In 1978 John Carpenter gave us Halloween which has become synonymous with the season, from the iconic look of Michael Myers to the amazing soundtrack. Now we have Thanksgiving, which is Eli Roth’s attempt at creating the defining slasher horror movie of the (American) Thanksgiving season. Taking place in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the movie begins on Black Friday 2022 outside of a RightMart. Eventually the crowd is whipped into a frenzy and storms the store causing multiple fatalities. A year later, people involved in the incident are the targets of a killer wearing a John Carver mask and a traditional pilgrim outfit. The film stars Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, Milo Manheim, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Nell Verlaque, Rick Hoffman, and Gina Gershon.
Despite being a new film in 2023, the inception of Thanksgiving actually dates back to 2007’s Grindhouse which was written and directed by Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. It’s actually a double feature made up of Tarantino’s Death Proof and Rodriguez’s Planet Terror. In Grindhouse a fake trailer (also directed by Roth) is shown for “Thanksgiving”. There are definite references from the trailer in the movie, but tonally they are very different so just be aware of that if you check it out before you see this movie.
Now, sixteen years later, we have the full feature film! Is it destined to become part of the Thanksgiving tradition or is it as forgettable as the casserole that your aunt always brings to Thanksgiving dinner? Let’s get into it!
My Thoughts
I’ve probably watched more horror movies in my life than any other genre and I was really worried that I had hit a wall with horror movies. This year saw the releases of The Evil Dead Rise and Talk To Me. Both received positive critical responses, but I really didn’t care for either one. I went into Thanksgiving hopeful, but I couldn’t shake this worry that maybe horror movies were just not working for me like they used to.
Thankfully (pun intended) Thanksgiving was an absolute blast! The trailer shown in Grindhouse has a bit more of a sinister tone than the actual movie does, so if you felt put off by the fake trailer, don’t worry! Eli Roth loves the genre and that definitely shows in this movie. Many of the kills are over the top and they’re definitely graphic without being too mean spirited.
There is a decent sized cast in this one, as is typical in these kinds of movies, and while everyone does a fine job nobody really stands out as a scene stealer. You won’t really remember anyone’s name after the credits roll, but you don’t really need to. Typically in horror movies they will try to give you some backstory or exposition about certain characters to try and get some emotional investment going, but it often feels cheap and unearned. They give you a little bit of this in Thanksgiving with the main character, but the good news is that it doesn’t really impact your viewing experience. You don’t need to care about the characters for this movie to work. I mean this is a movie where the tagline is “There will be no leftovers.” so you clearly aren’t meant to take it too seriously.
What really shines here is the tone this movie takes. It delivers all the classic slasher staples while giving you a steady stream of laughs throughout. The laughs are genuine and earned and the quippy jokes and dialogue that seem to plague movies these days aren’t used here thankfully. It doesn’t rely on jump scares either which is becoming increasingly important to me as I watch more and more horror movies. Also, I want to make special mention of the inclusion of Tim Dillon in the cast as Manny the security guard. Tim is one of my favourite comedians and it was really fun to see him in this movie. I hope we see him in a lot more projects in the future!
There is also a component of mystery to this movie about who exactly the killer is which is done well enough as the movie gives you many people to consider as possibilities. As is the case with the rest of the movie, this particular aspect isn’t breaking new ground but is handled well and offers an interesting twist to keep things going along.
Verdict
There really isn’t much more to say about this one! If you’re a horror fan, be sure to check this one out. It didn’t get much of a marketing push and deserves more success than it has gotten so far. It might not have the same iconic feel of the original Halloween movie but Thanksgiving is a feast of fun that I am certain I will watch again next Thanksgiving!
Adriana Wiszniewska