As Good As It Gets

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Nice guy Michael (winningly played by the affable Jon-Michael Bischof) gets an Ouija board as a gift for his 18th birthday from his smartaleck best buddy Tony (the solid Juan Ignacio Aranda). Michael summons the lethal and evil spirit of Virgil, who takes possession of Tony's body and starts bumping off Michael's friends. Writer/director Ruben Galindo, Jr. trots out all the expected endearingly hokey 80's teen fright feature clichés: we've got a couple of false scares, a corny lovey dovey montage set to infectiously bouncy 80's rock music, a generic spooky'n'shuddery ominous score by Pedro Plascencia Salinas, a tasteful make-out scene, and even the always amusing psycho in the back seat of a car bit. Moreover, the basic plot blatantly emulates the second "A Nightmare on Elm Street" movie, the pace really kicks into gear and rarely lets up after the rather leisurely opening third, the 80's clothes and hairstyles are hilariously hideous (Michael's silly blue pajamas are especially sidesplitting!), and Galindo, Jr. gleefully pours on the blood by the gallon with several pleasingly brutal murder set pieces. Additional accolades are in order for the mostly sound acting from the personable cast. The stunningly gorgeous and adorable Gabriela Hassle in particular impresses with her warm and charming performance as Michael's sweet gal pal Alexandra. Screaming Mad George's funky special effects and the reasonably polished cinematography by Miguel Arana and Daniel Lopez both hit the spot as well. A fun little flick.

"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

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!

Young Michael didn't know that by messing with an ouija board he would unleash a demon that would posses his soul and force him into the wave of terror,delivering his victims into brutal death.To prevent more bloodshed Michael must find the demon's dagger and destroy the horrendous being.Ruben Galindo's "Don't Panic" is a pretty amusing piece of Mexican horror.It offers plenty of cheese and gore.The gore effects made by Screaming Mad George are quite effective and the film has some suspenseful moments.So if you're a fan of low-budget slasher films you can't go wrong with "Don't Panic".Here is my favourite gore scene from this film:a guy has his throat slashed with a dagger.6 out of 10.