Caesar & Otto's Summer Camp Massacre

Description

Product Description After unintentionally punching out the Chief of Police s mentally challenged brother, a flamboyant tough guy, Caesar, is on the run. Together with his slovenly half brother, Otto, the two take on false identities and get jobs as counselors at the strangely vacant Camp Sunsmile. The would-be summer camp has attracted a motley crew of Hollywood outcasts, all of whom seem to be hiding something. But when the mysterious Carrie (Felissa Rose) shows up, the counselors begin disappearing one by one. Soon, Caesar and Otto find themselves at the edge of a summer camp killer s blade as they run, duck, and swoosh for their lives! Directed by: Dave Campfield Starring: Dave Campfield, Paul Chomicki, Felissa Rose, Deron Miller, Brinke Stevens, Joe Estevez DVD Special Features: -Two Director Commentaries -Cast and Crew Commentary -Behind the Massacre -25 Minutes with Joe Estevez -Alternate and Deleted Scenes -Trailer Vault -Caesar & Otto's Deadly Xmas Preview -4 Easter Eggs -Optional English and Spanish Subtitles -60 Second Making-of -Bonus short film: "Caesar & Otto Meet Dractula's Lawyer" Review As horror fans, we know when to take things seriously. We also know when not to. Let me just begin this review by stating clearly for all to read: Caesar and Otto's Summer Camp Massacre is one of those films that is not to be taken seriously and is, therefore, fun to watch. If you're looking for serious horror, look elsewhere. If you are looking for low (or non-existent) budget filmmaking that is more interested in enjoying itself than it is making a serious horror film, this is a good one to watch. The film centers around Caesar (Campfield), a swishy pathological liar and wannabe tough guy, and his half-brother, Otto (Chomicki), a hapless oaf who keeps getting caught up in his brother's hair-brained schemes. After beating up a large man who turns out to be the chief of police's retarded brother, the two high-tail it out to hide as summer camp counselors. Completely devoid of campers, the camp is staffed by a weird assortment of rejects with secrets. When counselors begin disappearing (dun-dun-duuuuuuuuun!), the pair discover that there's a killer on the loose. This movie gets points for its unlikely set of star cameos, including Joe Estevez (playing Joe Estevez), Brinke Stevens (as Otto's former girlfriend), and Felissa Rose, who spends the majority of the movie giving her best Sleepaway Camp stare and creeping the hell out of the other characters. It also gets points because, instead of trying to hide the low budget, the filmmakers revel in it. Using gags like rocking the car to show movement, fast cut-aways, and buckets of blood, the film manages to pull off some really interesting moments that larger budget films couldn't manage. And the special make-up effects are as cheesy as they come, but in the best way possible. Caesar and Otto's Summer Camp Massacre has some genuinely funny moments coupled with some real "groaner" style humor that makes it great to watch if there's plenty of alcohol. Funny and unashamed, it's a movie that is worth watching at least once. --DreadCentral.comWriter, director and star Dave Campfield ( Dark Corridor ) throws his hat into the ring of horror comedies, focusing his attention on the infamous Sleepaway Camp movies. But except for one brief moment of smug (and forced) self-awareness, Campfield delivers an entertaining little movie that is refreshingly irony-free. In all honesty, Caesar and Otto the first feature starring the loveable misanthropes from Campfield s previous shorts is best for all the things that it s not. The script wisely avoids drug humor so any dopey gags are of the goofy variety rather than the giggly-hip Scary Movie unfunniness. It also avoids filthy humor and, for the most part, reliance on profanity for laughs. A few of the profanities are scattered here and there, mostly in Caesar s most sugar-high-infused dialogue, and they actually stick out from the rest of the straightline-punchline exchanges. Most of characters are played by genuine actors, all of whom seem to be committed to the project and want to bring something extra to their roles. And the limited gore is well-executed (sorry) and torture-free. (When one counselor takes a shovel to the shoulder, he cries out in agony: My sweater! ) Campfield s intentions are worn on the box art, with one critic proclaiming it Abbott and Costello on hard drugs! but that s far from accurate. It isn t too difficult to envision a world where Caesar and Otto got their start in a vaudeville that lasted into the 80s before moving on to a string of movies with identical plots revolving around the duo and their handling of familiar situations. So the Abbott and Costello part is right but the hard drugs is not. Except for shots taken at the slovenly Otto, most of the humor is cruelty-free. There are insult jokes, yes, but they re not designed to drive the targets sobbing to therapy. Actually, a closer comparison would be to the Bowery Boys (or even Ray Dennis Steckler s The Lemon Grove Kids ). When I mentioned to Campfield that his Caesar seemed to me like a cross between the lead Bowery Boys Huntz Hall and Leo Gorcey, he proudly countered Maybe Huntz Hall and Norma Desmond! And that seemed more appropriate. After all, he does describe the character as a belligerent nancy boy (yet still avoiding any cheap-shot gay bashing). ... But what sells the DVD is not the feature but the back up short, ...Meet Dracula s Lawyer. Whisking by in a hilarious breeze, the short fares better even with more cameos, including a funny self-abusing Debbie Rochon, a deadpan Desiree Gould (another Sleepaway Camp vet), and a surprisingly subdued Lloyd Kaufman. This time, the boys are up for the murder of Vlad Dracula s lesser-known brother Steve Dracula (played by Brian Dennehy s lesser-known brother Ed Dennehy) and Campfield is given a real run for his money in terms of scene-stealing from Francis Leik, who plays bloodsucker lawyer Jimmy Drainum. Leik is a dead-ringer for Michael Ironside and owns his sleazeball character. With a brisk pace and tighter editing than Summer Camp Massacre (and some middling-to-quite-good green screen ingenuity), Meet Dracula s Lawyer is the icing, including the fancy flower-thingies and cursive writing, on the horror comedy cake. --Film Threat