Review: Ceasar and Otto's Deadly Xmas

This is exactly what indie horror should be like. A film full of ideas, passion, energy and creativity that could never get made by a studio with any kind of budget. Ceasar and Otto's Deadly Xmas is one hell of a fun movie that relishes in its low budget nature and milks its indie roots for several clever laughs.

Caesar (David Campfield) and his half brother Otto (Paul Chomicki) 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 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.

Among the fun the film features cult movie icons Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, Lloyd Kaufman, Joe Estevez, Felissa Rose and Robert Z’dar. All are used in brief but effective cameos for fans. As the film rolls along, the chemistry between Campfield and Chomicki becomes essential to the film. We understand the formula the film is following so its really the characters and their interaction we end up caring about. Both actors bring a lot to simple rolls and neither actor steals the other's spotlight.

Don't go in to Ceasar and Otto expecting a grisly horror film. This is pure fun and the film succeeds in its laughs more than its scares. In fact the film isn't scary at all, although I doubt the filmmakers were going for true horror. The film often pokes fun at its own shortcomings. In fact, Campfield gives the film an almost John Waters feel at times if John Waters was winking at the audience the whole time. Go in with a mind open to camp, gore, and more camp and I think you will thoroughly enjoy the film, I know I did.