NEW YEAR’S EVIL (1980) Evaluations and overview [updated]

‘Don’t dare make New Yr’s resolutions… until you propose to stay!’
New Yr’s Evil is a 1980 American horror slasher movie directed by Emmett Alston (Demonwarp) from a screenplay written by Leonard Neubauer for Cannon Movies (The Godsend; Doctor Heckyl and Mr. Hype; Schizoid).

The film stars Roz Kelly (Curse of the Black Widow; Full Moon Excessive), Kip Niven (Night time Gallery; Comedy of Horrors; 1996’s Summer time of Concern), Chris Wallace (Don’t Answer the Phone!), Grant Cramer (Killer Klowns from Outer Space; Auntie Lee’s Meat Pies; Santa Claws), Luisa Moritz (Demise Race 2000), Jed Mills (Kiss Daddy Goodbye; The Creature Wasn’t Nice), Taaffe O’Connell (Galaxy of Terror; Dismembered), Jon Greene (Don’t Answer the Phone! Schizoid; Maniac Cop).

The soundtrack rating was composed by W. Michael Lewis and Laurin Rinder.

Plot:
New Yr’s Eve is imminent and tv’s most well-known “punk rock” woman icon, Diane Sullivan (or Blaze as her followers name her), is holding a late-night countdown celebration of music and partying.

All goes nicely till Diane receives a telephone name from an odd-sounding stranger claiming his identify is Evil, who broadcasts on stay tv that when the clock strikes twelve in every time zone, a ‘Naughty Woman’ can be punished (murdered), then the killer indicators off with a menace claiming that Diane would be the final ‘Naughty Woman’ to be punished.

The studio crew takes security measures and heightens safety, however within the native insane asylum, a nurse is discovered viciously slaughtered on the stroke of midnight EST. The killer data his victims as he murders them and calls again the station every time taking part in the tapes again to show he’s severe. There are numerous suspects as to who the mysterious killer/caller is; a crazed fan, a spiritual psychotic, or possibly it’s somebody a lot nearer to Diane than anybody might have ever anticipated…

Our overview [contains spoilers]:
While delving into the archives of the late Roger Ebert, a outstanding, much-liked American movie critic/creator with a Lord Longford-type marketing campaign towards anti-woman slasher-horror movies (although he vastly admired the unique Halloween, with no apologies for doing so), I used to be very shocked that he was a tiny bit variety to New Yr’s Evil, complimenting its “quaint qualities.” I couldn’t let you know what these had been. Maybe precise butter served on the popcorn he ate on the cinema and never margarine?

Image in any other case may be very humdrum thriller from the veritable infancy of knife-kill horror movies (if reminiscence serves, a mere 1,000,000,000,000 of them had been launched in 1980), leaping on the twin bandwagon of “new wave” music and bloody deaths tied not directly to holidays. It’s New Yr’s Eve in Hollywood. “First Woman of Rock” vocalist/ broadcast persona Diane `Blaze’ Sullivan (Roz Kelly) hosts a TV dance-concert into the night time. Viewers are tipped off early that – and provides the script a tiny quantity of credit score for anticipating Scream on this regard – not less than two psychos are working in live performance to disrupt the occasion and outfox police and safety, as one of many masked madmen (Kip Niven) guarantees to kill victims because the New Yr is marked over the three US time zones.

In the long run (which factors in direction of a mercifully unmade sequel), the killers’ motivations are alarmingly mundane and, sure, purely and easily misogynist. Maybe Mr. Ebert appreciated that the script didn’t beat across the bush about it.

Contemplating that even schlock similar to My Bloody Valentine and Promenade Night time by some means earned costly remakes down the road, while New Yr’s Evil, holding much less nostalgia worth, languished within the VHS morgue – likely homicidally jealous of 1980 rival Terror Practice, which additionally utilized New Yr’s Eve as a backdrop (and will flaunt its scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis). Director Emmett Alston right here reveals a little bit of cheek by setting a chase scene by a drive-in displaying a marathon of H.G. Lewis classic splatter motion pictures. However that’s about essentially the most creativeness the manufacturing reveals. Not even the punk/new wave musical interludes protect a lot worth for posterity.
Charles Cassady Jr, MOVIES and MANIA

Different evaluations:
“The routine affair appears interminable, drawn-out as it’s by the would-be punk numbers on the present.” The Aurum Movie Encyclopedia: Horror

“New Yr’s Evil is a slasher that delivers some surprising presents. It has the unmistakable early 80’s Cannon Movies really feel and a few characters who’re an actual hoot.” Cinema Du Meep

” …a significantly goofy slasher movie, punctuated with too-long songs and laugh-out-loud lapses in character and filmmaker judgment. In different phrases, it’s an ideal movie to observe in a bunch, ideally with loads of beer available. It might be extra of a footnote in horror movie historical past than a real basic, however it’s actually enjoyable and nicely value a glance.” Film Monthly

“Niven makes for an unsettling, Mercedes-driving, psychotically laughing middle-class misogynist and, within the movie’s most generically slasher film sequence, will get to stalk a blonde teen who has been indulging in a bout of topless groping at a drive-in displaying of Blood Feast. The elevator shaft climax is tense, and, though the main target is unusually on the killer, Kelly makes for a flawed, credible heroine.” Horrorscreams Videovault

Purchase: Blu-ray | DVD – Amazon.com

Blu-ray | DVD – Amazon.co.uk

“Whereas I agree the movie is “barely competent”, this isn’t the form of film you overview for Oscar-quality execution. Most significantly, we have to bear in mind: Dangerous doesn’t essentially equal unenjoyable. I’m right here to let you know find out how to take pleasure in New Yr’s Evil and all it has to supply. Droop your disbelief. Embrace the B-movie cheesery. Embrace the cheese. New Yr’s Evil is hilarious.” Killer Horror Critic

“There are a number of good scenes, however an excessive amount of padding, and though the killer is meant to be driving throughout to different time zones, he seems to have gone no additional than the tip of the block, 100 yards or so from the final killing. Anybody anticipating new wave music is prone to be disenchanted, because the bands have extra in frequent with Wishbone Ash than the Psychedelic Furs. Not a foul film – it’s entertaining sufficient, and never as tacky as some from the identical period.” Jim Harper, Legacy of Blood

Purchase Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca

“These had been early days for the rising slasher craze and the method that might very quickly take form was nonetheless present process a technique of fine-tuning, which on this occasion meant there was a noticeable lack of gore and nudity. Nevertheless, for all its failings, Alston’s low-budget movie definitely entertained because it juxtaposed an eighties rock rating with a collection of contrived killings, performed out to the darkest of unintentional comedy.” Peter Normanton, The Mammoth Ebook of Slasher Motion pictures

Purchase The Mammoth Ebook of Slasher Motion pictures – Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.com

“The movie begins off on a bitter word with a very cold, off-screen kill behind a bathe curtain. Nevertheless, the remaining handle to search out the digital camera’s eye (even when solely barely). The scares are nil, and a part of the reason being that plenty of scenes simply don’t make a heck of plenty of sense.” Oh, the Horror!

“New Yr’s Evil is an endangered species – a plain, old style, gory thriller. It isn’t excellent. It’s typically unpleasantly bloody. The plot is dumb and the twist on the finish has been borrowed from a whole bunch if not hundreds of different motion pictures. However as thrillers go today, New Yr’s Evil is a throwback to an older and less complicated custom, one which flourished means again within the dimly remembered previous, earlier than 1978.” Roger Ebert

“Whereas this film isn’t in in the slightest degree scary it’s packed to the gills with early eighties goofiness. A great deal of scenes of dancing ‘punkers’ pads the film out to characteristic size whereas Kip Niven’s weird efficiency because the ‘eeev-villl’ serial killer on the unfastened is extra comical than it’s scary. Most of this has extra to do with the script than together with his efficiency however he’s undoubtedly deserving of a few of the blame. The film is enjoyable although – there are a few reasonably attention-grabbing kills…” Rock! Shock! Pop!

“You’ll be scrambling for the ahead button if you see the punk band on the present carry out dreadful songs which solely appear designed to pad the film out. Poor Kelly (Pinky Tuscadero from Completely satisfied Days). She tries her finest, however contemplating the idiocy of the premise, she’s not left with a lot to work with. Of curiosity most likely just for slasher completists…and even then it gives minimal satisfaction.” The Terror Trap

“New Yr’s Evil, regardless of missing in conventional gore and nudity, has a number of issues that set it aside; its pretty intelligent premise, its city setting, an antagonist with extra in frequent with a daily previous serial killer (he’s a very common man who charms his victims, and has an easy MO) than a standard slasher, and it additionally has a badass soundtrack.” TV Tropes

“New Yr’s Evil is boring and virtually goreless. Worst of all, it has a miserable streak of misogyny operating by it – with a prolonged diatribe by ‘Evil’ about why all ladies are sluts and have to be punished.” J.A. Kerswell, Teenage Wasteland: The Slasher Film Uncut

Purchase Teenage Wasteland guide – Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk

“This strictly paint-by-numbers effort is additional sabotaged by the grating, so-called punk rock performances–really heavy steel–that pad out the operating time.” TV Guide

“There’s an OK plot twist about 2/3 of the best way by New Yr’s Evil that will make it value a search for a few of you, however actually there’s nothing right here you haven’t seen earlier than. The killer is type of weak (he wears lame disguises and talks by a kazoo whereas making his telephone calls) and the murders are principally cold.” The Video Vacuum

“What New Yr’s Evil actually seems like is a classic made-for-TV film spiced up with a few temporary breast photographs and flashes of gore. I wouldn’t be shocked if it was an unsold script given some hasty rewrites to try to make the most of the surprising success of Halloween and Friday the thirteenth.” 1.5 out of 5, Voices from the Balcony

MOVIES and MANIA ranking:

For YouTube evaluations, content material and extra film data click on the web page 2 hyperlink beneath

MOVIES and MANIA gives an aggregated vary of movie evaluations from all kinds of credited sources, plus our personal evaluations and scores, in a single useful net location. We’re a genuinely unbiased web site and rely solely on the minor earnings generated by web adverts to remain on-line and develop. Please assist us by not blocking adverts. When you do block adverts please think about making a small donation to our operating prices as an alternative. We might actually recognize it. Thanks. As an Amazon Affiliate, the proprietor sometimes earns a small quantity from qualifying linked purchases.
 
 

Associated