The Advent Calendar Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

The Advent Calendar Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 26, 2025

The holiday season is meant to inspire warmth and joy, but to horror filmmakers, it’s a ripe opportunity to bring ghoulishness to the screen. 2021’s “The Advent Calendar” is a Belgian production that looks to disrupt the wonders of Christmas by offering a highly bizarre tale of a gift that keeps giving, and in increasingly malicious ways. Writer/director Patrick Ridremont shows some imagination with the picture, examining the tension of a young woman dealing with an unusual German present that takes command of her life, testing her sanity as the countdown to Christmas continues. “The Advent Calendar” is actually more a genie-style examination of wish-granting, following the main character’s journey into a different reality she wants for herself, only to be asked to sacrifice so much to keep it. Ridremont has a strong opening half, tracking the passage of days and the prizes inside the eponymous gift, achieving a strong atmosphere of mystery and menace as the central story develops. The endeavor eventually starts to lose focus in its second half, but there’s enough presented here to deliver on some welcome oddity and intensity as the main character experiences a very special countdown to Christmas.

Eva (Eugenie Derouand) survived an accident some time ago, now taking on life as a paraplegic. She’s independent and emotionally withdrawn, dealing with the inconsiderate nature of others and her wicked stepmother, Agnes (Isabelle Tanakil), who keeps Eva’s father, who’s suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, away from contact, leaving the daughter feeling extra isolated. She has a friend in Sophie (Honorine Magnier), who’s recently traveled to Germany, making sure to come armed with goods as she visits Eva on her birthday. Included in the gifts is a special advent calendar she stole from a store, and Sophie provides three rules covering its use, instructing her pal to eat the candy offered, respect the instructions, and never throw the calendar out. Game to enjoy the present, Eva commences her countdown experience, accepting the strange sweets the calendar provides, initially unaware of the strange power of the wooden gift. As people around her begin dying, and she finds love with nurse William (Clement Olivieri), Eva starts to understand what’s going on. She soon labors to piece together comprehension of this dark magic, which is sourced from a demon growing in power with every passing day, and the creature is ready to provide his summoner with a path to an alternate life Eva has always wanted.

Eva has endured tragedy, but she continues on in her life. She’s independent, making her own way around the city, including trips to a pool for exercise, and she lives with her dog, Marvin. Eva also has a terrible job at a scammy insurance company, dealing with John (Jerome Paquatte), her horrible boss who doesn’t have much interest in keeping her on as an employee after learning more about her mission to support customers. There’s darkness to this existence, and “The Advent Calendar” portions out pieces of backstory, eventually understanding where the character has come from. This special arc of need helps to accept the oddness of the concept, which has Eva faced with a ghoulish advent calendar, and one that demands opening at midnight, forcing the recipient to keep up with surprises from every day.

Eva mostly deals with candy, happily accepting treats from the calendar even after learning more about the rules of engagement from Sophie. “The Advent Calendar” plays with the developing threat, as Eva wishes revenge on John for replacing her, and she has a horrible experience with a blind date Sophie arranges with a stock bro, as he tries to sexually assault her on the ride home. The candies contain unusual magic, offering Eva some relief as bad men are eliminated, and her loneliness is cured with a heart-shaped treat, bringing William into her life. Ridremont creates wonderful escalation as the days pass, and he’s also interested in developing the mystery of the demon’s offerings, as the consumption of a clock-theme sweet forces Eva to lose four days of life. There’s the high of special discoveries, including success with a stock trading app, but “The Advent Calendar” eventually starts to return to darkness, extending to odd “baby Jesus” treats that tease the return of feeling to Eva’s legs, keeping her committed to the dangerous situation, even when she recognizes an obvious threat level.

The Advent Calendar Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The visual presentation (2.35:1 aspect ratio) for "The Advent Calendar" finds detail with skin particulars, examining differences in age, and the creature at the center of the story retains its textured look. Interiors sustain room depth and decorative additions, including the rough wooden appearance of the advent calendar. Exteriors maintain depth. Color is understood, with moodier hues throughout the viewing experience, exploring candy wrappers and lighting choices. Greenery is distinct, along with the blueness of pool activity. Red blood is defined. Skin tones are natural. Delineation is satisfactory. The big issue with this Blu-ray release is compression, with banding a common sight throughout the film. Posterization is present as well, with many larger flare-ups.

The Advent Calendar Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA mix offers defined dialogue exchanges, handling the softness of emotional scenes and the intensity of panicked responses. Scoring supports with defined instrumentation, carrying dramatic and suspenseful interactions with a crisp sound. Surrounds aren't pronounced, but handle some musical moods and atmospherics with household moments and aquatic events. The track is mostly frontal, and occasional movement is noted with panning effects. Low-end isn't commanding.

The Advent Calendar Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet features an essay by Amber T.

• Commentary features film critic Mary Beth McAndrews.

• Intro (8:50, HD) is a welcome to the Blu-ray experience of "The Advent Calendar" from writer/director Patrick Ridremont. Actually, it's more of an interview with the helmer, who explores the genesis of the project, pursuing his love of genre entertainment and movie maniacs, also drawn to the idea of "rules" in horror films. He also discusses the central figure of doom in "The Advent Calendar," exploring the development process for the character, providing some insight into personal history and torment that's helpful to better understand what's going on in the feature.

• And a Trailer (1:35, HD) is included.

The Advent Calendar Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Eva starts to solve the puzzle of the advent calendar during the second half of the picture, using candy wrappers and the design of the gift to learn about what's coming for her. Ridremont adds a few "Hellraiser"-style moments of demonic confrontation to "The Advent Calendar" to keep it on the scary side, with ghoulish makeup working to sell such intimidation. The writing seems like it's headed in a thrilling direction, but Ridremont ultimately pulls back on creating a more forceful understanding of wish-fulfillment. He eventually goes for sadness instead, losing interest in frights as the endeavor finds its way to a conclusion, and one that's not especially satisfying. "The Advent Calendar" is in need of a tighter edit and sharper storytelling, but the helmer certainly secures a compelling introduction to the power of German holiday celebration. And he has a game actress in Derouand, who supplies a fierce performance as Eva, providing a physical and emotional presence to help support the oddball nightmare Ridremont is trying to create here.