The scant few teenagers who went to see "976-EVIL" in 1989 probably had no idea who Sandy Dennis was (just as the kids who first saw "Carrie" didn't know who Piper Laurie was), but the veteran actress manages to bring a few minutes of class to an otherwise lousy, fifth-rate screamer about a nerdy high school kid acquiring demonic powers from a satanic phone number. Amateurish mishmash, derivative and grimy, marked the directorial debut of Freddy Krueger himself, Robert Englund. Englund offers precious little originality, but he does let Dennis strut her stuff in an amusing, fanatical supporting bit heavily reminiscent of Piper Laurie's religious mama from "Carrie". * from ****
Review of 976-EVIL
