New Year's Evil 1980

As the clock struck midnight on New Year’s Eve, DJ Diane Sullivan, popularly known as “Blaze,” was electrifying a Hollywood hotel with her countdown celebration, captivating the nation’s audience through a simulcast on local radio. Just as the excitement peaked, a chilling phone call from an individual claiming to be Evil intruded, shaking her composure. With an eerie voice and malicious intent, he revealed his plan to eliminate one “naughty girl” in each U.S. time zone, culminating with Diane herself as the final victim at midnight Pacific Time.

While Diane’s son, Derek, made an appearance in the studio, his presence went largely unnoticed as his mother focused on her broadcast. Unbeknownst to everyone, Derek would soon become a key player in the unfolding chaos of the night.

As the festivities continued, the studio team intensified security measures to ensure a safe celebration. Unfortunately, their precautions were futile as a series of brutal murders erupted across Los Angeles, leaving a shocking path of destruction. The first victim, a nurse, was discovered dead at a sanitarium right after midnight in the Eastern Time Zone, followed closely by two women found lifeless near a liquor store in the Central Time Zone. The killer, with a disturbing penchant for documenting his crimes using a radio/cassette recorder, would call in to taunt Diane with each new murder, heightening the tension and fear gripping the night.

As the clock inched closer to midnight in the Mountain Time Zone, the killer’s desperate hunt for his next victim escalated. Oblivious to the wrath he would soon attract from a gang of bikers, he led them on a frantic chase through a drive-in theater. After brutally dispatching one of the bikers and commandeering a couple’s vehicle, his sights were set on a new target. However, an unsuspecting girl miraculously managed to escape from the backseat, leaving the killer scrambling for his next prey.

While law enforcement closed in on the hotel, Richard, disguised as his past persona, stealthily infiltrated the premises. This cunning mastermind turned out to be Diane’s husband, harboring deep resentment toward her and other women in his life whom he felt had wronged him. With a malevolent glint in his eye, Richard executed a twisted revenge against Diane, rendering her unconscious before launching into a furious tirade of scorn.

Reveling in his cruel machinations, Richard’s true intentions were laid bare as he hacked the elevator system with plans to chain Diane to the machinery, subjecting her to a horrifying descent. However, the police quickly caught up to him, their presence alerted by a mysterious source. A tense standoff ensued, punctuated by gunfire that ultimately damaged the controls of the elevator, halting its descent and sparing Diane from a horrific fate.

With his plans thwarted, Richard retreated to the rooftop, donning the mask that had previously allowed him to navigate the hotel invisibly. Cornered by the police, he faced the inevitable consequences of his actions, ultimately opting for a bleak plunge into oblivion as his only escape route.

As the authorities attended to Diane’s injuries, Derek, unbeknownst to many, was piloting the very ambulance dispatched to rescue her. Having seized his father’s mask and violently murdered the true driver, this once-innocent bystander now found himself enmeshed in a dark scheme as the ambulance disappeared into the night, leaving Diane’s fate hauntingly uncertain.

Amidst the turmoil, a radio announcer in Honolulu can be heard announcing the arrival of midnight in the Hawaii-Aleutian Time Zone, an event that, though seemingly benign, serves to deepen the ominous ambiance enveloping the hotel.