The time is finally here. The release of New Fears Eve is just days away as of this writing. We’ve been following the development of this indie-slasher-comedy for well over over a year, and we couldn’t be happier for the cast and crew to finally see their movie get the wide release it deserves!
New Fears Eve begins streaming on Screambox on December 16th. The film stars Lily-Claire Harvey, Turner Vaughn, and Matthew Tichenor as three friends and co-workers who are forced to attend their company’s mandatory New Year’s Eve office party. A masked killer known as The Doctor crashes the party, turning the forced celebration into a blood-soaked slaughterhouse.
The cast also includes scream queen Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Hannah Fierman (V/H/S, Siren), Dave Sheridan (Scary Movie, The Devil’s Rejects), and Jeffrey Reddick (creator of the Final Destination franchise).
P.J. Starks wrote the script for New Fears Eve, and he directed the film along with his Blood Moon Pictures partner Eric Huskisson. We’ve had the pleasure of speaking with P.J. a few times during the development of New Fears Eve, and he was kind enough to join us again to talk about this, one of his more personal experiences as a filmmaker.
Creepy Catalog: First of all, congratulations on the release of New Fears Eve! I know this movie is very personal for you. How does it feel to finally have a date set for the rest of the world to see it?
P.J. Starks: Thank you so much. It really is, in several ways. From the start this production felt different. That was part of the reason we held out to see if a larger company would be interested. It feels really good to know that paid off with Cineverse. Eric and I are both on cloud nine knowing everyone will get the opportunity to see it and during the time of year it was intended to be watched. The release isn’t without its stressors though. We want so badly for this film to do well so I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t anxious about that.
CC: Can you tell us in your own words what the movie is about?
P.J.: It’s about three best friends who are being forced to attend Hooper Industries’ mandatory New Year’s work party. Unbeknownst to them, they’re each being stalked by a sadistic killer, who is equally being hunted by police and FBI. The body count steadily rises as The Doctor follows them to the party. Once everyone is locked in the building the killing really begins and all hell breaks loose.
CC: Horror fans have tons of options for streaming horror movies. How would you entice them to take a chance on New Fears Eve?
P.J.: Our film is Halloween meets Clerks meets Scream meets Office Christmas Party with sensibilities of American Pie and Terror Train. It has heart and it has fart. There are over forty all-practical kills in the film. If you’re a fan of any of this then you’ll find yourself having a helluva time with New Fears Eve.
CC: The movie is set on New Years Eve which isn’t a common setting when it comes to holiday horror movies. Why New Year’s Eve rather than something like Christmas or Halloween?
P.J.: Our previous anthologies have been set during various holidays including
Halloween and Christmas. It was more by accident than by design that New Fears Eve was our next production. I had conceived the basic idea during filming on 13 Slays Till X-Mas. The idea was shelved. Later, Eric thought it would be smart to go with the next holiday since the gimmick had been successful for us previously. However, you aren’t wrong. There is a serious lack of New Years horror, which makes this project very niche and unique in many ways.
CC: What themes or story ideas within your script wouldn’t have the same impact in a slasher set on a different holiday?
P.J.: Honestly, this story could happen at any time of year. This includes any other holiday or celebration. The holiday aspects are there to add additional layers, but the narrative itself is not centered around New Years. At surface level the film is blood and gore mixed with a lot of dick jokes. At its true core the film is about how relationships bend, break, and evolve when life throws something catastrophic at us without warning.
This sudden, inconceivable change, be it danger, loss, trauma, or the collapse of normalcy, forces us to confront who we really are and what we really mean to one another. While there are obviously much deeper themes built into the story, I didn’t want to be too heavy handed and used New Years to build fun set pieces into the movie. Plus, the mandatory work party was a pretty good excuse to lock a bunch of co-workers into an office building with a mass murderer.
CC: The killer in New Fears Eve is The Doctor. What inspired The Doctor’s
look?
P.J.: The pandemic brought the plague doctor back into the collective zeitgeist. Photos were all over social media and cosplayers were adorning the get up at every con. I thought it would be a cool slasher villain look but he needed to have a bit of a stylized edge. As a fan of true crime, particularly the Jack the Ripper murders, I’ve always been struck by how iconic his silhouette is. You don’t even have to know who it is but as soon as you see the top hat and Inverness coat you just know. I blended the two looks together, which works perfectly not only as a cool masked psychopath but with both being surgeons or suspected surgeons his modus operandi creates itself.
CC: Are the kills unique to The Doctor’s personality?
P.J.: Yes and no. I had originally intended for The Doctor to only use surgical instruments. After the kill count was boosted to well over forty it became next to impossible to keep the deaths within medical parameters. I had to start coming up with different ways for him to dispatch victims. I’m glad this happened because it gave me an excuse to make him more brutal by allowing an “anything goes” mentality.
This just means anything in the environment can turn into a weapon. I’ve put together a series of kills that feel fresh and unexpected, and I’m insanely proud of how the deaths in this movie turned out. I have to give major credit to our special effects team. Stephen, Isa and Blaze did a solid job bringing these to gory life.
CC: What was most important to you while writing New Fears Eve: story/characters, fun/bloody kills, or effective comedy?
P.J.: Most definitely story and characters. I wanted them to be people we all know, love or hate. If they feel real enough to the audience, then the comedy will be naturally potent. People’s comedic tastes vary which means not every joke lands, but overall, we’ve absolutely crafted a fun and hilarious gorefest.
CC: When and where can we watch New Fears Eve?
P.J.: It’s being released on Tuesday, December 16th to multiple platforms including Screambox, Amazon Prime, Roku, Plex and others. If you use the code NewFearsEve to sign up for Screambox you’ll get the first three months for $2.99 and you’ll get to see our film so it’s a win for everyone. Either way keep your eyes peeled… or The Doctor might peel them for you.
