976-EVIL

Have you ever watched a film that was literally a turning point for an actor’s career? This one most certainly is. Stephen Geofrreys took this role instead of working on Fright Night Part 2. You can’t blame him, “Evil” Ed got the chance to work with a horror legend and be the lead of the film. Unfortunately, neither film ended up being successful.

After this film, Geoffreys made an unconventional career move. By unconventional, I mean really, really unconventional. He decided to gobble cock in the hardcore gay porn industry. Not the choice I would have made, but hey, to each their own.

976-EVIL is a little film directed by none other than Robert Englund. Stephen Geoffreys (Fright Night) stars as Hoax, an introverted nerd grasping for respect. He is routinely picked on and forced to suffer through much humiliation from both the bullies at school and his overbearing mother. Enter Patrick O’Bryan, who plays Spike. The cousin of Hoax who happens to live upstairs above the garage kinda like Kirk Cameron did on the last few years of Growing Pains. Spike tries to save Hoax from the bullies between looking cool and hooking up with hotties.

Eventually, Hoax calls the titular phone number, which just happens to be Satan’s personal line (how convenient!). Satan, as everyone knows, loves to help wimps get revenge on the big bad bullies, but of course, there is a catch. With Satan, there is always a catch.

Hoax enjoys a nice run that involves killing pretty much everyone that has ever annoyed him – think Carrie-esque. The deaths are rather amusing, my favorite being some cheating slut that gets the ole Death-by-a-thousand-tarantulas. Note: I don’t like cheating sluts.

The set design was clearly borrowed from Freddy’s Nightmares (which was *coincidentally* shooting at the same time) meaning the extensive uses of colored gels are omnipresent. Translation: It looks like shit.

All things considered, the film is well made and well executed, albeit predictable. If you like horror films you could do much worse, this one is worth wasting 90 minutes on, if nothing else to see the movie that turned an actor’s career trajectory in a major way.

Snore Factor: ZZZ

IMDB 1988

Sequel: 976-EVIL 2

Trailer: