For many, New Year’s Eve signifies embracing a fresh perspective. I often found myself making promises to change as the new year begins, hoping I can keep that mindset strong to make the necessary changes needed to be a new “me.” People celebrate this holiday with hope for the future, seeking release from any of the negativity they experienced the year prior. While holiday horror films predominantly focus on major celebrations like Christmas and Halloween, New Year’s Eve often remains overlooked. Be it a morality tale, fractured relationships, a first-time experience, or a killer New Year’s Eve party, the following five films showcase the horrors that unfold during the holiday of renewal.
The Phantom Carriage (1921)
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Synopsis: On New Year’s Eve, the driver of a ghostly carriage forces a drunken man to reflect on his selfish, wasted life.
Why You Should Watch: Other than The Phantom Carriage being considered one of the first horror films, what makes this a great watch for New Year’s Eve is it’s a reminder for all of us to reflect on our past mistakes as we enter the new year so as not to make the same ones again. Plus, it has a banging score that really adds to the intense nature in which our main character finds himself.
Where to Watch: Currently, The Phantom Carriage is streaming on The Criterion Channel, which has a 7-day free trial and is available to rent on Apple TV.
Terror Train (1980)
Synopsis: A masked killer targets six college kids responsible for a prank gone wrong three years earlier and who are currently throwing a large New Year’s Eve costume party aboard a moving train.
Why You Should Watch It: It goes without saying that New Year’s Eve is a time of celebration and new beginnings. Though Terror Train isn’t necessarily saying anything about starting anew, it still does a great job of bringing the party atmosphere of New Year’s Eve to fruition. Combine that with a unique setting aboard a train and the inclusion of the ultimate Scream Queen, Jamie Lee Curtis, and you got yourself a holiday slasher worth watching.
Where To Watch: Currently, Terror Train is available to stream on Tubi and is available to rent on Apple TV and Prime Video.
The Night of the Virgin (2016)
Synopsis: A virgin looking to get laid instead gets a nightmare full of blood, sweat, … and various discharges.
Why You Should Watch It: As the clock creeps ever closer to midnight, one thing that is usually on everyone’s mind is the midnight kiss. And who knows, for some, they might be able to bring that kiss home to the bedroom. However, in Roberto San Sebastián’s horror film, The Night of the Virgin, our lead soon finds out that what he wants might not be what’s best after what should be a beautiful memory to start the New Year becomes an unfolding nightmare of gore and bodily fluids.
Where to Watch: Currently, The Night of the Virgin is available to stream on Tubi, Crackle, and Pluto TV and is available to rent on Prime Video.
Midnighters (2017)
Synopsis: Midnight, New Year’s Eve: when all the hopes of new beginnings come to life – except for Lindsey and Jeff Pittman, whose strained marriage faces the ultimate test after they cover up a terrible crime and find themselves entangled in a Hitchcockian web of deceit and madness
Why You Should Watch: Relationships are a lot of work, especially when that relationship is already fractured. Midnighters is a chilling thriller that shows how the threads of a relationship can come undone when secrets are kept. This is a complete dichotomy between what New Years represents versus the unraveling of a relationship coming to an end. When you add in a terrible accident and a cover-up to go along with it, the boundaries of a relationship are tested in ways one could never imagine.
Where to Watch: Currently, Midnighters is available to stream on AMC+ and Tubi and is available to rent on Apple TV and Prime Video.
INTO THE DARK: New Year, New You (2018)
Synopsis: A group of old friends gather for a girl’s night on New Years Eve. But as they begin to rehash old memories, many of the gripes they’ve been harboring manifest in murderous ways.
Why You Should Watch It: We all know the saying “New Year, New You,” but in the case of the film of the same name, Director Sophia Takal takes that saying to a whole new level. Whether we admit it or not, we all want to start the new year as a new person shrugging off the stink of the past. But also, we want to see our friends thrive just as much as we do. Unfortunately, in New Year, New You, friendships are put to the test in the most violent of ways when long kept secrets come bubbling to the surface.
Where to Watch: Currently, New Year, New You is available to stream on Hulu.
Holiday horror is some of the best, and it’s time for New Year’s Eve to get the love. Do you have a horror movie that makes a perfect watch for New Year’s Eve? Let us know on social media: @butwhythopc.
