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ACTOR
Stephen GeoffreysPatrick O'BryanJim MetzlerMaría Rubell
DIRECTOR
Robert Englund
SYNOPSICS
976-EVIL (1988) is a English movie. Robert Englund has directed this movie. Stephen Geoffreys,Patrick O'Bryan,Jim Metzler,María Rubell are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1988. 976-EVIL (1988) is considered one of the best Comedy,Horror movie in India and around the world.
People who dial 976-EVIL receive supernatural powers and turn into satanic killers.
Same Actors
Same Director
976-EVIL (1988) Reviews
Good Movie! I disagree with everyone else.
I do not understand why everyone else hates this movie. Yes, it is cheesy in a lot of the standard horror genre ways, but I really got into it. The main reason a horror film doesn't work is because the characters don't hook you. I started to care about the characters after just a few scenes. The mother who is in love with religion is hilarious--we all know people like her. The son, Hoax, is heartbreaking because he is so weak that he will grasp at anything to be strong. I think we all know him too. Robert Englund was very careful to build up the suspense. There are lots of times when you know that someone is going to die, and he draws it out to the point where it is almost painful to watch (I obviously can't give examples without ruining it.) So, I recommend it to anyone who likes horror.
A teenage outcast exacts a creepy and gory revenge after dialing a satanic phone service that grants its callers supernatural powers.
Much better than you may have heard, though it requires a great deal of patience. The first half is pretty slow, but not completely without merit because it showcases the comedic talents of the gifted Sandy Dennis who is a riot as the taunted teen's overprotective, religious fanatic mother. Dennis takes the Piper Laurie role in CARRIE even further, but this time plays the role for laughs, and she's absolutely magnificent every minute she's on the screen. She comes across in this film as an even more out-of-control Shelley Winters(another great actress). The second half however is what viewers will most likely remember about the film because it features some very wacky and crudely effective special effects. The FX are pretty good too for such a low-budget effort and all. Besides Dennis, the top acting honors go to Stephen Geoffreys who is just about perfect as the terrorized teen who turns the tables on his tormentors. Generally speaking, audiences and critics alike have been much too harsh on this nifty little flick. Actor Robert Englund, who had played nightmare-invading/teen throat-slashing Freddy Krueger in the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET movies for several years, was a perfect choice to direct this scary/funny movie. I don't care what anyone says, good job Robert!!!!! Yes, CARRIE is a masterpiece of horror, but if you wan't to see a more humerous take on the same theme, then 976-EVIL is the way to go.
Average horror but unsatisfying
Well I personally found the film about average. The story centres around cousins Spike (Patrick O'Bryan) and Hoax (Stephen Geoffreys). Also in the picture is Hoax's religious nut mother Lucy (Sandy Dennis), who wins my award for the most annoying character I've ever seen in a movie, and that's not a good thing. At the start of the movie Spike loses a game of poker to a gang and as a result must give up his motorcycle. Not really seeming too bothered by it all he phones up a number, 976-EVIL, which puts him through to some cheesy sounding "horrorscope" service. Paying some attention to what he hears Spike finds a way of getting the money for the gang so he isn't required to give up his bike. Hoax, who is basically a nerd, the subject of constant bullying also in turn phones the number and starts to hear the twisted horrorscope's advice... The film itself is ok. Nothing special at all, but fun in it's own little way. O'Bryan and Geoffrey's performances were quite good, unlike the majority of the cast. 976-Evil is badly made in my opinion. The acting is bad and the direction is lacklustre...but lets give Rob some credit, at least the film wasn't too bad. The major problems with the film lie in the screenplay, acting in horror can be forgiven occasionally, and sometimes shaky direction can actually be of benefit to horror, but the screenplay needed to be solid and it wasn't. The plot evolves far too quickly in some places and not near fast enough in others. After a particular incident in the film involving fish falling from the sky Jim Metzler is introduced as Marty, a journalist for a religious magazine, or at least I think he was, at one point he did pass himself off as a private investigator! Considering the rather small amount of information Marty was given throughout the film he certainly seems to trace the problems to the '976-EVIL' number rather quickly, this to me was a major plot fall. Also some characters in the film just seemed to appear, while others disappeared for a while then came back with no explanation for their absence or why they've chosen to suddenly show up. The whole story seems very inconsistent on the speed at which it moves. To watch this film and fully enjoy it I think you need to keep concentrating which unfortunately in a film like this can be quite difficult to do now and again, but I think that's the only way for the whole film to make sense. All in all a quite enjoyable, yet unsatisfying horror film, don't expect too much gore though there were some quite cool special effects and make-up and don't expect a masterpiece. Also, as the story is rather weak don't expect too much from that either, otherwise you will be disappointed. It's the type of horror film I'd probably watch again on sleepless nights.
For A Good Time
Ah, the late eighties, when every time you turned around, someone was releasing a new supernatural slasher flick on a no-longer-very-unsuspecting audience. If only they could all have been at least as good as 976-EVIL, how much happier those times would have been. The plot is far and away better than I've come to expect, with several good twists, and characters capable of surprising decisions and shifting between sympathetic and unsympathetic roles. The set design and cinematography are amazing, with a unique retro-punk, exaggerated style and many visual echos and interconnections to the movie's themes. For instance, check out the local businesses - Dante's Diner (I'd like to suggest the motto, "Home of the Zombie Waitress!"), the El Diablo Theater with its non-stop horror marathon, and Virgil's garage. The costumes are amazing, from the Happy-Days-meets-Clockwork-Orange look of the various punks and low-lives, to Aunt Lucy's proper Christian outfits and astounding wigs. All in all, 976 turned out to be much more than I bargained for. A pleasant surprise.
Hey! Wait a minute!
So, maybe this movie isn't up for an acdemy award, but look at what people are saying. Just because Freddy Krueger directed it, people think it's going to be another "Elm Street" venture? Personally, when I first saw this movie I didn't like it. I thought it was poorly acted, and rather stupid. But then I looked INTO the movie and I saw that it had a message. Yes, a message! I can identify with Hoax, no, not because of the atmosphere at home or because of a cousin that saves the day. In high school every day, I've faced toilet dunking and another horrible things that cruel people have done to me. I know exactly how Hoax felt. And I understood exactly what went on. If you're looking at it from a different point of view, then this movie isn't for you in the first place. But for anyone who has had to deal with cruel jocks and for anyone who has always been ridiculed by girls and others, this movie is for you. Just don't expect it to be another "Elm Street" installment!