976-EVIL II (1992)

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

976-Evil II: Directed by the infamous Jim Wynorski and written by Erik Anjou and Rick Glassman.This is the sequel to the directorial debut of one Robert Englund. The original was a fun horror movie that I watched a long time ago late night. A big fan of the Freddy movies, I was naturally enticed to check it out. I was not disappointed. Now we come to the sequel directed by the infamous Jim Wynorski. If you watched any no budget horror films, you'll know this man's name and his work before he jumped into the no budget softcore porn market. I have to say this is a fairly solid movie at least in terms of being able to follow things and understanding character motivations. The villain oddly enough considering the times we're in is a lecherous serial killing dean of a community college. He has found the dreaded hotline that gives you powers from beyond the grave. When he is caught and arrested, he uses his new found powers along with his knowledge of astral projection to get back at those trying to stand between him and the student he desperately wants to be with. More than a little creepy and gross. We're still in the realm of supernatural killers left over from Elm Street's hey day. He has the quips. He has the kooky special effects and the somewhat clever kills fitting each character's personality quirks. It is a breezy film with the usual requisite flaws that adult characters have when it comes to believing the weirdness. Much like Prom Night 2, this is another whatever film. It comes and goes and doesn't bother you much when watching it. You'll forget about it as soon as it's done. It pales in comparsion to the original but it's a pretty decent Jim Wynorski movie. I give this movie a D.

965-EVIL II: THE ASTRAL FACTOR is a cheap and cheerful sequel to the original movie, to which it is loosely connected. The story is about an evil telephone (I know) which possesses an evil teacher with the power to return from the grave. He then returns to terrorise our blonde heroine, gradually rotting away but seemingly immortal and endowed with superhuman strength.There's little to say about this low rent production which was shot by B-movie stalwart Jim Wynorski. The plot is heavily indebted to that of THE TERMINATOR but it lacks that movie's drive and focus, and the action scenes are limited. The villain's one-liners also recall A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET sequel, with which this has much in common, it's just cheaper. Fans of tacky cinema might get a kick out of it, but it's hardly profound.

This sequel has the survivor from the first tracking down a serial killer who is apparently using the 976-evil line to gain demonic powers. The thing is with this story is he isn't really becoming demonic as the character in the first film was. Yeah he shows signs of it but it isn't the same kind of way. More or less he uses astral projection. Almost a different story with the 976-Evil name on it. For straight to video it isn't bad really. Its true claim to fame for horror fans is one scene that steals the movie.That being one of the characters is zapped into the TV and is put into a situation that begins as Its a Wonderful Life and turns into Night of the Living Dead. Such a clever combination and it works so well. Its an idea that's good and executed well but belongs in a better movie. Other than that you have a few car explosions and people being ran over and a few death scenes. Also has a fairly interesting ending which especially at that time you didn't see a lot. Acting wise its your standard low budget actors and nobody is really "phoning " it in. There are also a couple of cameos and a sign to a play that most horror fans will get and understand. So its not great but its not bad either. The wonder life/living dead scene is a show stealer but the movie is average at best.

If you're not familiar with the first film from 1988, it starred Stephen Geoffreys (had a notable role in 1985's Fright Night) as a bullied youth who dials 976-Evil and receives supernatural powers that turn him into a demon; Splendid 80's creature horror that couldn't have been better. This remake does not maintain substantial continuity nor does Geoffreys return to reprise his role. Patrick O'Bryan does return to fulfill his role of Spike, however – the cousin to the main character of the first film. A college student by name of Robin discovers that her dean, Mr. Grubek, is accused of being the Slate River Killer – a deranged killer responsible for murdering other young females. By submitting his will to the mysterious voice over the phone, Grubek is given the power of astral projection (that is to say, he can leave his body at will and still perform certain tasks). After witnessing another girl's death at the hands of Grubek, Robin learns the secrets of the phone line with the aid of Spike - a man all-too-familiar with how powerful and dangerous it can be.Whoever said this movie was better than the first installment was a lunatic. I should have known this sequel was going to fall flat on its face. It was a straight-to-VHS release and just based on visuals alone anyone can draw that conclusion. There's no charm to be found in its weak attempt at black humor either; it's just lame all-around. I can't think of one likable thing about this film – not one! The makeup is pitiful in comparison to the first and all of the actors do a lackluster job (specifically one of the police officers who's on watch duty – I hope someone wrote him after that performance and told him to quit forever, or else).The cheapness that encompasses the production value speaks volumes. I'd only agree to watch this movie on the premise that it was background filler and I was pre-occupied with something more important. Being that it was only important for me to watch this once, I don't expect to view it ever again – but whenever I get that feeling of satisfaction within me, and I let a bad title remain in my past, it always manages to find a way creep back in. So, with that said, this probably won't be the last time I see you, 976-Evil II.In passing, it mentions Joe Bob Briggs on a wall advertisement. This was obviously intentional, as Joe Bob's Drive-in Theater was shown regularly on television at the time – a show in which Joe Bob (John Bloom) would provide trivia and humorous critiques of B-rated movies. He later expanded upon this format and shifted his focus to straight-to-VHS horror movies. It was basically like giving permission to ridicule the film on account of how terrible it was. I have no idea what to make of the ending. No idea at all. I'm all for nontraditional endings that don't have to end happily, but COME ON. Is that what you call a twist? I call that, "I tripped over something that was laying on the floor and fell against a wall, then proceeded to fall end-over-end down a long spiral staircase, rendering me unconscious upon impact." Don't waste your time with this one and heed my warning.