Holiday Movie Advent Calendar
Ugly sweaters. Secret Santa gifts. Tree lightings. That inedible fruitcake your sweet Aunt Gladys sends without fail. These are some of the time-honored markers announcing the holiday season is upon us. But for us film-lovin’ folks at the Chronicle, what gets us most merry is revisiting, or newly discovering, the movies and TV offerings inspired by the holidays. In the spirit of this season of giving, we’re unveiling a new viewing recommendation every day from December 1 through 25, from black-and-white classics to black comedies, blood-spattered ho-ho-horror and yuletide-special TV episodes.
The giving season can be murder in the original slasher
Dec. 2, 2017
Turns out Christmas dinner is just as fraught in French
Dec. 3, 2017
The shadow of Christmas past hangs long over Huston's classic
Dec. 4, 2017
It’s 1183 … but squabbling with the family is timeless
Dec. 6, 2017
How to avoid being dragged away on Krampusnacht
Dec. 7, 2017
Classic black comedy has the blues
Dec. 8, 2017
Some Santas belong on the naughty list
Dec. 9, 2017
Bust a gut laughing, or cry your guts out: You get it both ways
Dec. 10, 2017
Which are the best (and worst) of the BBC classic's Xmas specials?
Dec. 11, 2017
A ridiculous delight in the Hallmark movie pantheon
Dec. 12, 2017
The one we can't seem to quit
Dec. 13, 2017
Celebrate the season in Sunnydale, the Oval Office, and more
Dec. 14, 2017
Foul-mouthed fun for the holidays
Dec. 15, 2017
Or how I fell in love with Mickey Rourke
Dec. 16, 2017
We rank the holidays with the Crawley family
Dec. 17, 2017
The key to a merry Christmas is a shoplifter in the house
Dec. 18, 2017
Stanley Kubrick’s lovely holiday tale of marriage and orgies
Dec. 19, 2017
“The most sublime Texts ever written”
Dec. 20, 2017
A holiday hybrid for outcasts
Dec. 21, 2017
When your Christmas nightmares come true
Dec. 23, 2017
In this season of giving, who is the best Scrooge?
Dec. 24, 2017
A merry, blotto Christmas (mind the dead body in the bedroom)
Dec. 25, 2017
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Dec. 3, 2021