New Year’s Evil: Blu-Ray Review
Arriving this week on Blu-ray is the 1980 slasher flick “New Year’s Evil”, courtesy of Scream Factory. As a major horror fan, I am not sure how this title managed to slip by me in the past. Don’t get me wrong, I have always been aware that “New Year’s Evil” existed but up until now I have actually never watched it. Thanks to the fine folks at Scream Factory, I have now put aside 90 minutes and gave it a look.
First thing that sets “New Year’s Evil” apart from most slasher flicks is that the killer (Kip Niven) is not only one of the main characters, but also comes across as very human. Making mistakes, getting frustrated, also running away from people much more terrifying than him. In that aspect, I found the film to be quite interesting. I love that the killer goes and hides in a drive in theater while a biker gang hunts him down.
“New Year’s Evil” isn’t the least bit scary, but I love the premise, in which the killer plans to off someone exactly at midnight in each time zone. So, every hour we get a kill. None of them really stand out unfortunately. Those who love this film will be happy to know that Scream Factory did an outstanding job on the transfer. It looks stunning. There are also some great special features which you can check out below. If you are a “New Year’s Evil” fan, this disk will be worth picking up.
Special Features
• Audio Commentary with director Emmett Alston
• The Making of New Year’s Evil featuring new interviews with actors Kip Niven, Grant Cramer and Taaffe O’Connell and director of photography Thomas Ackerman
• Theatrical Trailer
By: Marc Ferman