BLOODY NEW YEAR (TIME WARP TERROR) (director/writer: Norman J. Warren; screenwriter: Frazer Pearce; cinematographer: John Shann; editor: Carl Thomson; music: Nick Magnus; cast: Suzy Aitchison (Lesley), Nikki Brooks (Janet), Colin Heywood (Spud), Mark Powley (Rick), Catherine Roman (Carol), Julian Ronnie (Tom); Runtime: 90; MPAA Rating: R; producer: Hayden Pearce; Academy Entertainment; 1987-UK)
“Silly horror pic.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Teens-in-peril exploitation horror film from England. Under the cheesy direction of Norman J. Warren (“Gunpowder”/”Terror”/”Spaced Out”) This is the final film of the schlock-master. What prevails is a goofy film with not much plot. The dialogue is written by Frazer Pearce and is brutal. The reason for the time-warp is never explained, even though it’s central to the premise.

Strange things happen during a New Year’s Eve party in 1959, as a girl disappears when dragged into a mirror by her own reflection. Twenty years later, in July, a level-headed American tourist in England (Catherine Roman) goes sailing, in a boat owned by Mark Powley, and there are two other couples aboard. They get stranded on an abandoned island that is inexplicably stuck in 1959. They stay at an empty hotel with Christmas decorations. Suzy Aitcheson and her boyfriend Julian Ronnie are convinced they saw a face peering at them from outside the hotel, but see nothing when they investigate. Colin Heywood and his ‘scream queen’ girl Nikki Brooks witness a phantom 1950s rock band. The teens freak out over home movies played without a projectionist. But with a damaged boat, there’s no way off the island. Stuck on the island, they experience a deadly nightmare. There are silly monsters (including a tablecloth one) attacking them, a girl possessed, and a ghost hotel staff.

If you’re a fan of bad films, this one should be of interest. But be warned it’s just a lousy film and there’s no fun in it, as you might expect in such amateur film that’s played only for laughs.

REVIEWED ON 3/28/2016 GRADE: C-

Dennis Schwartz: “Ozus’ World Movie Reviews”

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