everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

This is one of the scariest movies I have ever seen. It has a great story line. It also has great acting. If it does not scary you no movie will. This is scarier then A Nightmare on elm street. I give it 10 out of 10

Receiving a strange calling card, a teen living with his cousin realize that a growing obsession with the horoscope line after it's predictions come true realize he's gained Satanic powers through the line and when a spate of violent murders occurs they ban together to stop him.For the most part, this here wasn't all that bad. One of the main elements to this one is the fact that this is one of the cheesiest films of it's time, as most of this is taken up by the general tone of the plot. The very idea of it's central premise, being invested of Satanic powers through a horoscope hot-line is pretty goofy, and yet there are certain scenes here that play off that goofiness with gusto here as the action of that occurring is where this one really gets enjoyable. The opening stalking scene of the victim being blown up and set on fire in a phone booth, having the spiders in the oven- dinner, the bathroom stalking when he's possessed taking out the gang- members who bullied him and the second poker game held during the rampage are perfect examples of the cheesiness throughout here, as they should not be taken seriously and yet come across as perfectly serious during it's time. As well, the film's at its best at the last half hour, which is where all the fun really starts to happen since the body count picks up and we get the highlight with the trip through the frozen house is ably chilling as it contains a few nice suspense sequences and features a really nice jump at the end in addition to the big final confrontation that works rather nicely. Alongside the fine gore for the kills and the great cheese here, these are the film's positive points as 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. Likewise, the rather confusing narrative doesn't help this by seemingly introducing characters here for no real reason and letting them survive as they do is a little surprising, which doesn't really do the film many favors either, and all told these here are the film's biggest issues.Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Nudity, a brief sex scene and drug use.

Hoax (Stephen Geofferys) is a painfully shy teenager, who gets harassed by a group of thugs (led by J.J. Cohen) in High School and suffers at home with his overly religious mother (Sandy Dennis). The only thing that Hoax looks up to his good-hearted punk cousin Spike (Patrick O'Bryan), who lives next-door to him. When Spike finds an phone number in a card from the magazine, he was reading. Which it's a horror-scope that predicts horrible things in the near future. When Spike finds himself saved by a undercover police detective (Jim Metzler). Which a car nearly run Spike over but no one was driving the car. Which this detective is trying the investigate the bizarre deaths that involves the mysterious phone number from the horror-scope. Which these unfortunate victims called that number. When Hoax decides to call the number for the hell of it, he comes intriguing with the black magic and he finds himself seduced by the unimaginative powers from the horror-scope he calls. Now Hoax uses the power from the phone number he called giving him and he uses it for revenge.Directed by Robert Englund made an fairly entertaining horror/thriller with elements of fantasy. Which the premise is somewhat familiar, especially for those who seen "Brian De Palma's Carrie" and "Evilspeak". I have to admit, this movie starts out very badly. I almost lose interest in the story but it slowly improves. Especially when it's focuses on Hoax's character. Englund shows some unexpected flair behind the camera with some decent imaginative special effects and good make-up effects work, despite it's low-budget showing. The performances are better than average. The script by Oscar-Winning:Brain Helgeland (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4:The Dream Master, L.A. Confidential, Payback) and Rhet Topham (Trick or Treat) is confusing at times and the odd-ball dark humour doesn't always work. Still, horror fans will enjoy it. The directorial debut by Englund is not bad (Who best known playing Freddy Krueger in the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" series). Robert Picardo (Who always has scene-stealing performances in Joe Dante movies) is memorable in his cameo as Mark Dark. Followed by a Sequel. (** ½/*****).

In "976-EVIL," Satan's on the line and if you value your soul, you better not pick up. Or so it goes in this lame-brained horror flick directed by Mr. Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund, which includes a script written by Brian Helgeland and Rhet Topham. With Englund's first time behind the camera, you would expect something truly unique or at least something close to being even remotely frightening like "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (1984), but when things get interesting "976-EVIL" devolves into typical slasher/possession stuff and thus joins the ranks of so many other "B" horror movies from the 1980s.The movie at least has an inventive premise: dialing the title phone number puts you on a hot line with the Devil himself. A creepy voice (Englund) on the other end gives you some advice (your "horror-scope") and it pays off, but usually at a price: your soul.Teenage biker-punk Spike (Patrick O'Neal), an indebted gambler, is able to use the words of wisdom bestowed upon him and break free of his poker habit before the hot line's influence has a chance to truly take hold of him. His cousin, shy and repressed Hoax ("Evil Ed" Stephen Geoffreys), isn't so lucky. Bullied and unlucky with the ladies, he dials 976-EVIL and before you know it, the otherwise good boy with good morals goes from fundamentalist Christian to practicing Satanist in the time it takes for you to dial that evil number. Now a full-fledged psychopath possessed by the Devil, he soon starts growing jet-black fingernails and scales and speaking in an ever-creepy Satanic voice who has a tendency of dropping painfully unfunny one-liners that mostly fall flat on their face.Of course with a title like "976-EVIL," you could only expect the worst from this horror movie. The film starts off good, with one unlucky caller meeting their demise, and then the main characters are introduced but once the scares start coming, it all falls apart. But even then, it takes almost forever for that to even start.Geoffreys, a regular in '80s horror movies like 1985's "Fright Night," seems almost pitch-perfect as the shy kid who stood to gain some confidence with Satanic powers, but comes off instead as another rejected nerd-turned-braindead screen slasher who goes on a murderous rampage against his tormentors. There is one particularly creepy sequence where he's able to manifest a spider TV dinner upon one unfortunate victim. We should have expected better from Mr. Englund and as expected, we got less. And Joe Dante regular Robert Picardo also appears as Mark Dark, the manager of a sleazy phone-sex operation."976-EVIL" - Hang up, fast!3/10