976-Evil [1988] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Customer Reviews:

A CHEESY GOOD TIME.......2007-08-08

Receiving a strange calling card, Spike, (Patrick O'Bryan) starts acting up in front of Aunt Lucy, (Sandy Dennis) and her son Hoax, (Stephen Geoffreys) his cousin. When he begins to call the line, a horoscope line, and have it's predictions come true, he begins to feel invincible, eventually driving girlfriend Suzie, (Lezlie Deane) into his cousin's hands. Realizing the same thing is happening to him by going through the phone line, he starts to stand up for himself more often and eventually becomes possessed by the need to stay on the line. When a spate of violent murders occurs and is blamed on one of them gaining the Satanic powers through the line, the survivors ban together to defeat the possessed before they take out the entire town.

The Good News: This is one of the cheesiest films of it's time. The fact that most of this is taken up by the general tone in terms of plot is the greatest indicator. There's almost nothing in here that makes any real sense at all, and yet the film plays out pretty nicely and comes off as a mildly interesting experience with some entertainment value. The very idea of it's central premise, being invested of Satanic powers through a horoscope hot-line is pretty goofy, and there are certain scenes here that play off that goofiness with gusto. The second poker game held during the rampage, the bathroom stalking and the last half hour are perfect examples, as they should not be taken seriously and yet come across as perfectly serious during it's time. This is just a great cheesy film all the way around. The deaths in here aren't that bad either, with a couple of really slick scratch marks across the face, hearts ripped out, a lopped off hand, glass shards shoved in the face and being blown up and set on fire in a phone booth, among others out there. While not a huge amount in terms of body count, the ones that are there do really make somewhat of an impression. The film's at its best at the last half hour, which is where all the fun really starts to happen. The body count picks up, things start happening for once, and we get the highlight, where the possessed individual crashes a poker game with a simply marvelous pun that shouldn't work but does. The trip through the frozen house is ably chilling, contains a few nice suspense sequences and features a really nice jump at the end. There's also a demented streak with the series of actions presented that must be fought through that gives it a little extra investment. The big selling point with the film, though, is going to be it's cheese factor.

The Bad News: There wasn't a whole lot against this one. One of the biggest detriments, which is also it's greatest asset, is the high amount of cheese on display. While it makes the film a lot of fun, the fact is that it makes it appealing only to those who enjoy that in their films. For those who want it more serious, the cheese here will make it a lot harder to get into. The central premise is a little hard to swallow, the joke-filled nature of it drags it down slightly, and the biggest drawback is the tone given to the film. There's a bluish hue surrounding most of the film that gives it a low-budget feel and really does make it a little tougher to sit through. The other big problem against it is a slow beginning. This is a necessity to build it up, but to make the first forty minutes of it so uneventful beyond setting up angles to play off later is a problem to overcome. Though not as prominent as the cheese factor, it still hurts it to a degree.

The Final Verdict: While it's not high art, it's a cheese-packed time waster that serves as fine entertainment for those who enjoy these kinds of films. Recommended to those who love these types of films, while those that like them a little more serious should avoid it all together or at least use caution with it.

bare bones disc.......2004-02-17

This version is released by Digital Entertainment which were taken over by Anchor Bay a few years ago, thank god.

The picture quality is know better than the old video copy, and they have cut some gore out of it, i'ts when a lad gets his hand cut off.

Full frame format, no surround sound.

The film is about some young guy who get's picked on all the time, but when he finds a phone number 976evil he gains evil powers and takes revenge, he also has a crazy mother.

It stars Geoffrey Stephens who was in Fright Night, but he now makes gay porn movies, must have got sick of horror.

The film is fun, but they should have released it uncut and spent more time with the transfer.

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