Caesar and Otto's Paranormal Halloween

Director - Dave Campfield (Caesar and Otto's Deadly Xmas)
Starring - Dave Campfield, Paul Chomicki (Prey 4 Me), and Scott Aguilar (Early Bird Special)
Release Date - 2015
Genre - Horror/Comedy
Tagline - "Terror is relative"
Format - DVD (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Here we sit within the last few hours of Halloween and I have to say that this has been the most memorable Halloween I've had in years.   I was able to take my daughter out for her first trick or treat session, dressed up for the first time in years, spent some much needed time with the wife, and watched the premier of Ash vs. Evil Dead.   Last night when the clock struck midnight I tossed in the newly received Caesar and Otto's Paranormal Halloween.  This was sent to me to check out from my friends over at Wild Eye and MVD.  This is not my first foray into the world of Caesar and Otto.  I was able to check out another Wild Eye film released a few years back that was released around Christmas titled Caesar and Otto's Deadly Xmas.  That was a pretty fun film so I was excited to check this one out.  

     The film follows Caesar (Campfield) and Otto (Chomicki) who are now homeless and living in a car with their father.  Caesar has been dressing up as a woman in order to get a job as a babysitter.  While babysitting, they watch a news report about a man escaping confinement and killing several guards along the way.  The report states that he may be trying to make his way back home which just happens to be the house they are babysitting at.  They panic and try to run out of the house only to find the killer waiting for them.  They have a near death experience with him but they are able to escape and their dad accidentally hits him with a car.  The governor awards them with a key to the city for their heroic efforts and allows them to be caretakers in his summer home.  They agree to it so they will have somewhere to stay.  However, things are not as they appear.  Items start to move when no one is touching them and Otto starts to see visions of people that are not really there and he starts to suspect that his mother is still alive.  This sends the two on a paranormal adventure with several twists and turns.

     I was really hoping I could have the review up for this one before Halloween but due to receiving the film yesterday that is no longer an option.  However, I am glad that I was able to check this one out because it was a fun film.  With that being said, it had very few Halloween references which was a bit of a let down considering that it has Halloween in the title.  This is not one that I could see myself revisiting on Halloween but it is one I could watch any time of the year.  The acting in this one is another hit or miss indie flick.  Most of the film's leads have good scenes and bad scenes.  The film's leading three, Dave Campfield, Paul Chomicki, and Scott Aguilar, all work well with each other but certain scenes just feel out of place.  Their dialogue just does not feel convincing at times while at others they are down right hilarious offering up several laughs and solid scenes.  The remainder of the cast does a great job at supporting the leads but no single performance stands out.  The story for this one is a solid parody of several horror films spanning from the slasher flicks of yesteryear along with several paranormal flicks that span 40 years.  We start the film with a parody of Halloween and the film soon spirals into parodies of Amityville Horror, Sinister,  The Shining, Paranormal Activity, and several more.  There was so many films parodied in this one and that prevents the film from becoming stale like so many horror parodies before like Scary Movie and Vampires Suck.  With that being said, the film has several unnecessary characters that serve no purpose to the story what-so-ever.  These characters could have been left out and the film would have went a lot smoother.  The same could be said about several scenes.  There was several scenes that were added to the film that was clearly just added for filler to add more running time to the flick.  These could have been omitted  and that would have helped the film's story move along at a much better pace.  Finally, the film does have an on screen kill or two but they are not that great or gory.  The film, also, has several scenes that have minimal practical effects and loads of CGI.  Traditional horror fans will be turned off by this.  Overall, Caesar and Otto's Paranormal Halloween is a fun indie horror comedy that has tons of laughs.  The film may have some slow spots but it is well worth a shot.  I recommend this one.