Synopsis

Anton Tobias is a directionless teenager whose possessed right hand develops a murderous will of its own. After it kills his parents and turns on his friends, Anton struggles to stop the rampage while dealing with police, supernatural forces, and the hand's increasingly bizarre schemes. His attempts to regain control create a chaotic blend of teen comedy, gore, slapstick, and horror.

Factoids & Trivia

• Christopher Hart, who performs the murderous hand, also played Thing in The Addams Family (1991).

• An elaborate finale set in a school swimming pool was filmed but replaced after test audiences felt it did not match the movie's tone. The original pool ending remains available as an alternate version on DVD.

• The film opened in the United States on April 30, 1999, only ten days after the Columbine High School massacre. Columbia Pictures considered delaying the release, and some theaters, particularly in Colorado, chose not to show it.

• Idle Hands was a major box-office disappointment, earning roughly $4.2 million against a reported budget of approximately $20-25 million. Despite its initial failure, it later developed a cult following.

• The Offspring perform at the Halloween dance, while guitarist Tom DeLonge appears in a brief fast-food restaurant cameo. Other music-related appearances include Blink-182 connections in the cast and soundtrack-era production.

• The school gym used for the Halloween dance had also appeared in Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) and Jawbreaker (1999).

• Parts of the movie were filmed in the same neighborhood used for Halloween (1978).

• The title refers to the proverb "idle hands are the Devil's playthings," which fits the film's idea of laziness becoming a literal supernatural threat.