Le calendrier

We didn't watch any trailers or know what to expect, other than some of the reviews saying it's not really a horror movie.

Everything about this movie was surprising. My mouth fell wide open at least 3 times, which almost never happens to me. The movie gets all the predictable stuff out of the way in the first half, and then the second half is just amazing.

It's true that the movie builds little to no tension. But damn is it ever an interesting story that holds your attention to the end. There are some tonal inconsistencies here and there, which is why it fails to build any real tension. But it does succeed in keeping you *closely* engaged through the entire film.

The ending was also a surprise, although I can't say more about it.

The lead's performance is fantastic; you can't take your eyes off her, and i only noticed one misstep the entire movie, where it felt like she was an actress rather than a real character. The supporting acting is all top notch as well.

Some of the scene transitions were brilliantly executed. I felt the soundtrack was a little weak, and there were some intense scenes that I felt could have used a little bit of music. But overall the movie is solidly crafted, with some truly astonishing moments, and even a few cliches that are brought back to life in creative new ways.

The writing was really tight all around. It's impressive how much they managed to fit into this 104-minute runtime. I feel like this concept could easily have been spread out over an entire season of episodes. If anything, the movie felt a little bit rushed in places, especially in the beginning. But it settles into a solid mystery and delivers a satisfying ending.

What more can you ask for in a movie with a 6.6 rating?

Advent Calendar (2021) is a new French horror film recently added to Shudder. The storyline follows a former dancer that is now a paraplegic. On her birthday her friend gives her a unique wooden advent calendar that each day she opens she gets a unique treat that impacts her life, sometimes for the better and sometimes for worse. One day it unlocks the ability for her to walk; however, death and misfortune for others is given with that gift. She will need to decide to keep walking or keep opening the doors on a daily basis.

This movie is directed by Patrick Ridremont (Dead Man Talking) and stars Eugénie Derouand (Inside), Janis Abrikh (Safari Park), Olivier Bonjour (Black Spot) and Sabrina Lopez Leonard (Black Spot).

First off this movie has the coolest advent calendar you've ever seen. There's some crazy dialogue in this in terms of how people talk to a paraplegic person and an even more crazy rap sequence. There's a bloody dog scene in here that made me smile and the "thing" behind the advent calendar is well done. The ending is even clever and well written.

Overall this isn't a perfect movie but it is unique and definitely worth a watch for horror enthusiasts. I'd score this a 7/10 and strongly recommend it.

You have to tip your hat to Patrick Ridgemont on this one...because not only has he made a pretty cool film...but the concept itself is downright brilliant...as it's replicability is designed right into the story.

I'm sure he was influenced by the Saw series...and felt he could do better than the goofy spiral eyed character from the Saw films.

Because he does exactly that here with what is almost certainly a prop based on the dybbuk box- which was an alchemically sealed wine cabinet said to be harbouring some sort of demonic Jewish spirit that was sold on ebay.

Only, here it's been extrapolated into this really rad looking German advent calendar (the film is Belgian, but in French by the way) that seems to target people with disabilities, as a sort of puzzle box of death...in what can only be described as a f***ed up game where they're given the choice to live free from their disability, in exchange for...let's just say...a bunch of murder...

The whole thing is incredibly creepy. The monster is pretty cool. And there's a pretty rad little twist in the end.

So it's a pretty decent and worthwhile little film!

With big potential to become a full blown Christmas horror franchise.

As, obviously- like I already mentioned above- it sets itself up for a sequel, in a way that is very easily replicable, with a model where you can change up pretty much everything to suit the shifting context.

I guess you might argue that they'll eventually run out of disabilities to cover...but you could always go niche...to space...the hood...las vegas?... I dunno...have some crossover fun with Evil Bong?!

Or just change the rules, I guess.

Anyways...it's a shudder original film, so I'm sure they're pleased as santa's piss they've got a little franchise on their hands here.

Hopefully they don't go and mess up what is currently a good thing!

7 out of 10.

This is more of a ghost story than a horror. It demonstrates how good storytelling can entertain viewers without the need for state-of-the-art graphics, stunts or other gimmicky distractions. This movie offers an intriguing story of mystery & suspense. The movie is well done in terms of likeable characters, good actors, good production quality. The one thing I did not like was the ending. It seems to be a trend in recent movies I've watched where the movie leaves some questions unanswered. It is my pet peeve about movies or series - where they don't solve all the mysteries at the end. I think it is the responsibility of the story teller to end the story with answers. No matter how hard that might be. Bottom-line: This is a mysterious, spooky story, akin to a ghost story and not a horror story. I recommend!

The Advent Calendar is within the genre of the most surprising films of 2021. Although it doesn't bring anything new, the film has a very well-developed story without falling into the genre stereotype and has something different that captivates the narrative. Very interesting.