Don't Panic (1987)

"I'M NOT NUTS!" - Michael

A teenager accidentally awakens the forces of evil.
Starring: Jon Michael Bischof, Gabriela Hassel, Juan Ignacio Aranda, Roberto Palazuelos

Link to IMDB

It's Michael's 17th birthday, and his friends bring a ouija board to the party to have some fun. Michael doesn't want to play because he's afraid of contacting a spirit called Virgil, but his friend Tony convinces him it will be okay. It seems to be an uneventful game, so the teens soon forget about it.

Michael is a typical teenager in high school, and he's happy now that he's dating a girl named Alexandra. But soon he starts having disturbing visions of his friends being killed, and these hallucinations are terrifying him.

When his friends start being murdered for real, Michael knows he has to do something to protect them from the unknown force of evil that came form the ouija board.


Michael comes across like a madman as he tries to explain what is happening, so no one is willing to help him try to prevent more murders. But he does find some unlikely help from a bully named John, who begins to believe Michael's crazy story.
And then Tony shows up as a zombie, because the evil spirit Virgil has possessed him... Wait, what? When did that happen!?

Alexandra                           John                          Detective

The narrative here is quite a mess, with some very important things completely unexplained. We have no idea who Virgil is, or how or when he possessed Tony. There's also a detective trying to solve the murders, but he randomly comes and goes from the story.

Tony / Virgil

At first the movie feels like an ordinary teen soap opera, but it eventually evolves into campy, bloody horror when Michael's life becomes a twisted nightmare as the unstoppable Virgil kills more people. It's a mish-mash of genres, which only adds to the melodramatic vibes.

What makes this movie so entertaining is how unintentionally hilarious much of it is. There's a lot to laugh at here, but my favourite aspect would be Michael's pyjamas.
I kid you not, this 17 year old guy spends more than half of the movie running around in dinosaur pyjamas, and it's a limitless source of laughs.




Overall, this is an eccentric horror flick with a lot of blood, but even more laughs thanks to the wonky acting and unashamed cheesiness. Much of it feels like a Nightmare on Elm Street copycat, but it's worth a watch if you want some laughs.

Does the movie deliver on the Don't...
9 out of 10
Once the craziness starts, Michael's constantly panicking and it causes nothing but problems.

Be sure not to miss:
- Don't even get me started on how stupid the magic rose was.
- Alexandra's unibrow was really distracting.
- Clips from Cemetery of Terror are seen on the TV a few times. (Same director.)

Internet review:
"A great roller-coaster of cheesy thrills." - Luisito

Should I watch it?
Do it, but bring beers.

Where can I find it?
Links here.

Don't Panic gets...