User reviews

Punks lead us to the biggest New Year's bash going on to bring in 1981. Roz Kelly plays Diane Sullivan or Blaze who is going to be the host for the New Year's Eve party in Los Angeles. Three other time zones are linked in to the party from New York City, Chicago and Aspen, Colorado. A dark and mysterious stranger (Kip Niven) calls the show and tells Blaze that he will kill at the stroke of midnight, then leading to the cops trying to catch the madman before he kills in each time zone.

I enjoyed the movie even though there was no question as to who the killer is, but there are a couple twists later in the movie, that yeah I could see coming, but I still enjoyed it. I thought Niven did very well as the homicidal maniac and makes me perhaps want to watch it again sometime. The acting in general was I thought above what you see in average slashers. In addition I thought the music was very good by bands like Shadow and Made in Japan. Catchy title song with same name as movie as well.

Must say the ending was sort of setting up for a sequel and it never came. Not sure if the writers set it up for a sequel and the movie did not perform well enough at the box office to have a sequel made. Anyways, you may find it passable entertainment if you give it a chance.

This Golan-Globus production is a bit slicker than most non-major-studio slashers of the era, and the polish helps it move along painlessly--except for the onscreen victims of course. Roz Kelly plays an obnoxiously self-absorbed radio celebrity hosting a New Year's Eve "New Wave" bash--we get a lot of generic rock music located somewhere between lesser 70s power pop and 80s lite metal. (The musicians in the presumably fictitious bands playing probably grew their hair out and tried to be "the next Poison" a few years later.) Before her hosting duties begin, she gets a call from an anonymous, vocally distorted man who insists she call him "Eeeeeeeevillllll" and says he's going to kill on the hour each other before midnight, at which point it will be her turn. Trouper that she is--or perhaps just too abrasive to care--our protagonist goes on with the show, while the killer gradually approaches the venue, killing people on the way.

The story is pretty thin, such as it is. There's a late hint of something unsavory going on between the heroine's son and husband (it's unclear whether he's the boy's father), both of whom have cause to hate her guts, but the film doesn't have the nerve to really "go there." It aims mild satire at both the Hollywood and punk scenes, but those caricatures are too familiar to be effective. Roz Kelly was said to be a piece of work offscreen--she acknowledged she was known as "pushy," which is maybe what got her sacked from her most famous role on "Happy Days"--so this role seems tailored to her as a glam, flashy but unsympathetic entertainer who is oblivious to others (even at her own peril) and bosses everybody around. The villain's "scary voice" on phone calls is ridiculous, his dialogue worse, his motivation flimsy, but then you don't go into a movie like this one expecting much psychological depth.

Despite the fair number of deaths, none of them are particularly memorable in deed or staging; the only good idea is a climactic scene in which someone is very unhappy to find themselves dangling from the bottom of an elevator as it rockets up and plunges down the shaft.

In short, more watchable than some more poorly-produced slashers of the time, but just OK, with both a protagonist and antagonist that are a little too effectively annoying as personalities.

My, this has always been one of my faves of the genre. It is really quite ridiculous, but fairly 'twisty' for a run-of-the mill slasher. Kip Niven is in my opinion, very good as the killer who switches personas to fit in different environments in order to kill on his timetable. Grant Cramer, who was destined for nothing more than soap fame, has a handsome yet creepy face, especially after he forces that red hose over it. Roz Kelly does look truly unattractive - but then look at her audience! Those 'LA punkers' bobbing and weaving in the audience are unintentionally reminiscent of George Romero's creations...check out their 'dancing'!

Yet I have always found the best part of the film to occur in the beginning, the first time the killer calls into the radio show. He announces that his name is "Evil" in a very odd voice courtesy of a voice manipulation machine. He is dead serious, and Roz on the other end is slightly chilled, but tries to play along: "Yeah, you're bad, you're real bad." At which point he cuts her off, still deadly serious: "NOOOO! Just EVIL!!!" It's truly hilarious if you appreciate that sort of thing.

Enjoyable for the genre.

Yet another entry in the "psychotic killer on the loose" genre. The premise of this one is somewhat original, but apart from that it has nothing else to distinguish it from dozens of similar films, so you're just sitting there waiting to see how it will tie everything up in the end. It does come up with an unexpected, out-of-left-field plot twist, but the "motivation" part is fumbled. Still, if you're tolerant of low-budget early-80s thrillers, you'll probably have an OK time. (**)

I just wanna point out that this is the year 2022, and in all horror circles this is considered a cult classic. The music alone is worth a watch. People that review these movies need a revoke on their horror card.

"New Years Evil" is about a woman named Blaze whose presenting the countdown a new years bash at an extravagant posh hotel a show with call ins and rock bands playing through the late night, where she gets phone calls from a deranged man who tells her that he's gonna kill women at in each different timezone locations throughout the city and he makes pretty good on his promise too and calls Blaze immediately after he snuffs his victims so he can replay the scene of the crime via an archaic looking tape recorder. This takes up a lot of Blaze's time (as does her hilarious banter with an investigating cop), so she ends up ignoring her son even more as he begins to reveal a very sinister side of himself. Well, sinister if pulling a pink stocking over your head is scary. As the clock ticks down to midnight Pacific Time, Evil joins the party as he tries to take Blaze down in all her flaming glory.

Okay before I saw this movie, mostly every review that I read for this was actually quite bad, but again like other holiday slashers I really wanted to see this and when I did, I actually quite liked it.

Okay this movie isn't exactly brilliant, though the murders are quite tame as is the acting. The killer's voice when he says "Just call me Eevill" was funny as hell, he sounded more Kermit the Frog than menacing and Kip Niven who plays him was quite charming one of the only believable performances in the film. Roz Kelly who plays Blaze the final girl doesn't quite shine, I found her unlikeable but her outfits were a hoot as were the cheesy rock bands that played in-between each murder, obliviously just there to pad out the running time. And to be honest the son's little psychotic act was strange and over the top, I found a bit pointless as it wasn't explored enough during the movie.

The climax was disappointing as there was no chase scene between Roz Kelly and Kip Niven, she just played the helpless victim and plus I found the plot twist rather unsurprising, I basically figured it out anyway.

But all in all this movie wasn't half bad and definitely another highlight in the ever brilliance of holiday slasher genre such as (Halloween, My Bloody Valentine, Happy Birthday To Me, Black Christmas, The Stepfather, Mother's Day and etc.

A madman vows to murder someone at the stroke of midnight in each time zone in 'New Year's Evil'. Roz Kelly plays a 'Blaze', a famous punk music icon who is hosting a New Years Eve bash at a large hotel. During her television broadcast that night, a callers phones in and says he will kill someone each time the clock strikes midnight around the world. So that means that every hour on the hour, someone is getting killed. This isn't a whodunit slasher film, we know the killer's identity from the start. The movie follows him around as he stalks various women in Los Angeles, making sure he records each murder on a tape recorder. He calls Blaze after each murder and plays the tape leaving her frightened. Eventually, he makes his way to where she is at the hotel leading to a bit of a disappointing ending.

Call me crazy, but I really enjoyed this film. enjoyed it so much so, that it's become a tradition to watch it during the holiday season. I've always loved holiday horror, and 'New year's Evil' delivers. It is full of eighties cheese; the lights, the music, the hair - all of it. And the plot is actually interesting AND original! Having him murder at midnight in each time zone was smart, and it set 'New Year's Evil' a part from other forgettable slashers made at this time. The stalking scenes with the killer was done well too. He disguises himself before each murder, and makes his way around LA to different places (a bar, a drive in movie theatre) to collect his next victim. Some of the scenes with his next victims are pretty tense, and you feel for the women.

Where 'New Year's Evil' fails is with the killer's motive. They give a lame explanation, and I think the whole movie would have been better with a different motive. There is also the sub-plot with Blaze's son, who is clearly deranged. It is never fully explained what is wrong with him. Oh and the ending was sort of disappointing too. But other than that, this is a holiday horror film that all horror fans MUST check out at least once!

Happy New Year! :D

7/10

I just finished watching this movie and it wildly exceeded my expectations. I have a lot to say about it, but to make this review useful for the greatest amount of people possible, I'll summarize first: This movie is awesome for anyone looking for a fun, campy horror flick with crazy elements at every turn that keep it fresh and interesting. The most perfect example I can think of of riding the line between believable and over the top. For well-versed fans of horror history and genre tropes, simply a must see.

What makes this movie so great for me is a combination of two things. The first thing is obvious talent and knowledge on the part of the filmmakers who put so much thought into this film. I went into this movie thinking it was going to be pure trash; a slasher film with a gimmick to cash in on the trend gaining steam during this time. But it's so much more. The people behind this film didn't just see "Friday the 13th" and think, "Psh, I can do that," and pump out a piece of crap like many movies from this era. The film is full of homage to its inspirations, some of my favorites being the black leather gloves of Italian Giallo films, a direct reference to what has to have been a huge inspiration to the filmmakers, Hershall Gordon Lewis' "Blood Feast," and even pretty much straight lifting the "Jason's near" sound effects from Friday the 13th. For a rabid horror fan with solid knowledge of certain motifs, this film has something for you in every scene.

The other thing that will make this film enjoyable even to those who aren't necessarily horror enthusiasts is the perfectly executed comedy. I feel no shame calling it comedy because if these guys loved "Blood Feast" enough to literally name drop it in this movie, they knew exactly what they were making and how funny it was. The movie is actually completely played straight, to the point where you could reasonably believe everyone was serious throughout the filmmaking process. That's what I mean about it perfectly riding the line between believable and absurd: its not plain goofy to where you know its a big joke, but everything that occurs on screen is absolutely wild. The characters are ABSURD. Every one of them is strange and funny in some way. The situations they are put in are almost even better. Our killer will don quite a variety of disguises in his quest to get the perfect midnight kill, and the hijinks that ensue are practically fit for a straight comedy film. I can't think of one scene that I didn't find entertaining. The camp is just oh so perfect.

Besides these specific areas in which the film excelled, there are plenty of more general compliments to give it. For one, I really enjoyed the pacing throughout. Many of the more obscure slasher flicks I've seen rely so hard on just one gimmick, it can get really dull really fast, but this one stays fresh with plenty of things that mix up the circumstances throughout. The pacing is also helped by the fact that the killer actually has a goal. He's specifically after just one person, and each other person is just a step towards his endgame, creating anticipation and tension. He's not picking off kids one by one for no reason. Rising action is good for plots. Other horror writers of the time should have taken note.

That's ultimately one of the big ideas I'm left with after watching this film. Why didn't this film have more of an impact than it did? Why is it so obscure? Why is it not a major cult classic? The only answer I can think of is that too many people had the same expectations as I did before seeing this film. Everything about the way it looks on the outside makes it seem like it's just another gimmicky cash-in slasher of the time; nothing special. Maybe if it wasn't advertised so strongly on the New Years gimmick it would have a larger cult following. Whatever the case, you absolutely have to trust the old cliché in this case and do not judge this film just by the cover. It's a hidden gem.

... and thus I give it a 7/10 rating among its genre, that being the slasher/horror films of the 70's and 80's. This is not a 7/10 when you compare it to an A-List film from the same year such as "Raging Bull". The worst of these slasher films are practically biology lessons as hot to trot teens in some remote location find themselves being bumped off one by one by some unknown lunatic with a literal ax to grind. These films are boring and predictable. That's where this one is different, even with a cast so anonymous you have to wonder why they bothered giving their characters names different from their actual names.

The primary character is a red-headed buxom D.J. who looks north of 30 but MUST be north of 35 since she has a grown son, which she ignores completely and probably has for a long time - she is very self involved, and tonight on New Year's Eve she is supposedly going to get her big break if she can pull off hosting a rock and roll New Year's Eve celebration. It's a phone in show, and at 9PM she get's a phone call telling her that this is EVIL and he has just killed someone close to her and intends to kill someone every hour on the hour until midnight - when he intends to kill her.

At first our self-involved D.J. blows this off as a crank, but when the calls keep coming and bodies start piling up, she and the police become increasingly concerned. You see the killer right from the start as he runs around L.A. killing random strangers in rather novel ways, but the twist in this film is you have no idea who he is and why he has a bone to pick with the D.J. The killer has his own problems along the way, and this film gives you a good idea of just how rough L.A. was even 35 years ago, as the killer runs into some characters who are as bad as he is, and plus there are more of them.

On the dance floor of the New Year's Eve rock show, the dancers are shown moving like mindless zombies among the fog. These guys and gals do not look like Rotarians, so when the police say rather late in the film "I wouldn't be surprised if he walked right up on the dance floor and killed you", I had to wonder - how do you know he isn't already there? There is plenty of suspense right up to the end that still leaves you hanging, and I recommend it if you are a fan of the low budget horror genre. So transport yourself back to not a simpler time, but a different one - when phones still had cords, when there were still drive-in movies, when people still smoked in public places even in California, and when electronic devices were large enough to be shorted out with a screwdriver rather than being controlled by one self-contained microchip.

A rock show host dubbed Blaze gets threatening phone calls during her New Year's Eve gig. The caller informs her that he'll murder a different person each time the clock strikes midnight in one of the four continental U.S. timezones, and odds are that she'll be his final victim.

One of the few slashers to have eluded me over the years, it was nice to finally scratch this off the list. It's far from a top-tier effort in the sub-genre, however. The killer, played by Kip Niven, isn't the least bit threatening. He only dons a mask towards the end of the film, so he doesn't have that to fall back on either. Also, too many scenes of dancing punk rockers and filth masquerading as music for my taste. Now, there are some quality stalk and slash sequences. Most notable is one victim's unpleasant surprise in a garbage dumpster. We also get a hefty helping of cheese, mainly from the killer himself and Blaze's dopey son. The bit with the former dealing with angry bikers at a drive-in is gold.

Overall, I was entertained, but it's not exactly good. Not even close.

1980's "New Year's Evil" is one slasher film that's a little far out and crazy still it entertains with suspense and blood in an old fashioned late 70's early 80's kind of way. Set in New York city Diane(Roz Kelly) a rock singer is ready to roll with a show and a party to ring in the new year. Apparently Diane's husband Richard(Kip Niven) is supposed to be away or is he really? That night strange phone calls begin for Diane the voice is strange and wicked as the caller has murder on the mind. The plan is the caller plans to kill a new victim each time the New Year rings in with a different time zone. The film is moved alone by suspense scenes and blood gore while punk rock music guides the party along. The stalk and kill scenes are pretty good though the killer's mask is a little cheesy. Overall nothing great still an entertaining watch if you like early 80's slasher creepy stalker flicks.

A middling slasher that is mostly made watchable and entertaining by the performance from Kip Niven, who goes through several costume and hair changes (that mustache is so on point for 1979/1980 that it's only a surprise it didn't get homaged in Boogie Nights). I also enjoyed the stock rock band that is playing the all-night New Year's show and does about 75% New Wave and then a random slow blues and Bowie song are in the mix for what is essentially a punk audience (and actually a few of the songs are kind of catchy in a disposable way). And maybe one or two of the chase/kills are effective. But by leaving less than zero mystery - well, except for who the killer is in relation to the woman hosting the concert - the filmmakers needed to find some more interesting supporting characters or found some new angle (it almost comes close with an idea that maybe one of the victims will just comically annoy the villain to the point that he gives up), or give Roz Kelly more meat on the bone and neither written or acted does it do much; it sounds mean to say, but the makeup is meant to do most of the acting and it doesn't cut it.

Most disappointing is a total WTF dangling subplot (if that) involving her adult son, played by Hardbodies and Killer Klowns alumni Grant Cramer, who looks five damn years younger than her and gets so oedipal he melodramatically at one point pulls one of her red stockings over his head. He has almost proto-young Nicolas Cage energy there, but until the end he just disappears into his own palm and five fingers until the last couple of minutes (where it uh... Proposes a sequel? Guess nothing changes New Year's Day...) Anyway, New Year's Evil is not entirely boring and may suffice if you're not expecting much, and being on Prime helps. It's another Not Quite But Almost slice of slasher meat with a somewhat unsatisfying ending and the highlight is aside from Niven that elevator set piece (or set pieces really, the dialog and then the wild action).

If you're looking for another entertaining late 70's/early 80's Slasher movie that offers nothing less than a thrilling & clever storyline, perfect 1980 vibes and great, great music (maan, these Shadow tracks are awesome!!) just go for this one. I really don't understand why "New Year's Evil" is rated so low. There are plenty other better rated Slasher flicks of the same kind that imho deserve less stars than this one. As an absolute old-school Horror/Slasher nerd myself I feel like "New Year's Evil" is too good fun for anything less than 6 stars so I give it a 7 out of 10 in hope of other genre enthusiasts more likely giving it a chance 🔥

"New Year's Evil" is one of the dullest slashers I've ever seen. Nothing memorable happens in it at all. It feels like a movie with the good bits cut out. It is a complete waste of time. There was no reason to make it except to cash in on the slasher craze, and no reason to watch it.

The plot seems to be something to do with a punk rock lady who is hosting some kind of telethon thing. She gets a call from a guy with a device clenched between his teeth that makes him sound like a grumpy George Burns. He says he's going to kill someone, and since this is a slasher movie, I suppose he does. I remember people dying in the movie, though none of the kills are memorable at all. They're also strangely non-violent.

"New Year's Evil" is one of those movies that is all set-up. I can imagine the filmmakers pitching the idea to the studio, and the studio loved the idea so much they didn't bother to ask, "What happens next?" Because the truth is, nothing happens next. Nothing happens in the movie. I was so glad when it was over.

New Year's Evil - 1980 ( This Film Rates a C+ ) On New Year's Eve, some creepy guy who calls himself "Evil" and disguises his voice and calls a live New Year's broadcast at The Hollywood Hotel telling the over glammed looking host (Blaze) that he is going to comit murder at midnight. He will kill one for each time zone as it struck midnight. Of course, she is freaked out by this call and her manager minimizes its severity. Meanwhile, at the Crawford Sanitarium a young nurse and "new hire" start drinking champagne and making out. The "new hire" repeatedly stabs the nurse at midnight and has recorded the incident. He then calls Blaze back and plays the recorded incident for all to hear promising more kills. As a side story, Blaze blows off her teenage son multiple times during the beginning of the film and the son seems to be having a breakdown in the hotel room. He believes he has a mental illness. It could have been played out a little more to enhance this story line. Meanwhile, the killer continues to seek out, mutilate and kill vulnerable females. Ultimately, He is able to get into the New Year's Show even though no one is allowed in or out by a police order. His ultimate goal is to kill Blaze at midnight. The identity of the killer is pretty obvious right from the beginning so there is no real surprise when the killer's identity is revealed. The kills are pretty boring, lack true horror intensity and are without much gore. The climax is a little long, does have some mediocre build but is rather clumsy. Classic 1980's punk/glam rock soundtrack. How can you not love the song called "Dumb Blondes". The interludes of the crowd dancing at the live show are some of the worst dancing I have ever seen. The acting is ok, nothing that detracts from the film itself. Was the feral cat really in the garbage dump as the killer was mutilating a woman at 44:30? The cops are pretty dumb throughout the film and show no excitement or urgency even after finding two dead bodies. The mention of Eric Estrada made me laugh a little and having Blood Feast (Not HGL) and Blood Bath trailers playing at the drive-in theatre was pretty epic. There are brief amounts of T but no A. Overall this is a decent film but is more of a thriller than horror. It certainly has its fair share of charm when viewed on New Year's Eve.

Classically so-bad-it's-good early 80's slasher with a holiday theme. There are so few New Year's themed horror movies that this becomes an immediate yearly watch to ring in the New Year.

Diane (Roz Kelly) is a punk-rock television icon is hosting a New Year's countdown and party. She's accepting call-ins and receives a mysterious call from a man deep-throating a voice-changing machine who calls himself "EVIL" and is going to commit "MURDER" to somebody she knows by midnight.

We cut to a mental institution dancing to the classic "New Year's Evil" jam created for the movie. There is a problemattic scene of the portrayal of mental patients, cigarette smoking in the hallways, and champagne in the break room. The 80's were wild.

So - is this telling us that the killer is a psychotic patient? Is it someone Diane knows? GUESS YOU'LL HAVE TO WATCH AND FIND OUT.

Something that this does different is you know the face of the killer from the start, you just don't know WHO he is in relation to the main characters. He also doesn't only commit murder at midnight EST, he makes sure to hit it in every other time zone as well.

This movie somehow ages both like a banana and fine wine. It's hilariously over-acted, exaggerated, and downright comical without intending to be.

Plot holes, terrible acting, incongruous writing, and is littered with horror tropes. It's *chef's kiss* exactly what I'm looking for to bring in the New Year time and time again.

Rating: New Year's Evil song: banger/10 Moustache change: 6/10 Priest 'fit change: 7/10 Acting: 3/10 PLOT TWIST: 7/10 Overall rating: 6/10.

The story has already been summarized by previous posters so I won't bother.

This is a rock-bottom, stupid, boring, horrendous "Halloween" clone--HORROR movie is right! The plot is silly (killing people for every hour it turns midnight across the U.S.--please!), the performances are truly bad (it's truly astounding at how bad Roz Kelly was--you just stare at the screen in amazement. It's no wonder she's not in films anymore). Also the music--this was NOT punk rock!!!! This is some Hollywood studios version of it. Also the "dances" the kids did were hilariously bad (also those are the cleanest punks I've ever seen). But, more often than not, I was bored. Bad acting (everybody is bad--I mean EVERYBODY), a plot that is totally predictable (I figured out the killer within 10 minutes), very minor gore (yes, that's a problem--this IS an early 80s slasher film after all!), unlikable characters, HUGE gaps in logic...need I go on? A must-miss. It might be fun to sit around watching it with a bunch of friends and tear it apart.