Panman is a Post-Modern slasher film with it's tongue cold chillin in it's cheek. Panman is silly. There are laughs to be found. It has an amusing sometimes clever script and it never takes itself seriously at all. The acting is the real bugaboo here. Some performances work, some are too far over the top and it finds itself swimming into satire, which is less gutsy then a strictly absurdest approach that would have, I feel, made it shine a little brighter for it's intended audience. Still there's enough goofy flavoring baked in that it succeeds to outperform far bigger budgeted movies with far less. Premise is basically "masked" killer (or killer with cooking pot on his head) kills culinary students and a "special" team of culinary students with their custard professor attempt to hunt him down and kill him. Of course, being a super slasher, he is supernatural and is in all reality a demon crossed with a dead Russian chef. Toss in a tragic love story and a sister out for "Justice" and you have an idea. Sadly, as mentioned, though well written and firmly filmed, the acting spoils the course. G.Larry Butler, in particular, goes to far overboard in his performance and produces the most groans. If his role was perhaps toned down a notch or given a different actor, this movie would be a little more likable. All in all, it's enjoyable but perhaps a tad too long. Maybe it would have worked better as a short. If you like Eagleheart, FDR, Black Dynamite and such..you might fall for this "ham".
