using a screwdriver to get the filter off is all well and good, but you may end up like i did, when installing an oil pressure gauge.

i was tightening a brass fitting and snapped it off, inside the block, resulting in a very time consuming and annoying process of getting snapped off bits of metal out of the hole, not to mention running the risk of getting bits of metal into the oil gallery.

imo, get it off with a proper oil filter wrench, or leave it to someone who can