THE ADVENT CALENDAR on Shudder is the perfect little Christmas Horror movie. It’s a French-Belgian production, but please don’t let that keep you from watching it. Read our full The Advent Calendar movie review here and check out the movie on Shudder!
THE ADVENT CALENDAR is a new horror movie on Shudder. Or actually, it’s a Christmas Horror movie and you don’t want to miss out on this one. It’s actually very straightforward and simple. However, it does offer a fresh take on a familiar plot.
For this new Shudder Christmas horror movie, the production is a French-Belgian one which means the movie is in French. However, there is no reason to let that get in the way of watching it. Actually, the advent calendar itself is in German, so even the main character deals with not understanding what it’s saying to her.
“Does the Advent Calendar talk?” you might be asking yourself. And yes, it does. In its own way and it’s both cool, irritating, and terrifying. In that order!
Continue reading our The Advent Calendar movie review below and find it on Shudder from November 2, 2021.
A true Christmas Horror story
This Belgian/French horror fantasy movie combines Faustian themes and allusions with European folklore and tense, chilling terror. And yes, it will deliver on horror, so it’s not a “cutesy” Christmas movie with just a touch of horror here and there. This is not a movie for the whole family.
CHRISTMAS HORROR FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY
You might want to check out Elves on Netflix – even if it has a few brutal moments. Read more here >
Well, unless you have kids that enjoy real horror movies. Admittedly, some of us horror fans did start very young and never had nightmares for it. Instead, we make websites and try to get other people hooked on the genre, so there you go.
Fresh take on a familiar horror plot
At its core, The Advent Calendar is that classic horror story of having to see something to the end. We know the plot from movies such as It Follows or Wish Upon. Once you’re “in it”, you have to go through the pain it offers before you end up passing it on to a new victim.
Before you get that far, you have a set of rules you must follow. In the case of The Advent Calendar, you are warned before you begin and the rules are laid out clearly once you’ve entered the “game”. Whether you will survive yourself is not a given – no matter how much you follow the rules.
ANOTHER CHRISTMAS HORROR MOVIE
How about checking out the Krampus movie which is a classic kind of Christmas Horror movie >
Eugénie Derouand plays the lead character Eva and does an excellent job. This story really is all about Eva, so Eugénie Derouand needs to deliver a believable character portrait, which she absolutely succeeds at. Overall, I was very pleasantly surprised by this Christmas horror movie.
Watch The Advent Calendar on Shudder!
Patrick Ridremont is the writer and director of The Advent Calendar and I am already looking forward to seeing what he makes next. This is only his second feature film since his 2012 movie Dead Man Talking. He also starred in that one, which makes sense since his IMDb resume is mostly credits as an actor.
As already mentioned, this movie is in French (org. title Le calendrier) and it’s a French and Belgian production. In case you’re not familiar with genre productions from either country, I can assure you that they are quite excellent at making horror movies.
French horror movies include Raw (2015) and more recently Meander (2021) to name just the two first that come to mind. Belgium has produced the horror movie Hunted (2020) and the Netflix series Into the Night (if we focus on season 1, anyway).
No matter what you expect, just sit back and enjoy this latest Christmas horror movie addition to Shudder. It definitely packs a punch and keeps you guessing.
The Advent Calendar world premiered this year at London’s Frightfest, and it will be out in Shudder on December 2, 2021.
Details
Director: Patrick Ridremont
Writer: Patrick Ridremont
Stars: Eugénie Derouand, Honorine Magnier, Clément Olivieri, Janis Abrikh, Cyril Garnier, Vladimir Perrin
Plot
Eva, an ex-dancer, is now using a wheelchair, unable to walk. When her friend Sophie gives her an old wooden antique advent calendar before Christmas, she realizes each window contains a surprise that triggers repercussions in real life. Some of them are good, but most of them are bad, really bad. Now Eva will have to choose between getting rid of the calendar or walking again – even if it causes death and destruction to everyone she holds dear around her.
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