976-EVIL

Hoax is a socially isolated teenager who is picked on at school and overshadowed at home, where he lives with his domineering, deeply religious mother and his cousin Spike. When he comes across an advertisement for a telephone service that offers a daily "horrorscope," he calls the number and reaches a sinister voice on the other end. What begins as a curiosity turns into something far more dangerous: the line grants him supernatural abilities, and he starts using them against everyone who has humiliated or wronged him. Spike is left to confront what his cousin has become.

The film was released in December 1988 and marks the directorial debut of Robert Englund, who had already become widely recognized as an actor in the horror genre through his role as Freddy Krueger in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series. In this film, Englund shifts to directing rather than acting. The cast includes Stephen Geoffreys as Hoax, Patrick O'Bryan as Spike, Sandy Dennis as Aunt Lucy, Jim Metzler as Marty, Maria Rubell as Angela and Lezlie Deane as Suzie.

The screenplay was written by Brian Helgeland and Rhet Topham and produced by Lisa M. Hansen for New Line Cinema, CineTel Films and Horrorscope Productions. Around 30 credited cast and 98 credited crew members worked on the 92-minute film. It grossed about 3 million USD worldwide. On IMDb it holds a rating of 5.1/10 from roughly 6,700 votes, and on TMDB 5.3/10 from 156 votes, while film critics gave it 2.8/10 across 13 reviews, indicating a much harsher critical reception than the middling audience scores it has since received.