THE CALENDAR KILLER on Prime Video is a new crime thriller from Germany (org. title: Der Heimweg). It features a serial killer plot and while it’s (too) slow, it’s also intriguing. Read our full The Calendar Killer movie review here!
THE CALENDAR KILLER is a new Prime Video crime thriller from Germany (org. title: Der Heimweg). This is a serial killer story, but the movie focuses on the next possible victim. The runtime is just 1 hour and 37 minutes, but it could’ve been a bit tighter.
There’s a slow-burn vibe that I enjoyed thanks to the intriguing evolution of the storyline. However, it does get too slow before the sudden ending, which is very neat and quick. It’s based on a book by author Sebastian Fitzek, which I have not read, so I can’t say if it follows the plot.
Continue reading our The Calendar Killer movie review below. Find it on Prime Video from January 16, 2025.
Familiar yet different
When The Calendar Killer was a good 15 minutes into its runtime, I kept being reminded of The Guilty (both the Danish original and the US remake). We follow Jules (Sabin Tambrea from the Netflix series Perfume) as he works remotely on an escort phone line.
We’re talking “escort,” as in a telephone support line for women who feel unsafe walking home alone. They can call this phone service to get home safely. We experience the world from Jules’ seat for quite some time, but we also see what happens with people elsewhere.
It’s a fairly quiet evening when he suddenly receives a call from a young mother named Klara (Luise Heyer from the Netflix hit series Dark). She claims to be the next victim of a serial killer who targets women.
However, being the selected victim by this killer isn’t her only problem. In fact, she may even be ready to die. The movie evolves and twists in various ways which I liked. Having watched a slow-burn development, the ending just felt almost rushed which was a shame.

A different kind of killer
The serial killer in The Calender Killer has a rather unique method for expressing his madness. It is still madness, and he is still a killer, but he offers his victim a choice. Well, “choice” may be a little strong, as it feels almost like the kind of choice Jigsaw would give you.
Each victim’s journey towards dying begins when they wake up to a date written in blood followed by the words “Er order Du” which translates to “Him or You”.
Kill or be killed, is essentially the choice.
And the person the woman is required to kill is their husband. If they haven’t killed their husband by midnight on the given date, the Calendar Killer will kill the woman instead.
Watch The Calendar Killer on Prime Video now
The director of The Calendar Killer is Adolfo J. Kolmerer. He previously directed episodes of the pandemic thriller series Sløborn (2020-2024) and the mystery series Oderbruch (2024-). The screenplay for this new movie comes from writer Susanne Schneider (Bella Block).
As already mentioned initially, this new serial killer thriller is based on a book by Sebastian Fitzek. In fact, the full original title is Sebastian Fitzeks Der Heimweg. The title of “Der Heimweg” means “The way home” and as such focuses on the woman rather than the killer.
In the movie, we follow several characters and you won’t know exactly what each person’s role is until the end. Well, you may guess part of it, but ultimately, it does have quite a few twists and turns.
In the core concept, the idea works well, but it isn’t about the title character and his victims. The movie is about one victim, as we follow her in the final few hours of the day the serial killer has listed as her “deadline”. The date is December 6, which is made more obvious by the Christmas decorations all over – not June 12, as Americans may read it.
A release date during December would’ve been a lot better but for some reason, we always end up getting these Christmas-themed movies after the Holiday season.
The Calendar Killer is out on Prime Video from January 16, 2025.
Details
Director: Adolfo J. Kolmerer
Script: Susanne Schneider
Stars: Luise Heyer, Sabin Tambrea, Friedrich Mücke, Rainer Bock, Romy Miesner, Andreas Döhler, Shadi Eck, Dennenesch Zoudé, Isabel Thierauch, Kristin Suckow
Plot
Klara is going to die today unless she kills her husband instead. The Calendar Killer has given her that impossible choice. When Jules starts his night shift at a safety helpline for lonely women on their way home Klara’s call reaches him.
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