New Year's Evil (1980)

Director:

Emmett Alston

Writers:

Leonard Neubauer (screenplay)
Leonard Neubauer (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

December 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

A celebration of the macabre.

Plot:

During a New Year's Eve celebration, a punk-rock singer 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 Keywords:

New Year's Eve | Murder | Dead Woman With Eyes Open | Holiday | Party

Cast

Roz Kelly	...	Diane Sullivan
Kip Niven	...	Richard Sullivan
Chris Wallace	...	Lt. Clayton
Grant Cramer	...	Derek Sullivan
Louisa Moritz	...	Sally
Jed Mills	...	Ernie
Taaffe O'Connell	...	Jane (as Taafe O'Connell)
Jon Greene	...	Sgt. Greene
Teri Copley	...	Teenage Girl
Anita Crane	...	Lisa
Jeannie Anderson	...	Nurse Robbie (as Jennie Anderson)
Alicia Dhanifu	...	Yvonne
Wendy-Sue Rosloff	...	Make-up Girl (as Wendysue Rosloff)
John London	...	Floor Manager
John Alderman	...	Dr. Reed
Michael Frost	...	Larry
Jerry Chambers	...	Clerk
Barry Gibberman	...	Hotel Guest
Michael Mihalich	...	Policeman at Hotel (as Mike Mihalich)
Gerry Zanitsch	...	Drunk #1 (as Jerry Zanitsch)
Mark L. Rosen	...	Drunk #2
Bob Jarvis	...	Policeman #1
Richard E. Kalk	...	Policeman #2
Richard Brown	...	Swamper
Mark DeFrain	...	Teenage Boy
Julie Kaye Fanton	...	Space Girl (as Julie Kaye Towery)
Lyle Baker	...	Space Boy
Tim Cutt	...	Ambulance Attendant
Jay Hapstein	...	Ambulance Driver (as Jay Happstein)
Don Grenough	...	Punker
Ryan Collier	...	Bar Hustler #1
Mark Korngute	...	Bar Hustler #2
Edward Jackson	...	Punker in Car
Celena Allen	...	Punker in Car
William Blair	...	Punker in Car (as Bill Blair)
Christine Davis	...	Punker in Car
Richard Israel	...	Punker in Car (as Ricky Israel)
Clarisse Kotkin	...	Punker in Car
Cynthia McArthur	...	Punker in Car (as Cynthia Macarthur)
Roxanne Orbis	...	Punker in Car
Justin Robin	...	Punker in Car (as Justin Rubin)
Michelle Waxman	...	Punker in Car
Randy Gould	...	Phone Girl
Jodie Mann	...	Phone Girl
Karen Mills	...	Phone Girl
Adrienne Upton	...	Phone Girl
Jim Amormino	...	Clayton's Man
Doug Le Mille	...	Clayton's Man
Larry Lindsey	...	Clayton's Man
Lyle Pearcy	...	Clayton's Man
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joseph Long	...	Mental Patient (uncredited)
E.L. Woody	...	Biker (uncredited)

Directed by
Emmett Alston

Writing credits
Leonard Neubauer		(screenplay)
Leonard Neubauer		(story) &
Emmett Alston		(story)

Produced by
Billy Fine	....	executive producer
Yoram Globus	....	producer
Menahem Golan	....	producer
Christopher Pearce	....	associate producer
Mark L. Rosen	....	executive producer

Original Music by
W. Michael Lewis
Laurin Rinder

Cinematography by
Thomas E. Ackerman		(as Edward Thomas)

Film Editing by
Richard S. Brummer		(as Dick Brummer)

Art Direction by
Julie Kaye Fanton		(as Julie Kaye Towery)

Makeup Department
Julie Purcell	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Randolf Turrow	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Don Grenough	....	second assistant director
Francine Kulla	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Eric M. Breiman	....	props
Bonnie Scott	....	set designer

Sound Department
Marva Fucci	....	sound editor
Jonathon 'Earl' Stein	....	sound mixer (as Jonathan Stein)
Mark Ulano	....	boom operator

Stunts
Mike Terito	....	stunt coordinator
Linda Terito	....	stunt woman (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Jehuda Ayalon	....	second assistant camera
Chris Dale	....	concert lighting systems
Michael Everett	....	gaffer
Greg Gardiner	....	best boy electric
Alex Levac	....	still photographer
David L. Parrish	....	first assistant camera (as David Parrish)
Raymond M. Perosi	....	lamp operator (as Raymond Perosi)
Robie Price	....	second grip (as Robbie Price)
Ted Rhodes	....	key grip
Chuck Wells	....	best boy grip

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Christina Tejeda	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Thomas A. Fucci	....	associate editor (as T. Anthony Fucci)
Judith Oliver	....	assistant editor
Linda Whittlesey	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Rex Deveraux	....	music supervisor (as Rex Devereaux)
W. Michael Lewis	....	conductor
Laurin Rinder	....	conductor

Transportation Department
Angelo Demoso	....	driver
Dennis J. Lootens	....	driver (as Dennis Lootens)

Other crew
Soraya Afshar	....	production secretary
Ron Davis	....	production assistant
Mark DeFrain	....	location manager
Rabia Dockray	....	video coordinator
Travis Scott Reneau	....	production assistant
Judy Wilson	....	script supervisor (as Judy Blye Wilson)
Kent Adamson	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Joseph Long	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Frank J. Tsacrios	....	assistant to producer (uncredited)

Thanks
Bill Gazzarri	....	special thanks (as Bill 'Godfather of Rock and Roll' Gazzarri)

Distributors

• Cannon Film Distributors (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paragon Video Productions (1982) (USA) (VHS)
• Paragon Video Productions (1982) (USA) (video) (Betamax)
• Cannon Home Video (video)
• Citadel Films (Canada)
• Globo Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2012) (USA) (DVD) (DVD-R)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (2011) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Cannon Records  soundtrack album available on (as Cannon Records and Tapes)
• Mastermind Artists Team  thanks
• Let It Rock  special wardrobe for rock groups courtesy of
• Cinemobile System  equipment by (as Cinemobile)
• Title House  titles

Also Known As:

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (TVC)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Australia:R | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate number not listed)

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At one point the killer hits a cop over the head and takes his uniform. Despite the cop being quite a bit heavier, the uniform fits perfectly.

Quotes:

Diane Sullivan:Blaze here. A crazy new year to you.
Richard Sullivan:[In a distorted voice] Happy new year to you, Blaze.
Diane Sullivan:Oooh! Some kind of voice you got there. You sound like the Phantom.
Richard Sullivan:You could call me that.
Diane Sullivan:So, you got a name, Phantom?
Richard Sullivan:Call me Eee-vil.
Diane Sullivan:Evil? E-villl Eye?
Richard Sullivan:No! Just eee-vil!
[Then he breathes hard]
Diane Sullivan:Well listen Mr. Evil, do you have a vote for the top song of the year?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sex at 24 Frames Per Second (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Suicide Ways

Happy New Decade!

I saw "New Year's Evil" on TV, where it was obviously getting rerun for new year's (which is now a new decade)*. While it mostly has the common plot seen in slasher flicks - killer is targeting people while the main character wonders when she's going to be next - the limited body count and greater focus on the plot makes it better than most. In this case, a punk rock emcee (Roz Kelly) gets a call from a person announcing that he's going to kill someone at every hour on New Year's Eve.

The 1980s horror flicks were truly the neatest. I always liked the kinds of characters that they created (yeah, I know: character development was non-existent) and had their personalities bounce off of each other. The main character here is certainly really cool. As it was, I almost thought that one of the punks at the beginning was Bill Maher before figuring out that it obviously wasn't. So, it's not any kind of great movie, but OK.

*I know. The ancient Romans didn't have a concept of zero, so the new decade officially begins next year. But now that we have a concept of zero, it should be acceptable to consider this year the start of the new decade. Especially since this past decade was one of the worst ever (9/11, escalating wars, Katrina, etc).