{"id":13961,"date":"2015-01-04T23:38:42","date_gmt":"2015-01-05T05:38:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=13961"},"modified":"2015-01-04T23:38:42","modified_gmt":"2015-01-05T05:38:42","slug":"new-years-evil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=13961","title":{"rendered":"New Years Evil"},"content":{"rendered":"
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While many holidays have been explored in the horror genre in abundance like Halloween and Christmas, there aren\u2019t many that have tackled the New Year\u2019s Eve theme. Thankfully films like \u201cNew Year\u2019s Evil\u201d fill that gap with a wonderfully trashy 80s slasher feel.
\nNew Year\u2019s Evil was released theatrically in 1980 and experienced a fairly short release before being relegated to video store shelves. The film\u2019s popularity has stayed grounded firmly as a middle of the road slasher with few claiming to completely love it or hate it, but many do enjoy it for what it is, a paint by the numbers 1980s slasher film.
\nThe plot is very straightforward and begins New Year\u2019s Eve following the famous punk rock lady icon Diane Sullivan, or Blaze as her fans call her, holding a late night countdown celebration of music and partying.
\nAll is going well until Diane receives a phone call from a stranger claiming his name is Evil. Evil proceeds to announce on live television that when the clock strikes midnight in each time zone, a \u2018Naughty Girl\u2019 will be punished. The killer then signs off with a threat claiming that Diane will be the last Naughty Girl to be punished.
\nWhile trying to play the call off as a prank Diane is visibly shaken and takes the call seriously. The rest of the crew at the station also takes the call seriously and increase safety measures and alerts security to the threat.
\nHowever, it turns out the caller wasn\u2019t joking and at the local insane asylum a nurse is found viciously slaughtered at the stroke of midnight EST. The killer records his victims as he murders them and calls back the station each time playing the tapes to prove he\u2019s serious.
\nThere are many suspects as to who the mysterious killer is: a crazed fan, a religious psychotic, or maybe it\u2019s someone much closer to Diane than anyone could have ever expected. This is where the film begins to pick up and falls in line with many other slasher films.
\nWhile the film is a bit bloody for the time period, by today\u2019s standards it is fairly tame. New Year\u2019s Evil also serves as an 80s time capsule in many ways with stage sets and clothing, which also makes this film even more enjoyable.
\nThe film plots along with many being bumped off in one form or another. The killer closes in on Diane along the way until their inevitable showdown.
\nThe ending also features a \u201ctwist\u201d that many have come to expect from 80s slasher films. While much of this film feels recycled from other better films, it is still great viewing with friends.
\nFinal Verdict: