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The new Christmas-themed horror film Advent (alternatively known as The Krampus Calendar) had its world premiere at FrightFest Halloween earlier this year. And we talked to writer and director Airell Anthony Hayles about the Christmas-themed film at the event. You may know Hayles as the director of previous films such as They’re Outside and Werewolf Santa, and he also helmed one of the segments of the 2022 anthology film Midnight Peepshow. You can enjoy our video interview with Hayles in the player below, and you will no doubt be intrigued by all the details he offers.

Advent stars Rasina Alexander as Hayley, a paranormal podcaster whose life begins to spiral out of control when she comes into possession of an item known as a Krampus Calendar. She believes it was created by the demonic being known as Krampus, which, as you will no doubt be aware, is closely associated with the Christmas season.

In Advent, folk horror meets social media with disastrous results for a desperate YouTuber. Two things associated with the Christmas holiday are combined: the mythological Krampus, traditional tormentor of bad children, and the Advent calendar, with its format of a surprise for each day.

There’s something very wrong with this particular Advent calendar. Because it’s really a Krampus calendar. This gateway to hell is not located underneath a remote monastery or abbey. It’s right there in the home.

Hayley, an unemployed young woman interested in folklore, and a small following of social media subscribers, announces new content. For 25 days in December, she will follow the instructions of the weird calendar sent to her by a mysterious figure.

Instead of candy, the calendar offers a daily challenge, perfect for social media. And a Krampus calendar as the villain may be preferable to someone romping around in a Krampus costume.

Stars: Rasina Alexander, Mark Arnold, Nicholas Vince, Cory Peterson, Marina Lazaris, Zee West, Cian Lorcan | Written and Directed by Airell Anthony Hayles

As a lover of all things Christmas, and therefore Christmas horror, I’ve always thought there could be a decent genre film based on the advent calendar. And indeed a movie came out just a couple of years ago called exactly that – The Advent Calendar – which was pretty good. This year, though comes Advent, with a slightly different tale to tell.

This one involves a ‘Krampus Calendar’. Something I didn’t know existed, and I assume is made up for the movie but at least it’s an original concept of sorts. It runs very similar to an Advent, where the character opens up a different door for each day in December. Only behind each door is a ‘task’. Tasks that seem to get more dangerous as the month goes on.

Get ready for a holiday experience like no other, as Advent, the latest festive horror from director Airell Anthony Hayles, is set to make your Christmas countdown more terrifying than merry. Following its much-anticipated World Premiere at Pigeon Shrine FrightFest Halloween, Advent will be available on digital platforms from 25 November, courtesy of Miracle Media.

Advent is not your typical holiday tale. With a dark twist inspired by the disturbing true events surrounding the infamous Blue Whale Challenge—a viral social media “game” that coerced participants into completing increasingly dangerous tasks—this film adds a supernatural edge to an already sinister premise. Hayles takes the idea of a deadly game and wraps it around the festive tradition of the advent calendar, transforming it into a harrowing thriller.

The film stars a strong cast, including Mark Arnold (Blade Runner 2049), Nicholas Vince, Cory Peterson (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Rasina Pavlova,...

Stars: Katherine Rodden, Mark Arnold, Emily Booth, Joe Bob Briggs, Cory Peterson, Roxanne Gregory, Charlie Preston | Written and Directed by Airell Anthony Hayles

You’d think Christmas horror films up until now had covered it all. Where can you go after all the killer Santas, snowmen and elves? Well, not too long ago, Krampus was the new thing for genre filmmakers to make a holiday film about and there’s been a few decent movies on that subject – none better than the 2015 film. Last year we got a couple of great new Christmas-themed horror movies with Violent Night seeing David Harbour as Santa saving Christmas and a family and the even more original but brilliantly violent Christmas Bloody Christmas, which featured a killer robotic Santa on the loose. 2023 doesn’t seem to be the year where Christmas horror runs out of ideas because now we are getting Werewolf Santa.

How...