SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

slayrrr666 "Don't Panic" is one of the best slasher films around and has a lot going for it.**SPOILERS**Gathering together, Michael, (Jon Michael Bishof) invites friends Tony, (Juan Ignacio Aranda) Christy, (Melinda McCallum) Debbie, (Cecilia Tijernia) Robert, (Raul Araiza) Peter, (Mario Ivan Martinez) and new girl Alexandra, (Gabriela Hassle) for his birthday party. During the celebration, they decide to use a Ouija board for fun, but when nothing happens, they decide to call it a night and go home. As Michael begins to romance Alexandra, he becomes plagued by a series of visions of some being stalking his friends. Convinced it isn't normal, he thinks that something has happened with the use of the Ouija board, and sets off to warn his friends when the visions increase. Now convinced that a demon has possessed one of his friends, he sets off to keep the rest alive while trying to find a way to stop the rampage.The Good News: This is one of the better slasher films to come out. One of it's more important facets is that it contains all the familiar trappings in a slasher film which is always fun to see. From the standard POV shots of the killer approaching it's targets to the shots of the weapon of choice being manipulated by the hands and a group that constantly ignores warnings of the one who can help them place this one so firmly in slasher conventions that it's just all-around fun. It's fun to spot the little bits of other slasher film's the director is cannibalized, including the hero has an alcoholic Mom, the characters watch self-referential clips of horror movies on TV, a scene in a classroom where the main character dreams the bloody demise of a classmate, the crispy faced, gravel voiced villain, and the concerned parents who think their kid is going bonkers and call in the doctors. One of it's main positive points is the way it treats the killer. By keeping the killer in the shadows for much of the running time, it helps to keep their fear of him high as does keeping the quips to a minimum. This helps the few times he's on-screen at their most effective. With bloody burns, rotting skin and bloodshot eyes, it strikes a real impressive presence that scores some real scares mainly through the appearance. It's also pleasingly bloody, with some nice gore effects from the time. We get a brutal dagger blade shoved underneath through the chin of one unfortunate teen, and wiggling around messily in his mouth, itself a standout, but a very bloody slit throat, a messy impaling, several stabbings and a whole slew of slashings in here, all quite bloody and loaded with gore. The use of the POV shots lends the film it's several tried and true suspense scenes. The several hospital stalking scenes are so creepy it's almost criminal. Seeing as it's the first time that any part of the killer's appearance is given, the site of it's blistered and decayed hands popping up brandishing a large dagger is quite creepy. Watching it get closer and closer to the unsuspecting victim is classic suspense, and the short stalking scene when they discover the killer there is quite thrilling. That, though, is outmatched in the later scene where the killer takes to stalking the hero, and the chase through the very darkened hallways is as good as anything ever done. With only the killer's approaching boots or the hero's frantic search to get away, it's one of the film's highlights. A later scene is also to be commended, where the fact that a car in the outdoors is the setting for a few murders is quite exciting, and really has a lot going for it. It's a really pleasing slasher film in most respects.The Bad News: There's only a few small problems in here. In one scene, where the two leads find themselves in the same position, the two play hooky from school, leading to a delightfully cheesy romantic interlude where they stop to feed the ducks, have their picture taken in sombreros and play peek-a-boo with each other as they eat giant ice cream sundaes. While serving a plot point, it's utter cheese and pace-killing destroys most of the positives established at that point. It's a really hard scene to sit through, and really should've been toned down or written around. The fact that this is quite predictable and clichéd might be tough for some to stomach, as it's not that hard to guess what's going on right from the beginning and what the twist at the end will comprise. Another low point is the low body-count, which is pretty much sealed by the storyline used, but it still would've been nice to have a few more pop up, as there's enough characters for it to be possible. Otherwise, this is a really entertaining slasher film.The Final Verdict: With a few really easily-overlooked flaws, this is one of the better slashers around. It follows the formula to perfection, almost too much so, but that's still not enough to knock this one down. Slasher fans should give this one a real viewing, while Mexican horror fans and anyone else interested are advised to check it out.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language and a mild sex scene

insomniac_rod I'm reviewing this movie for the 2nd. time. After many years, I caught this movie on Mexican cable and I'm glad that I liked it better than the first time I watched it. As a kid, I hated this movie because it trashed my favorite slasher characters, Freddy and Jason.Anywways, this is a Mexican version of "A Nightmare On Elm Street" part 1 and II and has some elements from the "Friday the 13th" sequels. Also, some little influences by "The Evil Dead". The story follows Michael and his friends, who after Michael's birthday party decide to play with the ouija board. Unfortunately to them, an evil spirit named Virgil possesses one of them and starts a killing spree taking revenge on everyone who played with the board. Virgil makes a late appearance in the movie but manages to dispatch his victims one by one... until only Alex and Michael are left. Could Michael stop Virgil? How is he going to use the "magic" dagger against him? (In the style of "Jason Goes To Hell"). Could it be that Virgil is really more dangerous than Freddy and Jason? Watch "Don't Panic" with low expectations and you might surprise yourself.The movie is very cheesy, but not in a negative way. It's cheesy in an 80's manner! We get plenty of gore, some nasty death scenes, a "cool" score (I love the "Don't Panic!" song), and some creepy scenes. RYes, the "Nightmare On Elm Street" influenecs are present through all the movie. Especially from Part II: Freddy's Revenge. Michael's character is very similar to Jesse. He even has a friend who is killed in front of him and can't do anything but escape from some stupid cops. Also, Michael has this wimpy attitude but manages to confront Virgil and beware all of his friends. The movie has this 80's feeling that we all love. This is the typical slasher flick from the 80's that spent more budget on the visuals. The f/x are cheesy but worked for me. The gore is great! (Check out a death scene similar from Dario Argento's "Opera"). The acting is way all over the top but still works for this kind of movie. Bishof delivers a good performance, Gaby Hassle delivers a cute, solid performance. She's way too pretty to be around all the gore. Virgil is a mix of looks; he has the looks of possessed Ash from "Evil Dead II", but the make-up of his face is almost the same as Freddy Krueger! Although he isn't as annoying as Freddy. He just keeps repeating "Do You believe in Satan?!". But it isn't as annoying as Krueger's one liners. His demise is very gory and great. Lots of blood through his mouth! One of the cheesiest scenes in slasher history is when Michael goes to Alex's house, becomes mad, and starts shooting! Horrible acting in that scene by the way. I liked the ending which is very "moving" and has an extremely cheesy line that references one love scene: "As long as love exists between you two the rose shall never wither.". The scene happens when Alex is in the graveyard...This movie took the right influences and ripped them off in almost a cynical way but still this movie is cheese for the please. Watch it if you can find it, although it will be very hard , as far as I know, it's currently out of print. Or maybe you can find it with the title "Dimensiones Ocultas". "Don't Panic" is a pleasant surprise and deserves a chance. Probably one of Mèxico's best Horror/Fantasy movies. Yes, this is quality here but still is entertaining!

RareSlashersReviewed Part A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET, part HALLOWEEN with a little bit of THE BOOGEYMAN thrown in for good measure, DON'T PANIC is a successful crossbreed of those styles which makes for an entertaining ninety minutes of classic slasher frolics.In the outset we meet Michael (Jon Michael Bischof), the star of the movie who's recently moved down to Mexico with his alcoholic mother away from his unsympathetic father in Beverley Hills. He's celebrating with his newly found friends, which include Tony (Juan Ignacio Aranda) - a smart-ass wise cracker - and Alexandra (Gabriella Hassel) whom he has the hots for. It's Mike's seventeenth birthday and as a present the gang have got him an Ouija board (a great gift usually.if people want to get possessed or die!) and even though at first he refuses to take part, the gang force him to join in on one of their séances. They all gather round in a circle and join hands around an eerie looking candle lit table as Tony attempts to call up a medium known as 'Virgil'. He isn't very talkative but lifts up the arrow to point it at Mike in a threatening manor (ooooh, creepy!). All of a sudden, the door flies open and in bursts the birthday boy's inebriated mother who soon sends the group packing and Mickey to bed! Soon after that night Michael begins to have strange dreams that an unseen psycho holding an ancient dagger is viciously murdering his friends. When it's revealed that the teens are actually being bloodily butchered, he begins seeing premonitions of someone warning him who is next on the killer's list. With this knowledge, he is forced to attempt to save them from the maniacal assassin. But who is it that is slaughtering the hapless group and what are their motives?About two weeks before I saw this, I watched the more recent British slasher LONG TIME DEAD. It looks as if this may well have been the inspiration for that flick because the two plots are almost interchangeable. Director Ruben Galindo Junior - who was also behind the 1985 addition CEMETERY OF TERROR - has done a good job in making this an enjoyable thriller with some decent supernatural elements that make a refreshing change from movies such as GIRLS SCHOOL SCREAMERS, which attempted the same sort of thing but drastically failed. Don't expect great performances, because you certainly won't find any here; but what it lacks in thespianism it makes up for in storyline and originality.This was the full-uncut copy that I recently purchased on the UK 'Dark vision' label and it includes some tacky but effective gore to boot. In one murder, some guy gets stabbed in the chin with the giant dagger and it protrudes through his mouth! That's probably the best of the bunch and it even manages to look pretty authentic! There are some interesting chase sequences included too, the one in the hospital being vaguely reminiscent of HALLOWEEN 2 with the killer stalking in traditional slow-mo Michael Myers manner and the downbeat ending truly is unexpected for a film of this genre.great! You wont get bored whilst watching either and in some parts it even borders on becoming pretty exciting. The director gives us the chance to play whodunit for the first half, but doesn't waste time overdoing the investigative factors.Although this is a decent flick, it doesn't manage to escape from being extremely cheesy just like so many of its genre counterparts from this period - the late eighties. For example Jon Michael Bischof spends three quarters of the runtime in a pair of groovy pyjamas, anyone can imagine how embarrassing that must've been for him in his movie debut! They could have at least given him a stylish set of jim-jams to run around in! Also watch out for a whole lot of incredibly silly dialogue and some unintentional tongue in cheek humour. Michael and Alexandra - the third rate Jamie Lee Curtis of the flick - head out on a date in the beginning and although the things they get up to are cheestastic enough, nothing can best the advice that Tony gives Michael when he returns! He tells his buddy that if he really loves her he should 'give her a rose', but not just any such flower, it must be 'the magic rose'! He then walks over to a giant bowl in his room (!), places a towel over the top, removes it and then he pulls out just one single thorn covered stem and offers it to the confused looking character! I mean, what is this guy? Is he some sort of undercover Casanova? Why has he got a bowel filled with roses in his room? Like I said, the cheese is spread thick and fast throughout the feature!It's been a little while since I've watched a slasher that I've truly enjoyed! DON'T PANIC may not be overly scary, but it's been put together with thought and it adds supernatural touches to the age-old slasher clichés better than most. It may not be groundbreaking but it's pretty entertaining in that 'so bad it's pretty good' kinda way! Yeah, I recommend this and it's set me on my so far, pretty unsuccessful search for CEMETERY OF TERROR!

PIN1988SP I thought it was a low-budget horror flick. Well,I was wrong because it`s a no-budget kind of film. Anyway,let`s just say it`s not as bad as it seems. SCREAMING MAD GEORGE(make-up wizard of "SOCIETY","BRIDE OF RE-ANIMATOR",among others)did the visual effects here. The story(which was told in a better way in "LONG TIME DEAD")centers around a bunch of teens playing with this ouija board. Through this they invite a supernatural killer known as virgil. Director RUBEN GALINDO tries hard to shock audiences but it doesn`t go beyond what we`ve seen already before.DEDICATED TO HORROR GEEKS ONLY(i`m proudly one of them).