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| Otis: Uncut [Blu-ray] | ![Otis: Uncut [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51OI3VkNRQL._SL160_.jpg)
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| Director: Tony Krantz
Actors: Jere Burns, Illeana Douglas, Ashley Johnson, Kevin Pollak, Daniel Stern
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $28.99
Buy New: $10.97
You Save: $18.02 (62%)
New (34) Used (5) Collectible (1) from $10.78
Avg. Customer Rating:  15 reviews
Sales Rank: 12457
Format: Ac-3, Blu-ray, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), Chinese (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Portuguese (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: Unrated
Media: Blu-ray
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 100
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 5.3 x 0.5
MPN: WARBR36051
UPC: 883929005444
EAN: 0883929005444
ASIN: B0015XJR9Q
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: October 7, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: NEW AND SEALED!!!!!!!!FAST SHIPPING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Product Description
Studio: Warner Home Video Release Date: 10/07/2008 Run time: 100 minutes Rating: Nr
Amazon.com
A fling at a horror-creepfest-black comedy, Otis means to score points by building a revenge fantasy into its tale of a junior-league Hannibal Lecter wannabe. Otis is a fat, nerdy pizza delivery guy whose home dungeon becomes a prison for high-school girls he's kidnapped. His current victim, Riley (Ashley Johnson), is made to endure all manner of yucky role-playing, including a fake prom date. Eventually Riley's family will turn suburban avengers, and the twisted humor of the piece will take center stage, but the movie spends far too much time on what can only be called torture porn--even if it's couched as a dark comedy. It's been done so many times before that the only interesting section of the movie, the family's reaction, is guilty by unsavory association. They're played by Illeana Douglas, Daniel Stern (carrying a warped memory of Home Alone), and Jared Kusnitz, all of whom appear to be enjoying the revolting things they're allowed to do. Otis is played by Bostin Christopher, who looks like Vincent D'Onofrio in Full Metal Jacket by way of Pruitt Taylor Vince. Most of the cast spends the movie in a full hysterical mode, including Kevin Pollak, as Otis's brother, and Jere Burns, as a colossally insensitive police investigator. The latter scarfs up most of the movie's genuine laughs, just by underplaying his most inappropriate comments. That sense of understatement could be used elsewhere in this overly familiar piece of sado-comedy. --Robert Horton
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| Customer Reviews: Read 10 more reviews...
 I'm taking Kim to the prom!!! January 8, 2009
Another delightful little indie dread fest. This is a highly orignal story with outstanding acting from the male lead who plays Otis, and great support from veteran charecter actor Kevin Pollack. This film is not in any way predictable, and this is one of it's strongest features. In today's modern horror, it is very seldom that an original flick like this is made.
More than Just Another House on the Left December 18, 2008
Question: What do you get when you take Wes Craven's original THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (1972), add a sitcom-like case of mistaken identity, and then mix in lots of seriocomic dialogue? Answer: Tony Krantz's OTIS, the story of a family who chooses to bypass the police system and instead privately mete out punishment to the middle-aged nerd who abducted their daughter and forced her to act out his unfulfilled high-school fantasies. Now, I know what you're thinking. You're saying to yourself, "Oh, no! It's another cinematic study of just how low normal people can sink in the name of revenge!" But you're only partially right. OTIS is a revenge thriller, true, but it actually manages to turn the subgenre's conventions on their ear. When the avenging family members in this flick sink to depths even deeper than their nemesis, they get a bit haughty and careless...and that's when things get really twisted.
Aside from the upturned cliches, OTIS also rises above the standard revenge thriller because the cast turns in some outstanding performances. At the top of the list is actor Jere Burns, veteran of numerous films and TV shows who is probably best known for his role as lounge lizard Kirk in the late-1980s sitcom DEAR JOHN. Here Burns is knee-slappingly hilarious playing the smarmy, egocentric, and tactless FBI agent investigating the abduction. As the titular Otis, Bostin Christopher paints a very convincing portrait of a hapless outcast who has marinated in his own insecurities for so long that he's turned into a homicidal sociopath. Other notable turns come from Kevin Pollak (from 1992's A FEW GOOD MEN), who delivers a strong but appropriately restrained performance as Otis' abusive older brother; Daniel Stern (1990's HOME ALONE and the uncredited narrator on TV's THE WONDER YEARS) in a hilarious performance as the milquetoast father of the abducted girl; Illeana Douglas (1990's GOODFELLAS and 1999's STIR OF ECHOES) as the ball-busting mother who instigates the plan of vengeance; and Jared Kusnitz (2008's DANCE OF THE DEAD), who is both witty and convincing as the rebellious but caring brother of the abducted girl.
Now, in spite of all that is good about OTIS, the film also has a few weaknesses, the first and foremost of which are plausibility issues. Unlike her counterpart in other revenge thrillers, the abducted girl in this film comes out of the ordeal relatively unscathed, making it difficult for the audience to suspend disbelief and accept that the girl's fairly mainstream middle-class family would engage in such brutal acts of revenge. Secondly, the film is totally lacking in the nudity department. Considering the nature of his crimes and his motivation for committing them, the eponymous Otis would undoubtedly force his prey to disrobe on occasion. Since most contemporary horror films and thrillers that are aimed at adult audiences contain a few T&A shots, there is a certain expectation for such on the part of viewers, and the lack of skin in OTIS is therefore a glaring omission. And finally, after all the violence and folly, the film's relatively tame denouement is anticlimactic and ultimately unsatisfying.
Still, in spite of its shortcomings, OTIS is a well-made, well-acted black comedy that successfully turns the cliched revenge thriller on its head. The DVD and Blu-ray discs from Warner present the unrated version of the film in anamorphic widescreen, and the picture and sound (at least on the Blu-ray) are breathtaking. Unfortunately, both discs are no-frills and are therefore devoid of bonus material, but amazon.com's price of admission is nonetheless very reasonable. This one is a must-have for fans of contemporary horror and thrillers.
 "It's a 3-D Jigsaw Puzzle that Very Few are Trained to Understand" October 19, 2008
This film will repel most every viewer. The taboo topic, the ear-bleedingly offensive language, the unrelenting gore, the sight of lovable actors "behaving badly." (Man, you should just leave this page now!) Think of this work as the comedic equivalent of McNaughton's Henry - Portrait of a Serial Killer. (You don't know Henry? Oh, duuude ... make a run for it ... you have no idea what you're dealing with!) This film's sketchy/creepy/cringe factor is astronomical (even I was tempted to fast-forward through the MAJOR torture scene ... but I wasn't gonna let the film beat me!!). (I'm telling you, right now, this may be a complete waste of money for you ... I'm sensing that you might cash in your stocks, invest in steamroller, and obliterate this disk. Just a guess.) This is one really, really sick film ... and I just loved it.
The movie's namesake, Otis, is not so much a paedophile as he is a forty-year-old man trapped in his senior-year of high-school. Over and over, he relives the days preceding his Prom and revels in the glorious event itself (there is a little twist here that I would not dare reveal). Otis' only desire is to find the perfect partner ("Kim") to reenact it with him. Needless to say, the teenagers he abducts struggle to understand his desires ... and come-undone (LITERALLY!)
Here's the thing: this film is wildly, inappropriately funny. The actors pull-out all the stops!! Jere Burns (of tremendous television fame) plays his role of the careless, perverted FBI agent to a "T." He is one of the only men in the world to make laser-pointing and gum-chewing lascivious! Moreover, it's great to see Daniel Stern ("Will Lawson") in yet another grotesque comedy (if you have not seen Berg's Very Bad Things, you must!) And Illeana Douglas ("Kate Lawson") just has an insane talent for this style of work (her role in Koepp's Stir of Echoes has always cracked me up!) BUT, the real shock is seeing Ashley Johnson ("Riley Lawson") tackle such a challenging role ... quite a departure from her "precious" character on Growing Pains. As a side note, I must admit that I was most impressed with relative new-comer Jared Kusnitz ("Reed Lawson"). His delivery was as flawless as it was funny. In reality, it's the cast that REALLY makes this film!!
I would LOVE to venture into the details of this film, but out of consideration for the viewers who will really enjoy this piece, I will refrain. I do not want to spoil a single FREAKY moment!
If you think it's a shame to smash yard-gnomes (Otis has a much better purpose for them), if you think references to Coppola's Apocalypse Now are a laugh-riot, and if you were just waiting for an inappropriately-appropriate use of Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper," (one of the most poorly used songs in horror-history) you are soooo in luck!! Enjoy!!
Brilliant Farce August 27, 2008
Absolutely brilliant and original...I wish I wrote this! How can you top something this screamingly funny?
From comedy to torture porn and back again . . . August 19, 2008
Otis is the story of a serial rapist/murderer who preys on teenage girls; and the family of the only girl to escape from him.
Not for everyone, much like its main character, who veers back and forth from pitiable to detestable, this movie swings from comedy to torture porn and back. The scenes where Otis forces his attentions on his victim are played straight and are downright uncomfortable to sit through. The scenes where the victim's family goes "Lord of the Flies" and takes its revenge are definitely played for laughs, dark laughs, but laughs.
The mood swings are a little jarring and some of the acting is over the top (the FBI agents are all played strictly for laughs and that clashes a little with the tone of the rest of the movie), but all in all the gimmick works. If you like dark comedies this movie should appeal to you, if you are looking for family friendly fare or "straight" horror don't even consider seeing it.
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