New Year's Evil (1980)

Title: New Year's Evil

Release Date: December 1980

Tagline: "Don't dare make new year's resolutions ... Unless you plan to live!"

New Year's Evil is an early '80s holiday themed slasher film that was written and directed by Emmett Alston, and co-written by Leonard Neubauer.

During a New Year's Eve celebration, a Punk Rock & New Wave show host gets a phone call saying that when New Year's strikes in each time zone, someone will be murdered--and she will be the last one.

Plot
As the film begins New Year's Eve is on its way and television's most famous punk rock lady icon, Diane Sullivan or Blaze as her fans call her, is holding a late night countdown celebration of music and partying. All is going well until Diane receives a phone call from an odd-sounding stranger claiming his name is Evil, who announces on live television that when the clock strikes twelve in each time zone, a 'Naughty Girl' will be punished (murdered), then the killer signs off with a threat claiming that Diane will be the last Naughty Girl to be punished.

The studio crew takes safety measures and heightens security, but in 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 back to prove he's serious. There are many suspects as to who the mysterious killer/caller is; a crazed fan, a religious psychotic, or maybe it's someone much closer to Diane than anyone could have ever expected.

The killer eventually gets caught trying to kill Diane and flees from the scene. He races toward the rooftop, where he commits suicide by jumping. The survivor is loaded into an ambulance, while her son is seen wearing the killer's old mask in the ambulance with the corpse of the medic at the front.

Review
This film is one of my favorite slasher flicks.It,s not really gory but it has some great murders,especially Louisa Moritz,s death.It was hysterically funny.I have to say that what made this slasher flick better than most was the excellent performance of Kip Niven as Evil.He played the psycho part very low key, until midnight, and then he was frightening and threatening.The look in his eyes actually gave me an eerie feeling.He was a good looking guy on the outside but totally sick and evil on the inside.In a way Roz Kelly had it coming with her selfish,self centered attitude where she even neglects her own son.I thought a few of the murders were inventive and I would definitely recommend this movie for a late night when you just want to relax and be entertained.

Kip Niven Rules 15 May 2003 | by phlflip (New Jersey)==Cast & Credits==
 * Roz Kelly as Diane Sullivan
 * Kip Niven as Richard Sullivan
 * Chris Wallace as Lieutenant Ed Clayton
 * Grant Cramer as Derek Sullivan
 * Louisa Moritz as Sally
 * Jed Mills as Ernie Moffet
 * Taaffe O'Connell as Jane
 * Jon Greene as Sergeant Greene
 * Teri Copley as Teenage Girl
 * Anita Crane as Lisa
 * Jennie Anderson as Nurse Robbie
 * Alicia Dhanifu as Yvonne
 * Wendy-Sue Rosloff as Make-up Girl
 * John London as Floor Manager
 * John Alderman as Doctor Reed
 * Michael Frost as Larry