THURSDAY, MAY 6, 1999

Bloodthirsty 'Hands' go on dangerous prowl

By Rachelle Imson

On-Line Forty-Niner

Evil spirits will find work for idle hands to do and in "Idle Hands," these fingers - itchy for murder - go on the prowl for a partner, or rather body in crime. What they find is an utterly clueless 17-year-old slacker named Anton (Devon Sawa).

Anton wakes up Halloween morning to discover - after a little channel surfing and perusing the contents of the fridge, oblivious to the pool of blood on the floor - that his lovable mom and dad have been turned into a couple of headless decorations.

A prime candidate for "America's Most Wasted," he meets up with equally irresponsible friends, Mick (Seth Green) and Pnub (Elden Henson), for their favorite pastime: tokin' reefer.

While hanging out with Mick and Pnub, Anton, who opts for the Cartoon Network over the evening news, learns of several recent murders that has their hometown of Bolan scratching its head and shaking in its boots. As they piece together clues, Anton discovers that he may be responsible; apparently, his right hand has a bloodthirsty mind of its own, and it is hell-bent on wreaking deadly havoc with or without him.

After taking out his two best friends, Debi, the hand slayer, has been racing across the country following a trail of suspicious events - which lead right to Northern California and the town of Bolan.

The forces of high and evil face off in a showdown of cool comedy with an offbeat edge in "Idle Hands."

In the teen horror movie genre, audiences have watched evil mothers, evil nightmares and evil houses. The hand is untapped territory, not counting Thing from "The Adams Family," of course.