New Year's Evil

A middling slasher that is mostly made watchable and entertaining by the performance from Kip Niven, who goes through several costume and hair changes (that mustache is so on point for 1979/1980 that it's only a surprise it didn't get homaged in Boogie Nights). I also enjoyed the stock rock band that is playing the all-night New Year's show and does about 75% New Wave and then a random slow blues and Bowie song are in the mix for what is essentially a punk audience (and actually a few of the songs are kind of catchy in a disposable way). And maybe one or two of the chase/kills are effective. But by leaving less than zero mystery - well, except for who the killer is in relation to the woman hosting the concert - the filmmakers needed to find some more interesting supporting characters or found some new angle (it almost comes close with an idea that maybe one of the victims will just comically annoy the villain to the point that he gives up), or give Roz Kelly more meat on the bone and neither written or acted does it do much; it sounds mean to say, but the makeup is meant to do most of the acting and it doesn't cut it.

Most disappointing is a total WTF dangling subplot (if that) involving her adult son, played by Hardbodies and Killer Klowns alumni Grant Cramer, who looks five damn years younger than her and gets so oedipal he melodramatically at one point pulls one of her red stockings over his head. He has almost proto-young Nicolas Cage energy there, but until the end he just disappears into his own palm and five fingers until the last couple of minutes (where it uh... Proposes a sequel? Guess nothing changes New Year's Day...) Anyway, New Year's Evil is not entirely boring and may suffice if you're not expecting much, and being on Prime helps. It's another Not Quite But Almost slice of slasher meat with a somewhat unsatisfying ending and the highlight is aside from Niven that elevator set piece (or set pieces really, the dialog and then the wild action).