Did you ever wonder what happened to the glory of the buddy comedy? Ever since the days of Laurel and Hardy and Abbott & Costello, the buddy comedy has been thrilling audiences with laugh after laugh, but in recent years, the genre seems to have faded from pop culture. That’s why it was nice to check out this hilarious indie effort from Dave Campfield, Caesar and Otto’s Summer Camp Massacre. The film is less of a horror flick and more of a comedy, but that doesn’t stop it from entertaining.

Caesar and Otto are a couple of brothers who have pretty much nothing going on in their lives. Caesar is an effeminate gay man who is self-serving, neurotic, and hopelessly clueless. Otto is his fat brother who continually falls for the wrong woman. After Caesar beats up the retarded brother of the chief of police, he and Otto must hightail it out of town. With the help of Joe Estevez, they land jobs working at a summer camp run by an obscenely happy man. But things get interesting when people begin to disappear… which leads to some nice moments of hilarity and the occasional bloody death.

Dave Campfield does a pretty impressive job with this movie. For such a low-budget flick, Campfield is able to work some magic and the movie feels like it’s more expensive than it actually is. The imagery is nice, and the film’s pacing is stellar… almost ADD-esque, as it flies from one scene to the next in a helter skelter manner that totally works for the film. This has the added benefit of minimizing the impact of scenes that might not as funny as the rest of the movie, and allowing the viewer to not get disinterested enough to turn off the film.

Campfield’s humor is the highlight of the film, and every character exists as a bizarre commodity filled with comedic potential. No one in the cast is wasted, and everyone has something to do here. On top of that, the chemistry between Caesar (Dave Campfield) and Otto (Paul Chomicki) is a thing of beauty. While some of the timing of the line delivery is off, it does add to the camp factor of the movie which is extremely high. Sprinkle some self-referential humor on the top of this indie laughfest and you’ve got yourself a recipe for a cult classic.

The cast is a nice ensemble piece. Dave Campfield plays the effeminate Caesar, coming off like a human version of Sylvester the Cat. Campfield is funny throughout the film, and while some of his lines may be hit or miss, his delivery usually compensates for it. I only wish he had said “suffering succotash” at least once. Paul Chomicki is solid as Otto, the somewhat dimwitted straight man of the two. Chomicki’s humor lies in the fact that he plays a good victim, and the things that his character endures and experiences during the film are hilarious. Other standouts in the film include Ken MacFarlane (Insomnia Manica, Caesar and Otto) as the too-happy summer camp director and Deron Miller (Hot Dog Casserole, Return to Sleepaway Camp) in an all too brief role as an impotent counselor named Dick. The rest of the cast is serviceable, but no one really stands out. Felissa Rose and Joe Estevez serve as recognizable faces (to the true horror fan), but they aren’t really a big part of the movie. But this is the first movie with Joe Estevez in it that I liked, so that’s something I guess.

Horror fans who come into this film expecting a slasherific good time, will find themselves a little let down, but there are a few nice moments in the film for the gorehounds. Most of the deaths involve some rubbery looking prosthetics that still manage to impress. They definitely feel like old school special effects and, while not totally realistic, they too manage to add to the camp factor of the film.

At the end of the movie, there’s a teaser for the next Caesar and Otto adventure… Caesar and Otto in the House in the House of Dracula. It’s a tribute to this film that I’m actually excited to check it out. Hopefully, this franchise will continue to gain fan support, so that it can keep upgrading, because I’d love to see more of this duo.

Final Synopsis: This is a fun, low-budget, buddy comedy that happens to be in a horror-like setting. If you love a good cheesy flick then check it out. It’s definitely got some laughs in it.

Points Lost: -1 for a few editing blips here and there, -1 for some lines that just don’t work, -1 for some B-movie acting here and there

Lesson Learned: Excessive happiness is a sign of insanity.

Burning Question: Has anyone here ever gone to summer camp?

Caesar and Otto’s Summer Camp Massacre
7/10

Tags: 2009, brinke stevens, buddy comedy, buddy movie, cheesy, comedy, dave campfield, deron miller, felissa rose, horror, horror comedy, indie, joe estevez, ken macfarlane, latest independent film reviews, latest movie reviews, low-budget, New Independent Film Reviews, new independent movie reviews, paul chomicki