Happy New Year, friends! I hope your holidays are going well and that 2024 will be a fresh start for you. Since it’s time to kill 2023 and bury it in our backyards, be sure to take time to reflect on this past year and also build excitement for the new one. Be safe on New Year’s Eve and have the time of your bloody life!

New Year’s Evil (1980)- Review

Warning, this review may contain spoilers!

New Year’s Evil is a 1980 holiday slasher directed by Emmett Alston. The story opens on New Year’s Eve with West Coast DJ, Diane, hosting a New Year’s countdown show. While on-air, she receives a threatening phone call from our villain, Evil, who claims to kill someone each time New Year’s rings in for the U.S. timezones. Worst of all, Evil warns that Diane will be his final victim at midnight on the West Coast.

The film opened with colorful retro shots of the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, California. This showcased the punk rock theme which filled the film with random sequences of live performances and mosh pits. While entertaining in their own right, these montages did little for the slasher story. Instead, the film basically follows Evil who commits sloppy but lucky murders each time the ball drops. There is little revealed about the dynamic of Evil and Diane which makes the film feel directionless. The third act does tie everything together but in an anticlimactic way.

I love holiday horror, but overall this was just okay. It’s about as mediocre as you can get with its shallow characters, back-burner story, and less-than-creative kills. You see Evil’s face the entire time which removes suspense, plus, he is an unskilled killer at best. I had high hopes for New Year’s Evil, but there are much more enjoyable slashers out there that I’m willing to sacrifice the holiday aspect for.

Horror Resolution

Out with 2023 and in with 2024. Some of my horror high notes for 2023 were Evil Dead Rise, V/H/S/85, Thanksgiving, and Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor. As of now, I will complete the year with 251 movies watched (not all horror), but predict I’ll watch a couple more. Regardless, my viewing plans for 2024 aren’t about reaching a number and neither should yours be. Watching horror isn’t about reaching a quota to gain clout; it is about enjoying yourself and growing as a person. Sure, watching more horror films means experiencing more of the genre, but not all viewing is equal. We’re all guilty of not paying attention because we have seen a movie too many times or because we just aren’t interested. I propose that we push ourselves to focus on first-time watches that interest us. That interest should be for the prospect of enjoyment or the sake of growth, such as watching a film recommended by a trusted friend or watching the entirety of a series to fully experience it. Horror is a genre that has never been comfortable and that has always pushed boundaries, so we as the horror community should also open our perspectives. In 2024, I am going to challenge myself to focus more on the quality of watches, as opposed to the quantity. Do what you want, but I urge you to do the same because what else are you going to do, watch Scream (1996) for the umpteenth time?

Weekend Watch

As always, it’s a pleasure getting to talk horror with you guys! Thank you very much for joining and I wish you a Happy New Year! If you get some free time during this drunken weekend, you should watch…

John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982)