‘The last day of the year… or the last day of your life!’
Bloody New Year is a 1987 British film directed by Norman J. Warren (Satan’s Slave; Terror; Inseminoid) from a screenplay co-written with Frazer Pearce. Also known as Time Warp Terror
The Hayden Pearce produced movie stars Suzy Aitchison, Nikki Brooks, Colin Heywood, Mark Powley, Catherine Roman and Julian Ronnie.
Plot:
Five shipwrecked English teenagers take refuge in an island hotel that is decorated and ready for New Year’s celebrations. The problem is, it’s early summer, and soon enough, even the walls themselves are striking out against them…
Reviews:
“Bloody New Year’s biggest flaw is in actually attempting to find an explanation for the goings-on on Grand Island. While I’m prepared to accept that the crashing of an experimental plane might somehow be able to produce a time warp, I can’t really see how it could possibly turn a fishing net feral, or cause a table to sprout a monster from its midriff.” And You Call Yourself a Scientist!
“While Bloody New Year is a serviceably fun offering from Norman J. Warren, it doesn’t quite deliver all the mayhem and bloodshed we deserve. Sure, it has its moments, but the mood is never quite right. The hotel isn’t creepy or surreal enough […] unlike other movies with budget effects, this one lacks the charm, urgency, and creativity to make it a real hit.” Bleeding Skull
“The film is missing several elements that make these ’80s bloodbaths fun […] Aside from a few memorable shots—particularly the fist through the sternum and chopped-off arm — Bloody New Year relies mainly on its all-out craziness to generate scares.” DVD Verdict
“It simply rushes you through scenes of ever-escalating weirdness while employing creative (sometimes shoddy) DIY special effects that look like they were conceived of the day before shooting (by a genius). It’s like Jean Cocteau mixed with British children’s sci-fi programming and an episode of The Twilight Zone.” 30 Days of Horror
“A lesser film from Warren, this still has plenty to recommend it, as long as you are well prepared for what you are letting yourself in for. Sadly, the fact that it is being more broadly influenced, than some of his other works makes it a less interesting film than pretty much anything else from his horror output. But I’ll still rewatch this before any number of slicker and “safer” movie choices.” 6 out of 10, For It Is Man’s Number
“I’ve never seen a movie give away all of its jump scares with the score before, but Bloody New Year does.” Gutmunchers.com
“Bloody New Year is wrong on so many levels, and by no means showcases director Norman J. Warren’s unique talents or prove a suitable swan song (he hasn’t directed since), but it’s incredibly imaginative for a film that clearly cost about sixty quid, and is enormously good fun, which is what it’s all about, really, isn’t it?” Island of Terror
“Even something like Inseminoid had pretty decent photography and production values (relatively speaking). All Bloody New Year can boast is a kitschy atmosphere and a well-worn concept involving a perpetual time warp, an old Twilight Zone standby…” Oh, the Horror!
” …the dime store make-up, with its fright wigs and putty scars, as well as a climactic scene that has the survivors clinging to a moving billiards table amongst a room full of ghostly beings, just come off amateurish, resembling an early MTV video trying to emulate Argento’s stormy style of colorful lighting and violence.” DVD Drive-In
“Ham-handed acting rounds out this crapfest, making this an official beer night film to enjoy with all of your soused friends.” Cinema Fromage
“It’s an aimless excuse for a supernatural thriller, despite some scenes that manage to be fun. It really feels like he made a movie just for the sake of making a movie: no vision, no direction, little fun. It feels like by the time shooting commenced, Warren only had only written half the script, and the rest was made up on the spot as they went along.” Obscure Cinema 101
“Bloody New Year is filled with strange, cringeworthy subplots and crazy shit that provide good pacing. There is virtually no downtime. There’s no plot element I would call redundant either. It’s a mixed bag of haunted house clichés and a whole bunch of stuff I haven’t seen before.” 2.5 out of 4, Tales of Terror
” …the movie never makes up its mind what it wants to be and quickly turns into a muddled mess […] not a whole lot of Bloody New Year makes much sense but it does have a few WTF moments that liven things up. There is one pretty cool scene where a chick gets sucked into an elevator wall as well as a random ass seaweed monster attack.” The Video Vacuum
“There is a good idea at the core of Bloody New Year, but the execution was sadly lacking. The script needed a rewrite or two and the film’s bizarre deaths required better effects and staging that didn’t feel like the filmmakers were just going through the motions. It’s better than the other seasonal horror film New Year’s Evil, but it’s a rather sad end to an exceptional career.” 1.5 out of 5, Voices from the Balcony
For YouTube reviews and more images click the page 2 link below
MOVIES & MANIA provides previews, our own film reviews and ratings, plus links to other online reviews from a wide variety of trusted sources in one handy web location. This is a genuinely independent website and we rely solely on the minor income generated by internet ads to pay for web costs and cover yet more movies. Please support us by not blocking ads. Thank you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn a very tiny amount from any qualifying purchases.