothers reluctantly take the roles only for a Santa Claus killer to emerge. Will their costumes make them safe or a target?

This movie is written, directed by and stars Dave Campfield (Caesar and Otto's Summer Camp Massacre) and also stars Paul Chomicki (Fortress of Sin), Ken MacFarlane (The Millennium Bug), Deron Miller (Cradle to the Grave) and Brinke Stevens (Slave Girls from Beyond Infinity).

This movie literally feels like your neighbor is making a movie and asks if you want to be in it. However, for a low budget picture this movie has impressive cameos - Linnea Quigley (Return of the Living Dead), Lloyd Kaufman (Toxic Avenger), Felissa Rose (Summer Camp) and Robert Z'Dar (Maniac Cop). The kills are weak and not overly well done. The dialogue is very uneven, a bit cheesy, but you may have a few chuckles here and there. The chemistry between main characters is good, even if they're the only ones who understands exactly what you're watching. The plot is campy and feels like an excuse to make a holiday horror picture.

Overall, this movie is bad. I would score this a 2-2.5/10 and recommend seeing it once due to the cameos.

I had to post a review after I read a string of negative ones here. I thought this second installment in the Caesar & Otto series was hilarious.

It's a low budget flick, to be sure, but director David Campfield uses that to his comic advantage. If you're watching the movie and thinking "this low budget movie has terrible effects and acting", you're missing the joke and you're going to give reviews like the others.

Campfield obviously knows he can't fake a big budget movie, so not only does he let the effects look cheap, he ensures it. The movie is silly, self aware, and campy. It's clearly deliberate because you can see that it is also very well done. The editing, the music, the screenplay (despite what another reviewer said), the cinematography...

One reviewer said the effects looked realistic. I hate to disagree with someone who also thought highly of the film, but his generosity misses the joke.

The movie's not perfect. A couple jokes were a little over the top, but most of them worked well.

I love the C&O movies. This isn't as good as Summer Camp Massacre, but still ranks a close second. I admire that these movies don't take themselves seriously, are more comedy than horror, are great parodies of their genres, and have endings more satisfying than most horror movies. It's never just some crazed maniac killing people for no good reason; it's always well thought out.

As of writing this review, Deadly Xmas has a 4.1. It deserves a lot better.

Half brothers Caesar (Dave Campfield) and Otto (Paul Chomicki) throw a Thanksgiving dinner party, but nearly all of their guests back out at the last minute. An axe-wielding psycho dressed as Santa steals a list of the cancellations and proceeds to kill everyone on it, framing Caesar and Otto for the murders.

Comedy is such a subjective thing. I can't stand Seth Rogen or Jonah Hill, but they both have legions of fans who think that they're the funniest thing since the first caveman to step on a banana skin and fall into a tar pit. I find the appeal of zany duo Caesar and Otto even more mystifying than that of Hill and Rogen, but with three feature length films already under their belt, Deadly Xmas being the latest, maybe I'm the one with the problem (actually, I have many problems, I just didn't think that having no sense of humour was one of them).

If 83 minutes of broad, absurdist, slapstick comedy featuring numerous corny horror references, wooden performances, extremely low production values, and several cameos from struggling B-movie actors sounds like your cup of tea, then fill your boots. But don't say I didn't try to warn you.