You need to catch the holiday season’s hottest thrillers on HBO Max ASAP

In the world From high-profile trailer footage, streaming premieres, and spoilers all around, it’s hard to watch a movie that truly raises eyebrows. Every movie or show is in a crowded market and has to sell itself in seconds; There is no time to withhold any secrets. It is unlikely that viewers will continue to search for something to “get a good thing.”

But in the final moments of 2022, one movie manages to be surprising from scene to scene, something you’d never pick on a streaming list.

Record yule for TV is a tradition that dates back to 1966, so it’s no surprise that Adult Swim launched one. You’d probably think it would be a roaring fire, some holiday music, maybe some Rick and Morty appearances, which, in fact, is exactly what they did last year. But this year’s record is a surreal horror film directed by Lots of cooks.

If that’s enough to convince you to watch it, read no further. This is one of the few movies where knowing nothing, not even a basic assumption, is the best way to watch it. A blind watch makes every lap and makes it more exciting. But if you need any more convincing, read on, and know that we’ll barely scratch the surface of what the movie touches on.

Christmas log for adultsAlso known as the stove, starts out like most yule records, but slowly we see characters moving between the camera and the fireplace. It also begins like most horror movies: a murder. The film is divided into sections, each of which takes on a new form and often a new genre. We see the first kill while we focus on the fire, but everything changes after that.

The next section sees the camera zoom out to show the entire room, as two people discuss who brought them into the booth where the film was set. Because the scene is shot with only one camera, there are no cuts in the footage, making it essentially a stage play. Then the format shifts to a more traditional single-camera format, morphing into a high-octane horror movie that includes a cult, possessed record, and maybe even aliens.

In between all of these ups and downs, there is a surrealism Twin Peaks– The moment involving a character who goes back in time and changes the space-time continuum. It’s usually annoying, but when what started as ambient noise turns into a wobble, you’re just along for the ride.

above all, the stove Don’t settle for mindless terror. Through flashbacks and alternate endings, the film explores racial violence and how we acknowledge what happens in the spaces we occupy. In an early scene, the sheriff and his deputy discuss how the local tree that was used for lynchings has been removed from the historical plaque that marks it because the wedding venue is nearby. It sounds harmless, but that’s the thesis of the entire movie. How do we reckon with the horrors of the past while trying to live a better future?

It all ended with a haunting song about trauma performed by Puddles Pity Party and written by the film’s director and writer Casper Kelly: “So you have a trauma, tell it to the fire.” This film is clearly more than any unsuspecting viewer’s bargain, but it does add some poignant commentary as a bonus. Wear it to your next family gathering and see what happens. He might just start some conversations after, “Wait, I thought that was a yule record?”

Christmas log for adults Also known as the stove Streaming now on HBO Max.