Countdown to Chaos: New Year’s Evil (1980) – Xenomania 53

In this year-end finale of Xenomania, Jon and Ryan slip into their shiniest disco suits and dial into New Year’s Evil (1980)—a sleazy, synth-laced slasher set during a televised NYE countdown. As a killer named “Evil” offs a victim at the stroke of midnight in each U.S. time zone, we discuss the film’s time-locked gimmick, glam-punk aesthetics, sleazy subtext, and its strange place in the slasher canon. We don’t explore the blend of punk nihilism and Reagan-era paranoia simmering just beneath the surface, but cap off the year with our favorite movies and episodes of 2025. From voice modulators to pink champagne murder, join us as we toast to one last bloody night before the ball drops.