Euro Cult Movie Forum => Horror => Topic started by: KommissarX on 16 Oct 2009 - 18:38
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An old-fashioned monster/disaster film hybrid about a military experiment gone awry. David Warbeck (as Captain Kirk!) and Janet Agren hunt a contaminated mutant that terrorises a small English town. While the government is preparing to close off the area and annihilate its population as a preventive measure, the monster enjoys itself attacking school boys and a cinema audience. Finally, it's Warbeck and Agren against the unkempt troublemaker battling it out in the sewers.
This trashy Italian-Spanish coproduction is a pretty tame and in a way anachronistic effort, especially when compared to the visceral zombie munchers and bloodthirsty slasher films that ruled the cinema of that particular era. It almost looks as if it came 15-20 years late. No, this is no hyperactive NIGHTMARE CITY, it's a rather dull, slowly paced and disjointed affair. Yet, you certainly can have fun with it for what it is. There's the usual unintentional humour that accompanies disaster films which want to show the epic dimensions of their plot but can hardly scramble up money for decent stock footage. Gotta love that "BBC Television Central Generator" the military turns off at one point. Considering the obviously painfully low budget the technical credits could have been a lot shabbier - there, I said it. I actually liked Marcello Giombini's score and Giovanni Bergamini's photography. Longtime Fulci collaborator Vincenzo Tomassi must have spliced together more murderous mayhem throughout his career than any other editor walking the earth. The monster make-up is seen only very briefly and its not too bad, either - Delirium magazine mentions that Warbeck fittingly nicknamed the film SEWER ZOMBIES in interviews. Warbeck never fails to entertain me no matter what piece of schlock he's in, no exception here. If only Ricci and his writers had injected a bit more enthusiasm and verve into their film to make it all a little more coherent and worthwhile.
I got the Pront VHS which is good quality and slightly letterboxed. It's a bit dark in the night time and sewer scenes but probably that's the way the film was shot in the first place. Wouldn't mind upgrading to a decent dvd, though. Unfortunately, as I understand it, the only release so far is a poor quality FS transfer as part of a Mill Creek movie pack. Anyone got that? Come on, this film while certainly no classic deserves better!
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I didn't enjoy this one at all. The Mill Creek disc is a rip from the Gorgon Video tape.
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I actually liked Marcello Giombini's score
His score for Arduino Sacco's oddball road movie RAND ROVER is excellent as well,not to mention Cavallone's ZELDA.
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Thank you for the recommendations. I always felt Giombini was an underrated composer. Are these electronic scores?
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Are these electronic scores?
Both are,just a shame they're not available on cd.
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Other than ALIEN 2, this has to be the only gory Italian horror film from the early 1980s that hasn't gotten a legit DVD release yet. It's not a particularly good film but I've enjoyed David Warbeck in everything I've seen him in and this is no exception.
I have the Mill Creek version as part of one of those 50 movie sets (can't remember which one) and it looks rather poor. The Japanese tape looks much, much nicer. I did notice, though, that the opening credits on the Japanese tape appear over a black screen - unlike the Mill Creek version.
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I got the Pront VHS which is good quality and slightly letterboxed. It's a bit dark in the night time and sewer scenes but probably that's the way the film was shot in the first place.
Is this the English language version,Kommissar?
I recently saw it via the Danish vhs (I.T Video Produktion) which is also slightly lbx and looks quite nice,runtime is 1h 24m.
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2 rental releases of Panic... Both runs 84'40 / bit letterboxed... Quality is almost identical, but I think FilmCom A/S-release looks a tad better than the I.T. Video Production ApS-release...
I.T. Video Production ApS-release;
(http://www.diabolik.dk/llol/panic.jpg)
FilmCom A/S-release;
(http://www.diabolik.dk/llol/panic_filmcom.jpg)
/D
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Is this the English language version,Kommissar?
Hi Stephen, it is a German language tape. I don't have it here for a proper cover scan, but I found a small pic online:
(http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/121/prontpanik.jpg)
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Hi Stephen, it is a German language tape. I don't have it here for a proper cover scan, but I found a small pic online:
(http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/121/prontpanik.jpg)
Thanks for the info,Kommissar.
I might get a copy of the Italian vhs sometime soon and see how that compares against the English version.
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Argentina VHS release:
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a91/Metalian/blog/bakterion.jpg)
I got another copy with less washed colours.
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Giant sewer dwelling Guinea Pigs. ;)
(http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/2972/vlcsnap2010121723h23m52.png) (http://img255.imageshack.us/i/vlcsnap2010121723h23m52.png/)
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(http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/465/panicu.jpg)
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Great movie, i hope its sometime gets a real DVD release, the American cheapo DVD is a lousy r-rated cut mastered from a VHS tape. I have seen the uncut version and its way better than the cut, more nudity and gore.
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A new VHS Archives entry:
http://bruceholecheck.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-vhs-archives-tonino-riccis-panic.html (http://bruceholecheck.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-vhs-archives-tonino-riccis-panic.html)
I'd love a scan of that German tape!
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I'd love to see a decent release of this too.
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I once had the unreleased UK pre-cert on VIP. Still have the Broadway tape somewhere.
http://www.pre-cert.co.uk/display.php?vId=UK12665 (http://www.pre-cert.co.uk/display.php?vId=UK12665)
http://www.pre-cert.co.uk/display.php?vId=UK00590 (http://www.pre-cert.co.uk/display.php?vId=UK00590)
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Well, if you find 'em, you know what to do! :-\
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Code Red has announced a BD edition.
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(https://s31.postimg.org/j3rt2je9n/7654.jpg) (https://postimg.org/image/6p5127mrb/)