Otis (2008)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Tony Krantz

Writers:

Erik Jendresen (writer)
Thomas Schnauz (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Horror | Thriller

Plot:

Suburban America gone haywire. In the midst of a serial abductor/killer's rampage, a beautiful young teen...

Plot Keywords:

Dark Comedy | Hostage | Abductor | Gore | Serial Killer

Cast

Bostin Christopher	...	Otis Broth
Ashley Johnson	...	Riley Lawson
Daniel Stern	...	Will Lawson
Illeana Douglas	...	Kate Lawson
Kevin Pollak	...	Elmo Broth
Jere Burns	...	Agent Hotchkiss
Jared Kusnitz	...	Reed Lawson
Tarah Paige	...	Kim
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Burt Bulos	...	Agent Nogi
Angelo Custino	...	Scott
Ellie Gerber	...	Kim #1
Brett Golov	...	Trace Tech.
Ashley Greene	...	Kim #4
Ashley Greene	...	Kim #4
David Hill	...	TV Cameraman
Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs	...	Orderly
Gary Kraus	...	Mr. Warner
Jamie McBride	...	Police Officer
Shenita Moore	...	Nurse
Nicole Nogrady	...	Sketch Artist
Tracy Scoggins	...	Rita Vitale / Anchorwoman
K.T. Thangavelu	...	Doctor
Kristen Trucksess	...	Mrs. Warner
Yoda Ushery	...	FBI Agent

Runtime:

100 min | Greece:96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Australia:MA (2008) | USA:Not Rated (DVD rating) | New Zealand:R18 | UK:15 | Australia:MA | Germany:Not Rated (SPIO/JK) (cut) | USA:Not Rated | Singapore:M18

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Flame Ventures

Trivia:

Every pizza order in the film costs $19.84.

Quotes:

Kate Lawson: What do we need to do to make sure that... Kim... stays alive.
Otis Broth: Just... let me take her to the prom.

Movie Connections:

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Soundtrack:

The Great Curve

Otis is destined to join Freddie and Jason as a horror icon

The 2008 edition of the SXSW Film Festival's 'Round Midnight section kicked off with the World Premiere of "Otis," the directorial debut of veteran television executive Tony Krantz. It would be redundant to state that this film is not for the squeamish -- just look at the screening time. That said, Otis is destined to join the ranks of Freddie and Jason among the most gruesome, twisted souls in horror movie history. The titular character is a rotund, middle-aged pervert who never quite matured past his senior year in high school. The pleasure he gets out of abusing the neighborhood's teenage girls has all the makings of classic torture porn. Yet writers Thomas Schnauz and Erik Jendresen have crafted a dark comedy, as impossible as it seems, and Krantz manages to keep "Otis" from straying into farcical territory. "Otis" is ultimately a character-driven piece, as the film's tone is achieved only with a careful balancing of performance styles. At one end are Bostin Christopher (Otis) and his "love interest" Ashley Johnson (Riley Lawson), playing their roles straight and chilling. At the other is Jared Kusnitz, as Riley's brother Reed, whose gallows humor provides many of the film's funniest lines and was clearly an audience favorite (Kusnitz' "Dance of the Dead" also has its World Premiere here this weekend). And smack dab in between the horror and the comedy are the parents, Illeana Douglas and Daniel Stern, who are the fulcrum. Veteran character actor Jere Burns leads a team of hapless FBI agents who throw the occasional farce into the mix. Add in the always on-the-mark Kevin Pollak as Otis' brother for more nervous laughter. "Otis" has an indie feel, with natural lighting and perfectly economical cinematography, relying more on powerful in-camera visuals than post-production effects. The soundtrack is killer (no pun intended) with Otis' high school years replayed over and over to tunes like Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper."