New Year's Evil(1980)
1980 · Emmett Alston · 86 min
During a live punk-rock New Year's Eve TV programme, the presenter gets a phone call from a psycho calling himself "Evil" saying that when New Year's strikes in each US time zone, he will murder someone.
Horror · Thriller
4.9109 votes
TMDB score
2/5
Intensity
2/5
Gore
1/5
Stays with you
How New Year's Evil scares
The structure hooks around a gimmick, ticking through each US time zone as midnight hits, giving the film a built-in countdown instead of a normal slow build. It stays low on gore and jump scares, leaning more on cheesy 80s slasher energy than real dread. The killer's phone calls add a bit of stalking tension, but this is more of a goofy, dated novelty than something that gets under your skin. Good for a group laughing through so-bad-it's-fun slashers, not for anyone wanting genuine scares.
On The Horror Database's 0–5 scare profile, New Year's Evil rates psychological 2/5, visceral 3/5, gore 2/5, lingering effect 1/5, and overall intensity 2/5.
- Psychological: 2 of 5
- Visceral: 3 of 5
- Gore: 2 of 5
- Lingering: 1 of 5
- Intensity: 2 of 5
Slow burn vs Jump scares: 45 of 100 — balanced
Supernatural vs Real-world: 95 of 100 — leans Real-world
Fun-scary vs Disturbing: 20 of 100 — leans Fun-scary
Intensity over runtime
Shape only — no eventsReveal pacing shapeHide pacing shapeHidden by default — shows where the tension peaks and lets up.
A low-key slasher that spaces out its shocks in bursts between long stretches of party chatter, building to a frantic final push.
Intensity across the runtime, 0 to 100: 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 2, 2, 3, 3, 2, 4, 5.
How scary is New Year's Evil?
On The Horror Database's 0–5 intensity scale, New Year's Evil rates 2/5 — moderately scary, balancing creeping dread with well-placed shocks. It works on both fronts, unsettling the mind while going for the body. Expect it to be moderately gory and fun-first. The dread fades once the credits roll.
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