PopHorror Let's Get Scared
I reviewed Richard Tanner’s first film Room for Rent years ago and have been excited for his lastest Screw Year’s Eve since it was first announced. Recently I was given the chance to check it out.
Read on for my thoughts.
Synopsis
A group of friends decide to ring in the New Year at an extravagant 80s-themed party hosted in a remote warehouse at the edge of town. As the night unfolds, they quickly realize they are not alone. Trapped in a labyrinth of neon lights and retro nostalgia, they find themselves hunted by a merciless killer hell-bent on making sure they never see another year.
Screw Year’s Eve was directed by Richard Tanner (Room for Rent) from a script by Sean Donahue (Death-Scort Service). The film stars Danielle Page (Amazon Hot Box), Sushii Xhyvette Holder (Death-Scort Service 2: The Naked Dead), Jessa Jupiter Flux (Onlyfangs), Hunter Redfern (Crackcoon), Niv Aranea (XXX-Mas), Angel Nichole Bradford (Night of the Dead Sorority Babes), Bryson Bonta, Quinton Nash (Home By Sunday), and Jon Devlin (Phallacies).
One of the the things that impressed me the most about Screw Year’s Eve was the cast. It’s pretty much made up of a whose who of indie horror vets doing solid work as usual. I really liked the interactions between the characters. They really felt like a group of friends. I really loved the characters of Bev, Jen, and Stephanie played by Danielle Page, Jessa Jupiter Flux and Sushii Xhyvette Holder. I also loved Angel Nichole Bradford as Jamie The Bartender. I loved that the film referenced the 80s so much, from movies to music.
The kills were homages to the 80s horror films that came before. One of the deaths reminded me of something I would have seen in the Death-Scort Service series, which makes sense as Sean Donahue wrote the first two in the series as well as Screw Year’s Eve. I love the references to either previous films from the filmmaker’s or references to the name of the directors production company as in jokes. I love that the film feels kinda like a hangout film for the first half, before things go off the deep end and people start dying. We really get a chance to care about these characters before they become corpses.
Final Thoughts
Screw Year’s Eve is a fun throwback slasher with a great cast. Recommended.
