Films: 976-Evil (1988), 976-Evil 2: The Astral Factor (1991)
Alias: Mark Dark, Hoax, Stephen Grubeck
Type: Mystical
Location: Civilized area
Height/Weight: That of average humans.
Affiliation: Evil
Summary: The key to ultimate power over those who wronged you is just a phone call away now! Just hope that you're prepared to give everything for it. That's just how demonic deals work.
History: Mark Dark is the host of 976-Evil, a HORRORscope-providing phone service that preys on the weakness of its caller. Whether it's the wimpy nerd Hoax or the maniacal stalker/dean Stephen Grubeck, this service gives them all the power they need to kill off those they don't like.
Notable Kills: Grubeck traps a woman in a horrid mishmash between "Night of the Living Dead" and "It's a Wonderful Life", while Hoax kills a couple people and brings their beating hearts to a poker game.
Final Fate: Hoax's cousin Spike is forced to cast him into Hell after the evil goes too far, and only manages to kill Grubeck after dying and becoming just as powerful as him. The service is still out there, waiting to possess another...at least until the 900 area code swoops in and replaces the 976 exchange. Whoops.
Powers/Abilities: The service provides the wicked with seemingly unlimited powers, though Grubeck specialized in astral projection.
Weakness: Anything conventional for Hoax, but Grubeck can only be killed by another astral being.
Scariness Factor: 4.5-Woe to those one the list of anyone who uses this phone number. Hoax and Grubeck are horrifyingly creative in how they off those they hate. Hoax is only slightly sympathetic while Grubeck is just a complete monster. Fortunate how phones have changed now.
Trivia: -Back in the 80s, there was an interesting trend in which phone numbers linked to pop culture icons (including He-Man and Freddy Krueger of all people) that promised interesting stories in exchange for a small fee. Thankfully, none of them gave people evil powers.
-Speaking of Freddy, the first of these films was the directorial debut of Robert Englund.
