Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘The Advent Calendar’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the motion picture, ‘The Advent Calendar’.

​The vast majority of people out there, see the holidays as a wondrous time and rightfully so. After all, this is a season of giving and harmony. Wherein we celebrate the wonder of life with our friends and family, and we also take inventory of our own lives during this season. Since this is the end of a trip around the sun, and the perfect time to sit back and think about all the gifts that life gave us this year and what we can do with said gifts in the New Year to find fulfillment and joy and outright peace in our souls. But while so many of us welcome the holidays with open arms and smiles on our faces, it is important to acknowledge the fact that the season doesn’t please everyone out there.
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In fact, some people outright despise the holidays, and their justification for hating or having general disdain for it… is as valid as our love for it. For some folks, might have experienced some trauma during the holidays at some point during their lives and this season echoes that. Or they have dealt with some supremely sour moments while the lights on the tree flickered and sometimes, it just serves as a reminder of the tough journey they’ve been upon and how badly they would like to change their fortunes and it is the first and last concepts mentioned there, that are relevant to our discussion today. For Shudder is now host to a brand-new holiday horror film that focuses upon those elements in the most fascinating way imaginable in The Advent Calendar.

Now in this particular film we are introduced to a woman named Eva who isn’t enjoying the holidays in the slightest. For the season really does remind her of the fact that she’s in a dead-end job that she doesn’t enjoy in the slightest, that her father is fading away from her life due to Alzheimer’s while his idiot wife syphons away his money and of course… that she can no longer dance or walk. For a terrible car accident robbed her of the use of her legs and while she has carved out a path despite her injuries, the painful reality of her condition still haunts her. But the arrival of an advent calendar, courtesy of a friend, might be just what she needs to change her fortunes this season. For it promises her a chance to walk once again if she follows its instructions to a tee. But it doesn’t take long for Eva to realize this isn’t a gift in the slightest, but an outright nightmare… for what this calendar wants in exchange for the use of her legs… is horrifying to say the least.

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Which at first glance, is a plot that simply appears more grounded in Faustian concepts. Since the calendar requires an awful quid pro quo, leaving one to believe that this is going to be a story about battling to maintain our moral core. But while that is definitely an element present here, the fact of the matter is… it really is about how the past weighs some people down during the holidays and how hard that can be emotionally, and it accomplishes that feat… by having the calendar offer up a supremely unique exchange program. For every task that it wants Eva to complete, revolves around her past and the demons and pain she carries. Which means that in order to walk again, she will in fact… need to face yesterday and all the memories and traumas that weigh upon her and that leads to quite the powerful philosophical lesson in this story.
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One that outright informs us that we cannot hide from our past and that we must face it at some point and to do otherwise, will indeed be disastrous for our soul and our psyche. Since the darkness will eventually overtake us. Which in a way, makes this an uplifting horror story at the same time since it has that positive message to send our way. But make no mistake about it, getting to that particular point is quite the task. Since Eva is mired in horrible decisions to get there, the kind that are uncomfortable in nature. For the horror elements present in this film are simply top-notch. In fact, some of the dark moments that Eva must take part in, really do force the viewer to look away or cringe because of the depravity and darkness they entail. 

Which means that in the end, this is a genuinely solid horror flick. For it really offers up concepts and moments that will please every horror fan out there. Since there’s gore and commentary and deep-rooted messages about the human condition and to top it all off, it features an original plot as well. For this viewer is hard pressed to think of any other holiday themed horror film out there, that uses an advent calendar as the central villain of the story. So, if you’re looking for a delightfully twisted horror film to enjoy this holiday season, then please… swing by Shudder and bask in the gory and twisted gift that is, The Advent Calendar

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