976-EVIL (1988)

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

Director:

Robert Englund

Writers:

Brian Helgeland, Rhet Topham

Stars:

Stephen Geoffreys, Patrick O'Bryan, Sandy Dennis

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Greg Collins	...	Mr. Selby
Darren E. Burrows	...	Jeff (as Darren Burrows)
Joanna Keyes	...	Suzie's Mother
Gunther Jenson	...	Airhead (as Gunther Jensen)
J.J. Johnston	...	Virgil
John Slade	...	John Doe (as Jon Slade)
Demetre Phillips	...	Sergeant Bell

Storyline

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

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Plot Keywords:

nudity | slasher | visions of hell | 1980s | phone sex | 

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Taglines:

Now, horror has a brand new number.

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 March 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dial the Devil

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$2,955,917 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinetel Films, Horrorscope Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Directorial debut of Robert Englund.

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Goofs

When the girlfriend of the lead actor and his cousin are sitting eating pizza in a diner, his hair goes changes how messy it is through the scene.

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

Mindy Seeger is credited in opening credits but not in the final cast.

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Connections

Followed by 976-Evil II (1992)

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Soundtracks

"The Only Thing I Really Need"
Written by Stephen C. Marston, Thomas Chase, and Steve Rucker

User Reviews

Please Hold.

Nerdy kid in town (Stephen Geoffrey of "Fright Night") gets revenge on everyone who ever wronged him when he hooks up with Satan, via horror hot-line "976-EVIL." Directed by Robert Englund of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" fame, the film is obviously very low budget but not completely without charm. As an actor turned director, Englund obviously cares about his characters first and foremost, and in turn, his film gives them ample time to breathe. Also, the man obviously paid attention during his tenure as Freddy, as his film takes many visual cues from the "Elm Street" series and tries its best to rise above its meager budget. There's also an underlying sense of humor (again, a byproduct of being Krueger) that helps make the whole easier to swallow.

A shame, though, that aside from some decent characters and solid cinematography from Paul Elliott which attempts to establish a foreboding mood, the film barely has enough juice to reach its lame conclusion. While the first half sets our characters up nicely, the second more or less tears down any progress made by dispatching of decent characters too quickly and wrapping things up in what feels like a very rushed and hap-hazard sort of way. The film's main weakness is in its script which stretches its premise far too thin and requires its audience to fill in the blanks a few too many times. Also, the gore and make-up effects from the usually consistent Kevin Yagher are surprisingly substandard and, at times, laughable. What should be an undeniably enjoyable 80's cheese-fest is instead a frustrating and uneven dud that could have and should have been much more. Stephen Geoffrey aside, horror fans will recognize Lezlie Deane from "Freddy's Dead" – another actor whose career went absolutely nowhere in the following decade.