We all know Robert Englund from his stint as the five-fingered frightmonger of our dreams (and yes, the First Lady of Fright's dreams, don't ask), but how many of you remember his first (and at the time only) foray into feature length film? I'd have to imagine that there are a great many of you out there that remember the work but not the maker, as it caught me by surprise as well when his name popped up on the opening credits!
Spike (Patrick O'Bryan) is a bad boy; Harley, pony tail, beer drinking, smoking, the works. Spike lives next door to his cousin Hoax (Stephen Geoffrys — everybody mutter with me now "Ooh, that guy from Fright Night! Who, uh... went on to do a whole lot of gay porn evidently!"), the mild-mannered and nerdy boy who everybody loves to pick on. Hoax's mom is a bible-beating woman who cannot comprehend what has led Spike to his depraved ways while she sits on his family inheritence, spending it as she sees fit until Spike turns 18.
Spike also has a gambling problem and he's a bit down on his luck. Fed up with his harpy of an aunt and his bumbling cousin Hoax constantly harshing his gig, he's feeling pretty down and out of sorts. While flipping through a magazine one night he finds a card advertising free 'Horrorscopes' of the 1-800 variety. Figuring what the heck, he decides to give the hotline a call and see what it's all about. Generic horroscopes spew out, he shrugs, Spike continues on as usual.
Figuring it was mindless fun, Spike continues to call day after day until one night, the hotline tries to get him to steal a pair of biker gloves. Deciding he wasn't quite the thug he thought he was, he opts out on the shoplifting. When the hotline calls him back urging him on and eventually attempting to kill him with a runaway Camaro, he starts to think something's up. Cue Hoax. Hoax is watching Spike and his awfully cute Cindi Lauper-inspired girlfriend (Lezlie Dean) going at it through his telescope. When Spike and Awfully Cute head out to the local cineplex, Hoax decides to plunder the room for any leftover treasures. (He saw London, he saw France, he found Suzie's underpants!)
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