Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Caesar and Otto's Paranormal Halloween - DVD Review - Wild Eye Releasing

Caesar and Otto Are Back For More!

Caesar and Otto's Paranormal Halloween DVD cover


Released by: Wild Eye Releasing
Release Date: October 27, 2015
Production Year: 2015
Region Code: 0 
Running Time: 1:29:00
Audio: English Dolby Digital 2.0
Video: NTSC Anamorphic Widescreen 
Subtitles: None


THE FILM - [ 3 / 5 ]:

Half brothers Caesar and Otto live out some of horror's most terrifying scenes when they agree to house sit a home filled with ghostly visions, levitating objects and possessions. This hilarious horror pays homage to classics "The Exorcist," "Amityville Horror," "Sinister," "Insidious" and more, and boasts an all-star genre cast including Tiffany Shepis, Felissa Rose, Brinke Stevens, Vernon Wells and Sean Whalen.

This was the first time I've seen a Caesar and Otto film and what a nice surprise this was for me. You can't help but get the feeling that the cast had a fun time while making this film. "Paranormal Halloween" was a fun low budget indie horror film that includes small roles for a number of genre veterans, which is an added bonus. As for the movie itself, it was a wacky, fun-filled adventure with the duo of Caesar and Otto. I enjoyed the homages and also that the movie poked fun at things like the monotonous viewing of security camera footage in the "Paranormal Activity" films. This is definitely one for fans that like a bit of horror with their comedy.


Dave Campfield and Paul Chomicki in Caesar and Otto's Paranormal Halloween

  
AUDIO - [ 3 / 5 ]:

"Caesar and Otto's Paranormal Halloween" features a Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track. The sound quality on the DVD was good and did an adequate job. I didn't really notice any problems with the audio at all during the feature. It was just average quality. The dialogue was fairly clear and easy to understand. 


Brinke Stevens and Paul Chomicki in Caesar and Otto's Paranormal Halloween


VIDEO - [ 3 / 5 ]:

"Caesar and Otto's Paranormal Halloween" haunts its way on to DVD thanks to Wild Eye Releasing. The film is presented in NTSC anamorphic widescreen. The video quality was good overall. There was a noticeable lack of detail in many scenes with the film having somewhat of a soft look to it. Colors looked good though with some standouts like bright orange pumpkins. The contrast appeared fine for the low budget indie film.  


Felissa Rose Tiffany Shepis and Beverly Randolph in Caesar and Otto's Paranormal Halloween


SPECIAL FEATURES - [ 5 / 5 ]:

Audio Commentary #1 - This track features writer, director and star Dave Campfield, Josephine Iannece (Gilda) and JamieLee Ackerman (Kyla). Dave Campfield carries most of the conversation for the track and does a great job keeping the conversation going. We're treated to information about what is happening on the screen and in between we hear about the cast, crew, filming locations and more. 

Audio Commentary #2 - This track includes producer Rich Calderon, stars Paul Chomicki (Otto), Scott Aguilar (Fred), Samantha Barrios (Roberta), production assistant Tina Johnson and Nicole Spade (fan). This is also an informative track but more relaxed and less formal. A little bit of overlapping of information occurs but it's still a pretty fun commentary. Being a big 80's horror fan, I did get a laugh when someone sees Brinke Stevens playing the twins and asks, are they twins?  

Secret Audio Commentary #3 - I found this Easter Egg on the Special Features Menu. This commentary features Avi Garg (Drew) who also provided some music for the film. A few phone interview tapes of Robert Beckler (Rookie Cop) are played as well. Compared to the previous two commentaries, this one isn't nearly as good. It was still a nice little surprise to find included on the DVD. Mr. Garg talks about his role in this film and different parts of the production. He also plays some music and prank phone calls on cast members. 

Gag Reel (3:27)

Behind the Scenes with Shawn and Brendan (4:06) - A little behind the scenes bit, mostly talking to director Dave Campfield. 

The Son of Piggyzilla Trilogy
  • Here you have the option to play "Son of Piggyzilla," "Son of Piggyzilla Strikes Back" and "Return of Son of Piggyzilla" (Total run time of all three shorts is 6 min 12 sec)with and without commentary. The commentary track features Dave Campfield and Josephine Iannece
Behind the Scenes Photo - Easter Egg you can access from the Son of Piggyzilla menu.

Ask Caesar & Otto Anything (4:57) - This is an Easter Egg you can access from the second Bonus Features menu. Here the duo answers questions from Facebook and one from the camera man.

Robert Z'Dar Tribute (5:13) - A brief but touching tribute.

On Set Podcast - The Forced Perspective Podcast 2014 (53 min) - Several members of the cast including Dave Campfield, Debbie Rochon, Catherine Corcoran and Josephine Iannece are interviewed.

Facebook Video (2:27) - A clip of Dave Campfield and JaimeLee Ackerman on the last day of of pick up shots in New York. 

Original Crowdfunding Video (3:50) - Easter Egg found on the Main Menu.

Trailers - Includes trailers for "Deadly X-Mas," "The Disco Exorcist," "Murder University," "All Sainta Eve," "Frankenstein's Hungry Dead," "The Perfect House," "Sexina" and "They Will Outlive Us All."

Caesar's & Otto's Paranormal Halloween Trailer - Easter Egg accessible from the Trailers menu.


IN CONCLUSION:

"Caesar and Otto's Paranormal Halloween" is a fun comedy-horror and has me interested in both seeing their previous films as well as their next. While I found the DVD to have average audio and video quality, it really shined with the immense number of special features that were included. Talk about bang for your buck. This one is loaded.


OVERALL: [ 3.5 / 5 ]