New Year’s Evil (1980) – Nostalgia Central

It’s New Year’s Eve, and DJ and punk rock icon, Diane “Blaze” Sullivan (Roz Kelly, famous as Pinky Tuscadero on Happy Days), is hosting a late-night countdown celebration of new wave music and partying, televised live from a Hollywood hotel and simulcast on Los Angeles radio.

All is going well until she receives a phone call from a stranger using a voice distortion device who claims his name is “Evil” and announces live on air that when New Year’s strikes in each time zone, a “naughty girl” will be murdered and Diane – in the Pacific Time Zone – will be the last one to die.

The studio crew and LAPD increase security at the hotel, but on the other side of America (in the Eastern Time Zone), a hospital nurse is found brutally butchered.

Two women are found dead near a liquor store after midnight in the Central Time Zone.

Evil records the sounds of his victims on audio cassette as he murders them and calls Diane back at the station each time, replaying the tapes over the phone to prove that he is serious.

Who could be behind these murders? A crazed fan, a religious psychotic, or perhaps it’s someone much closer to Diane.

The ending was clearly a setup for a sequel (which never came).

Diane “Blaze” Sullivan
Roz Kelly
Richard Sullivan
Kip Niven
Lt. Ed Clayton
Chris Wallace
Derek Sullivan
Grant Cramer
Sally
Louisa Moritz
Ernie Moffet
Jed Mills
Jane
Taaffe O’Connell
Sgt. Greene
Jon Greene
Teenage Girl
Teri Copley
Lisa
Anita Crane
Nurse Robbie
Jennie Anderson
Yvonne
Alicia Dhanifu
Make-up Girl
Wendy-Sue Rosloff
Floor Manager
John London
Dr Reed
John Alderman
Larry
Michael Frost
Clerk
Jerry Chambers
Hotel Guest
Barry Gibberman
Policeman at Hotel
Michael Mihalich
Space Girl
Julie Kaye Towery
Space Boy
Lyle Baker

Director
Emmett Alston