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!
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