976-EVIL (1988)

Director:

Robert Englund

Writers:

Brian Helgeland (writer)
Rhet Topham (writer)

Release Date:

22 March 1989 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Now, horror has a brand new number.

Plot:

People who dial 976-EVIL receive supernatural powers and turn into satanic killers. |

Plot Keywords:

Teenkill | Hand Cut Off | Fish | Disembodied Hand | Cat

Cast

Robert Picardo	...	Mark Dark
Stephen Geoffreys	...	Hoax
Patrick O'Bryan	...	Spike
Sandy Dennis	...	Aunt Lucy
Jim Metzler	...	Marty
María Rubell	...	Angela (as Maria Rubell)
Lezlie Deane	...	Suzie
J.J. Cohen	...	Marcus
Paul Willson	...	Mr. Michaels
Darren E. Burrows	...	Jeff (as Darren Burrows)
Greg Collins	...	Mr. Selby
Joanna Keyes	...	Suzie's Mother
Gunther Jenson	...	Airhead (as Gunther Jensen)
J.J. Johnston	...	Virgil
John Slade	...	John Doe (as Jon Slade)

Also Known As:

Dial the Devil (USA) (working title)
Horrorscope (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

USA:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Norway:18 (video premiere) | Iceland:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | UK:18 | USA:R

Company:

Cinetel Films

Trivia:

When Hoax casts the spell that makes spiders come out of Suzie's TV dinner, there's a box of snack cakes behind the TV dinner called "Devil Twins".

Goofs:

Continuity: In the opening scene, you can see that the phone in the distance (as well as some of the pre-electrocution shots) is a rotary type phone. However during the electrocution shots, the phone is now a touch tone phone.

Quotes:

Hoax: Once you've been to hell, everything else pales in comparison!

Movie Connections:

References The Dark (1979)

Soundtrack:

The Only Thing I Really Need

This average, supernatural horror film has its moments.

Hoax (Stephen Geofferys) is a painfully shy teenager, who gets harassed by a group of thugs (led by J.J. Cohen) in High School and suffers at home with his overly religious mother (Sandy Dennis). The only thing that Hoax looks up to his good-hearted punk cousin Spike (Patrick O'Bryan), who lives next-door to him. When Spike finds an phone number in a card from the magazine, he was reading. Which it's a horror-scope that predicts horrible things in the near future. When Spike finds himself saved by a undercover police detective (Jim Metzler). Which a car nearly run Spike over but no one was driving the car. Which this detective is trying the investigate the bizarre deaths that involves the mysterious phone number from the horror-scope. Which these unfortunate victims called that number. When Hoax decides to call the number for the hell of it, he comes intriguing with the black magic and he finds himself seduced by the unimaginative powers from the horror-scope he calls. Now Hoax uses the power from the phone number he called giving him and he uses it for revenge.

Directed by Robert Englund made an fairly entertaining horror/thriller with elements of fantasy. Which the premise is somewhat familiar, especially for those who seen "Brian De Palma's Carrie" and "Evilspeak". I have to admit, this movie starts out very badly. I almost lose interest in the story but it slowly improves. Especially when it's focuses on Hoax's character. Englund shows some unexpected flair behind the camera with some decent imaginative special effects and good make-up effects work, despite it's low-budget showing. The performances are better than average. The script by Oscar-Winning:Brain Helgeland (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4:The Dream Master, L.A. Confidential, Payback) and Rhet Topham (Trick or Treat) is confusing at times and the odd-ball dark humour doesn't always work. Still, horror fans will enjoy it. The directorial debut by Englund is not bad (Who best known playing Freddy Krueger in the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" series). Robert Picardo (Who always has scene-stealing performances in Joe Dante movies) is memorable in his cameo as Mark Dark. Followed by a Sequel. (** ½/*****).