disgusting, overrated, pointless

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

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.

Saw this sequel and while not incredibly terrible, it was inferior to 976-Evil. There are aspects of the plot here that are better, but there is a cheapness to the whole thing too. One can tell that they did not have the budget they had in the first film. There was also way too much that was established in the first film that is ignored during this one. It is a sequel, it does use the same phone service and Spike does return; however, Spike seems like a totally different character now (though he is played by the same actor) and the whole thing just seems a bit generic in a way.The story has a Dean or a principal being arrested for a rash of killings and a kill at the beginning of the film. I say Dean or principal due to the fact the school they show seems like a high school, but they seem to infer it is a college. Lockers and nurses who yammer that you should be in class seem more out of high school to me. Well, Spike is headed for the town, determined to stop the killings and the strange 976 number...remember when they revealed the operator dude at the end of the first film was in on it? Well, if you did, you remember more than the writers of this one as this aspect is ignored completely. Instead, the dean or whatever, uses astral projection to kill those that try to persecute him.The film misses the mark, more so than the first film. It basically needs more work than did the first one to make it better. I liked the idea behind it, but I would have preferred they followed a bit more of the story of the first film. Astral projection killer, somewhat cool. Multiple off screen deaths...not so cool. I do believe the off screen death count was higher than the on screen one. They did some good things, but this sequel seems almost rushed despite four years in between films, it does seem cheaper and to many issues with the story tying it with the first film. That "It's a Wonderful Life" meets "Night of the Living Dead" kill was pretty cool though.

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.

Spike (Pat O'Bryan) survives the events of the first film and now roams the countryside on his motorcycle. Why? We're not completely sure, but he does end up in a town where a college Dean has been abusing the 976- EVIL hot line and killing young girls. He is arrested but uses Astral Projection to leave his cell and continue to stalk Robin (Debbie James), the sheriff's daughter who has teamed up with Spike. This sequel is a strange creature. It makes an effort to connect with the first film, but feels completely like a random horror script they forced the 976 concept onto. Director Jim Wynorski handles it well enough and gets bonus points for some really WTF? moments (the biggest one being George "Buck" Flower getting obliterated by a semi). Crazed stunt coordinator Spiro Razatos delivers two pretty spectacular car crash bits. One of them (a girl in a runaway, possessed car) features a few shots where I think the actress really feared for her life and Wynorski has recycled this footage many times. The film's biggest plus is a genuinely creative bit where a character is zapped into a mash up of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (both in public domain at the time). And you thought James Stewart was never in a Wynorski film. Bridgette Nielsen has a small cameo as a Satanic book shop owner and Philip McKeon of ALICE fame is a deputy.