976-EVIL

It almost doesn't feel right watching 976-EVIL at 4:45 in the afternoon on a Sunday, Robert Englund's little horror comedy seems more fitting for a late Friday night. Towards the end of the 80s, Englund had worked with various directors during the Nightmare on Elm Street series, and I'm pretty sure the itch to make his own film become too irresistible. He had certainly built up enough horror cred as Freddy Kreuger to get his chance, and here is his reward for becoming a household name at the horror of parents everywhere. 

Stephen Geoffreys had become primarily associated with Fright Night to horror fans, but his geeky nature was only about to get him so far in the genre. As a young actor, he had this nervy tremor in his voice and a meek appearance, this pothead grin and a seemingly engaging personality. He had a smallish frame which seemed just right for the roles of the nerdy bully-victim (as the case was in this film) or wise-cracking tag-along buddy (as was the case in Fright Night). Here Geoffreys is given the star treatment, and he does slowly transform from lowly, mistreated dork (a gaggle of obnoxious punks in school commit the usual antagonistic acts, taking lunch money from timid, easily-intimidated kids, enforcing their will on the weaker among them...) to a confident menace singling out those who tormented him, the victim becomes the bully.

Kevin Yagher's make-up studio is behind the special effects, including the demonic hands and face for Geoffreys. The movie was released through New Line Cinema, no surprise really considering Englund's successful association with the company, but the budget indeed appears quite low and the director looked to have had to cut corners numerous times (turn away from impaling a punk on a devil's fork, carefully not showing the actual scratch of a face but just the result, a severed hand done off camera, an annoying character gets her neck sliced away from the camera, the trick of using blood spatter applied, etc) in order to deliver a movie at the production available to him.

Sally Dennis from Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? fame is the grating religious fanatical mother of Geoffreys, always quoting scripture, finger pointing, and demanding her son and his cousin, played by a smart-aleck Patrick 'OBryan (under her guardianship until he turns 21) behave like morally upright boys, obedient and respectful. It is Englund's satiric jab at those addicted to Jim and Tammy Bakker, but instead of funny she's just aggravating and insufferable. Thankfully, her appearances in scenes are short, so at least her unwelcome presence doesn't last long.

O'Bryan is, at first, set up as a type of anti-hero. He's not likable in the least. Gambles away his money to the punks, thumbs his nose towards Geoffreys even if he halts the poor guy's face-toilet swim, and wears this "Look how cool I am in my jacket and on my harley" persona that only puncuates how much of a prick wannabe James Dean he is. Almost by default, he's the hero. The film introduces two other characters who meet through a phone hotline company while investigating the source of the 976-Evil, Jim Metzler and Maria Rubell, mainly servicing the film as potential victims when hell literally opens and freezes inside Geoffreys' house! O'Bryan isn't exactly warm and fuzzy with a girlfriend, played by Leslie Deane (dressed as Madonna, with plenty of "f-u, I'm a bad, bad girl" attitude), preferring to gamble with the punks instead of watching a movie with her (he had already porked her, so his desire to hang around with her afterward lacks motivation). Geoffreys sneaks into O'Bryan's crib, steals Deane's panties, and later meets her outside the movie theater (she's obviously pissed at her man's lack of care, needing someone to lament to). Her fate doesn't end well thanks to an innate fear of spiders and stirring Geoffrey's anger when the punks rear their ugly heads in a diner.

I don't figure this movie will really satisfy horror fans in general. It is more of a curio, particularly because of Englund's directing it and Geoffreys starring in it. I wish there was more "bang for the buck" meaning that with Yagher's association, you'd think more elaborate make-up effects, some primo gore might find its way into the movie. No dice. I would definitely have rented this during the VHS movie rental days, because Geoffreys was like a cult figure to young horror fans thanks to Fright Night. While more mature horror fans at the time it came out weren't as won over and members of the new generation normally consider it overrated, Fright Night resonated with all of my buddies. It just did.