Panic (1972) Poster

(1972)

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7/10
Obscure 3-part Mexican suspense film has some merit
InvasionofPALs27 March 2009
First let me say how I was able to view this movie, which has very few votes on the IMDb at present . . . Believe it or not this movie was released on homevideo here in the USA on the Esco-Mex Video Production, Inc. label in 1987. The back of the video box actually gives an address in Beverly Hills, California where the label's supposed "headquarters" were. Wow. For the record PANICO is 'Esco-Mex 111'.

Now onto the movie itself . . .

It takes place in 3 parts. The first part has an attractive, nightgown-clad young woman fleeing through the forest with a witch in hot pursuit who's brandishing a very sharp knife. Why is the woman running? Why is the witch after her? And who are the three young men she keeps seeing in the woods as she runs? This segment is short and has a satisfying wrap up of what's going on.

The second part has two men fleeing a plague of some sort. They've just buried a young woman and have decided to leave the area by getting into a canoe and paddling down the river. Before long, however, the mind of one of the men starts playing tricks in regards to the woman they buried. They then get into a nasty fight which leaves the second man dead and the first man suffering even more hallucinations. Man #1 then buries Man #2. But is the other man really dead? Why does the first man begin to have "visions" of his former friend un-burying himself and stalking him in the woods? Far out stuff here; the end of this segment is most unusual.

Segment #3 has to do with a scientist and his cat who both ingest some chemicals by accident. This liquid gives the victims the appearance of being dead, but we quickly discover the scientist and the cat are merely paralyzed. But the scientist's wife and the family doctor can't find a pulse or heartbeat when they discover him. What to do? Have a funeral and bury the unfortunate scientist. Can the scientist wake up from his paralysis in time to avoid being buried alive? Lucky for the cat he was able to get up and walk away when the paralysis wore off! The ending of this final episode is hilarious with a conclusion you'd never expect.
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6/10
Fun Mexican anthology
BandSAboutMovies23 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
With a name like this, I just had to review this one.

It's directed by Julián Soler, who also made Santo vs. Blue Demon in Atlantis, El Castillo de Los Monstruos and El Hombre y La Bestia, this is a three-part horror anthology.

The first story - Pánico - has nearly no dialogue, just a young girl (Ana Martin, who is in a movie I just have to track down - La Mujer del Diablo, as its a Mexican gothic occult movie directed by Alfredo B. Crevenna) being hunted as she runs through the woods, followed by a witch (Ofelia Guilmáin, The Exterminating Angel) with a knife. She keeps seeing the same three boys over and over again, as well as the doll of a child. At the end, she ends up strangling the witch and then dying within the real world, as she had been trapped in a mental institution after the three men we keep seeing had assaulted her, which cost her her unborn child.

In Soledad, Joaquín Cordero (Dr. Satan!) and José Gálvez (the devil in Macario) have just buried the body of a girl during a plague. They soon turn against one another and the hallucinations both suffer leave them - and you - wonder who is alive and who is dead.

Finally, the last story is Angustia, which is a cover version of Poe's The Premature Burial with some comedic elements, as a scientist and his cat both ingest chemicals that make them seem dead. He's played by Aldo Monti, who would go on to direct the giallo-esque Santo en Anónimo Mortal and an occult thriller called Seducción Sangrienta that I also need to track down. He spends much of this story trapped in his coffin, trying to get anyone to notice that he is still alive, including his wife (Alma Delia Fuentes, Blue Demon Destructor of Spies and Peligro...! Mujeres en Acción). By the end, he of course gets buried alive and then reincarnated as a caterpillar that his grieving wife steps on.

This was written by Ramón Obón, who has over a hundred script to his credit, including Las Sicodélicas, The Empire of Dracula, La Señora Muerte, Santo vs. Los Lobas, El Látigo contra Satanás, La Furia de Los Karatecas and Terror y Encajes Negros.

Plenty of weird fun here and it feels really experimental. The short running time really helps, as unlike modern portmanteaus, it never drags.
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All That's Missing Is The Crypt Keeper And A Bowl Of Guacamole.
michaeldukey200015 June 2012
Man, I stumbled on to this off of a torrent out of the clear blue sky whilst searching for something else. Bam the description hit me square in the face like a brick burrito. A Mexican Horror Anthology? I had no knowledge of such a creature and had to do so just for the unique experience. It's not a really good film,partially because it's budget is too low and the stories are strechted out a little too long but it was thoroughly entertaining and the stories were a little off kilter. THe first episode has no dialogue except for a few lines at the very end. A young woman having hallucinations is being hunted by a witch with a sharp knife. THe 2nd story is about two friends escaping a fever ridden village after buryiing a loved one. The last tale is a comic one and is loosely based on Premature Burial.All in all a good B effort from a very quirky film. Duke
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