Aaron1375
I watched this movie after years of really wanting to. Funny that I watch it now in an age where a number such as this is pretty outdated. I also am surprised to see that Robert Englund directed this one and I think he did okay as most of the problems I found with the film came more from the story and from the editing. The imagery is great and it has some okay acting as it is not stiff, the end has the killer getting a bit too cute with the one liners actually reminding one a bit of Freddy Krueger's lines in the Elm Street horror films.The story has a strange phone number that seems to predict things a bit too well being used by a dude named Spike; however, Spike soon stops using the number after nearly being killed by a runaway car. His cousin, though, finds the number and listens to it and heeds it and is soon transformed into a supernatural killer with the power to take revenge on all those that wronged him.The story is a bit rushed, we are introduced to Spike who finds the number and then quickly uses it. He has a girlfriend who seems integral to the plot, then cast away suddenly. There is a guy who is sort of a reporter that seems to be important, but at the same time he doesn't. A teacher who seems inconsequential becomes a main character at the end. Editing that made me wonder what was going on at times. Spike, who seems to be the main character, disappears just as his cousin begins his killing spree and does not reappear till the final showdown. Still, loved the imagery especially at the end as Hoax (the cousin) has some interesting powers. Hoax is played by Stephen Geoffreys, best known as Evil from Fright Night. He is pretty much the same character, just a bigger nerd this time around.The film had some good moments and I liked it somewhat. Just needed work (a running theme in most horrors). They needed to either establish that teacher and reporter more or simply do not have them at all. They could have had Spike try to dig for further evidence or something. The ending though has some nice kills and effects, but it also has some pretty bad one liners. It is as if they were trying to make Hoax sound like Freddy Krueger at the end with the puns and such. I am glad I finally saw this one though, because now I can watch 976-EVIL II as I have that one in a collection of DVDs. I caught this one on Encore.
tdrish
First of all, I don't believe I have ever, and I mean EVER, seen a film in my life with as much smokers and smoking scenes, then in this movie. There was more smoke in the air then evil! It seemed like every scene revolved around a cigarette, a cigarette being lit, cigarette smoke lingering in the air, "You got a light?", even a cigarette smoked before the kill! Wow! As for the film itself, I don't believe I have ever, and I mean EVER, seen a film with so much nonsense that doesn't even explain itself. Fish falling from the sky? Really? This the best you got, England? Oh, yeah, Robert England is our director. Yeah, him, the guy who played Freddy. Maybe if we had one of the guys who played Jason as our director, we would have had a watchable flick. Well, to be fair, this flick isn't that bad. I mean, it's bad, but is it so bad, that you're reaching for a rope, and finding a good sturdy beam to hang yourself from? No. Not quite that bad. But it's bad. The film is what I would call a "train-wreck". You don't want to look, but you look. You cover your eyes, but you're peeking between your fingers. How much worse can this movie get? You find out quickly, it's for the worse. The story opens up with....okay, forget about the phone booth, let's talk about Hoax. Hoax is a teen, being bullied in school. He ends up getting hooked up onto one of those 976 numbers, remember those? Ahhhh, the 80's. Kids would call those numbers, and they thought it was for free. Ha ha! Now there's evil! So, he gets hooked up with this crazy phone number, and weird stuff starts happening, but it's working in his favor. So it seems. Will his evil phone number help him earn his charm with the girl who likes to smoke? Tune in, Tokyo, cause no one else is!! A few characters in the film are likable, but most are flat out annoying. Is it scary? Hardly. I mean, you can't just gather a bunch of unknown actors and actresses together, and think that you're going to put together the greatest horror flick of all time. It just doesn't work like that. However, 976-EVIL doesn't seem to aim for that mark, so that's not an issue. In fact, I'm not sure what the movie is really trying to tackle, other then the subject of school bullying, and finding a really jacked up way of resolving the problem. 976-EVIL, on the plus side, does have some great dialogue. For a horror flick, it's actually entertaining. However, the story line itself suffers so bad, that it makes the two 'oil and water', and this good point isn't enough to save the film from being anything more then a recipe for disaster. The dark humor, however, does bring it up a few notches, and to be honest, it's the only thing that saved me from giving this film 3 out of 10 stars. If you're looking for a dark humored horror movie, this film delivers the goods. Of course, it's stuff you shouldn't be laughing at, but let's just say if Hoax doesn't scare the heck out of you, he's bound to determined to crack you up laughing. Another annoying note: What is up with all of the overhead camera shots? I thought the director of photography was just a really tall person. Overhead shots, under head shots, it's just a disorganized mess, and yet it still manages to be entertaining enough to keep you watching. You're not really sure why, but you do. The violence and gore is kept to a minimum, making it close to a harmless movie for your kids to watch. ( I said 'close', that's up to you to decide.)
Woodyanders
Wimpy persecuted adolescent nerd Hoax (a sound and sympathetic performance by Stephen Geoffreys) gets connected to a powerful satanic force over the phone that enables him to exact a harsh revenge on all of his tormentors. Director Robert Englund, working from a derivative, but serviceable script by Rhet Topham and Brian Helgeland, relates the engrossing story at a steady pace, creates and sustains a pleasingly spooky atmosphere, delivers a satisfying smattering of splatter, takes time to develop the well-drawn characters in the first half before pulling out the thrilling stops for the more lively and eventful second half, and further spruces things up with a wickedly funny sense of pitch-black humor. The solid acting from the competent cast rates as another substantial asset: Pat O'Bryan makes for an appealingly scruffy punk anti-hero as Hoax's surly cousin Spike, Jim Metzler contributes a likable turn as meddlesome journalist Marty Palmer, Sandy Dennis almost steals the whole show with her marvelously flaky portrayal of Hoax's domineering and overprotective religious kook mother Aunt Lucy, the foxy Lezlie Deane burns up the screen as sassy and sexy bad girl Suzie, and J.J. Cohen jerks it up nicely as mean head bully Marcus. Robert Picardo has a regrettably small, yet sill nifty role as the sinister Mark Dark. Paul Elliot's stylish cinematography gives the picture a gnarly'n'funky garish look. The shivery score by Thomas Chase and Steve Rucker hits the moody'n'brooding spot.The special effects are pretty cheap and shoddy, but overall acceptable. An enormously fun fright flick.
