not as good as all the hype

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Did you people see the same film I saw?

Absolutely amazing

The character of necromancer/Satanist Alaric de Marnac was first introduced by screenwriter Jacinto Molina (aka Paul Naschy) in Carlos Aured's 1973 film "Horror Rises From the Tomb," with Naschy playing both Alaric and his hapless descendant of five centuries later. A decade would pass before Naschy, now director as well as scripter, would revisit the character in "Panic Beats," but with some changes in Alaric's biography. Whereas in the first film he had been beheaded in 1454 by his own brother (and stayed dead...until modern times, at least), in the latter, he is said to have died in 1565, a ghostly figure who would return every 100 years to take vengeance on all cuckolding de Marnac women. In "Panic Beats," Naschy the actor does double duty again, playing the demon and his descendant. In modern-day Paris, we meet Paul, an architect who is having major-league women problems. His wife, Genevieve (played by Julia Saly, a beautiful actress who resembles the young Eleanor Parker), has such severe heart troubles that he is compelled to bring her to his ancestral estate in the country for a rest cure. His mistress, Mireille (the luscious Silvia Miro), is putting all sorts of pressure on him. And once ensconced in his country estate, he falls hard for the charms of the housekeeper's niece, Julie (gorgeous Pat Ondiviela). And then the murderous fun begins....More a companion piece than a sequel, "Panic Beats" features, by necessity, all-new characters (virtually no one survived the carnage of "Horror Rises"!) and is a truly wild ride. Naschy, an admitted fan of the Universal horror films of the '30s and '40s, has obviously taken in many other scary pictures over the years as well, as "PB" brings to mind, in sections, such wonderful classics as "Gaslight," "The Spiral Staircase," "House on Haunted Hill," "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" and, of course, "Diabolique," to which he adds black-gloved giallo elements AND the supernatural. But the point at which Clouzot's "Diabolique" ends is just the halfway point for this truly remarkable film, which, for this viewer, is superior to the initial Alaric outing. Naschy does a wonderful job behind the camera, the production values are very high, the acting is superb across the board (indeed, Julia Saly's death scene is one of the most convincing I've ever witnessed), and the shocks and surprises just keep coming. This is the type of film in which virtually every character is either plotting against someone or being plotted against, and, as in the first film, the body count is extremely high; practically total. And if some sections are a tad predictable, watching the picture go through its paces still remains great fun. What's more, this Mondo Macabro DVD looks just fantastic, and is packed, as usual, with extras. In one, the late Naschy is interviewed and exhibits a remarkable memory and pleasingly self-effacing demeanor; an enormously likable gentleman. Bottom line: All horror fans should certainly pounce on this one. And, oh: The film's best line belongs to Ms. Ondiviela, when she chucks that space heater! Look out!

Hasn't Naschy already done the ancestor/descendant thing? No matter, for watching Naschy direct and write and act (he does it all here) is always a pleasure - a guilty one, of course, as his films will win no awards.The film opens with a man on horseback in full armor swinging a mace as a naked girl runs for her life. Let's see Scorsese do a better job of directing that scene! Initially, the film does not appear to be more than lots of screaming at ghosts and gore, semi-transparent nightgowns, and a man determined to rid himself of a sick wife. But, hey, that's enough for an enjoyable film. However, more murders occur, the gore gets ratcheted up, and there are some interesting twists.Besides Naschy, Paquita Ondiviela by herself makes the film worth watching. Too bad it is the only film available in which to see her. Silvia Miró is no slouch either. Both provide considerable full frontal.

Paul Naschy films can be more than just a little bit hit and miss - and unfortunately there's a lot more misses than hits, but every now and again you happen upon a good one and this flick is certainly among the better Naschy films that I've seen. The film is directed by Naschy himself, and true to form (considering how a lot of his films are rather similar to each other) this one takes a hell of a lot of influence from Naschy's earlier works, particularly the boring Horror Rises from the Tomb. It's not original by any stretch of the imagination, but Panic Beats works well thanks to its atmosphere, gore and plot twists - it's almost verging on being a Giallo! The plot focuses on Paul; a rich descendant of a legendary knight named Alaric de Marnac. The knight has his own legend, and apparently he reappears every 100 years to batter any unfaithful women around his house. Paul decides to move his rich, but terminally ill wife up to the castle where the knight is reputed to have lived. Strange things start happening, and it appears the legend may be true...The film gets off to a great start as we watch the knight chase down and slaughter a young woman. The film slows down from there and focuses more on the plot and characters. I won't say that it's all that interesting, but the film never gets boring and the way that we focus on the legend of the ancient knight is good. The film really picks up around the middle when the twist in the tale is revealed and it becomes obvious what the film is actually about. Naschy packs this flick with plenty of gore which is nice and the way that it's dished out is often unpleasant, which of course is also nice. There's a fair bit of bloodshed and the budget constraints were obviously a problem as it looks rather cheap - but it's still nice to watch. There's not as much nudity on display as some Euro-horror fans will be used to but Naschy is nice enough to cast some beautiful women and we do get some nudity. It all boils down to a predictable but well worked ending and while I cant say that Panic Beats is right up there with the best that Euro-horror has to offer - it's certainly a decent little film and above average for Naschy flick so I can recommend it.

From the moment I saw this listed as on the Mondo Macabro website, I was intrigued. It looked good and the reviews I read were mostly positive. So when it was finally released, I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. After watching it, I wish I would have waited.What a major disappointment. Right from the start, I knew that Panic Beats couldn't meet my expectations. The whole look and feel of the film is terrible. It has that straight-to-video look that usually destroys atmosphere. The sets are nothing special at all. Most of the film looks like it could have been shot in my house. The story is incredibly predictable. There are a lot of twists and turns in the plot, but most are telegraphed from a mile away. The gore scenes are horribly done. And the whole concept of a knight that comes back from the dead is straight out of Scooby Doo. It's not a very frightening image.Paul Naschy does his best to provide some chills. With raised eyebrows and a menacing stare, he does his best to look frightening. But for the most part, it doesn't work. The most frightening scenes are of Naschy naked in the bathtub. Now that had me screaming.As for Mondo Macabro's disc, it's very well done. I have no complaints with the image, sound, or subtitles. The extras are quite nice, including a brief history of Spanish horror.