Thanksgiving

• Directed by Eli Roth
• November 17, 2023
• Based on the Grindhouse trailer Thanksgiving by Eli Roth and Jeff Rendell

A small Massachusetts town is terrorized by a killer in a John Carver mask during Thanksgiving.

Themed horror films are nothing new. April Fool’s Day. Silent Night, Deadly Night. Graduation Day. Valentine’s Day. And those are off the top of my head. Once a trend, the concept died out as quickly as it started. In that Thanksgiving is a campy nod to those films by centering around Turkey Day and connecting the motivation as well as the kills to that holiday.

There are even shades of the classic The Abominable Doctor Phibes in this. The killer is killing everybody in themed revenge. They blame all of them and are seeking poetic justice. While a slasher movie, this is much more of a horror comedy with dark humor and less of a straight horror film.

Our movie is very derivative by intent and not accident. This was inspired by a faux trailer and not meant to be a highly intellectual piece. It was meant to imitate gory films that were entertaining yet lowbrow. And it has adequate gore and is very entertaining. You see intestines and squirting blood and flesh being peeled off. It’s not done for realism, but rather for shock and at times as a dark joke like the stepmom roasted like a turkey.

Who the killer is never gets too obvious. There are a few red herrings along the way keeping with the general idea of being a cheesy movie. There are enough twists and turns that you’ll get confused from but if you do decide to focus on who the killer is you will pick up on who the killer is based on what they say and how they act. 

Yes Thanksgiving is absolute trash. Perfect trashy fun though. There are plenty of creative kills and a great resolution that leaves things open yet if one doesn’t come, you will still be fine. The kills are creative, macabre, and sometimes even satisfying because the character kinda deserved it-like the waitress. And our core cast is actually likeable. At least that you do not hate all of them.

Thanksgiving is a great homage to the themed slasher film. It has a level of camp and gore with moments of dark humor that make this dark holiday fun.