Synopsis
After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts – the birthplace of the holiday. Picking off residents one by one, what begins as random revenge killings are soon revealed to be part of a larger, sinister holiday plan. Will the town uncover the killer and survive the holidays…or become guests at his twisted holiday dinner table?
What We Thought:
Did Eli Roth create a new horror icon with John Carver in his latest flick Thanksgiving? Absolutely. I was highly looking forward to this film because I’m a big Roth fan and because it’s been teased for like 15 years now and I’m happy to report it did not disappoint. I had a total blast with it and like last year’s Violent Night, Thanksgiving will become a yearly holiday horror tradition for me.
Holiday horror flicks tend to be pretty good. Even bad ones are usually watchable. Other than the ThanksKilling series we don’t get too many Thanksgiving based horror movies. Heck we barely get Thanksgiving based movies in any genre. For a holiday horror movie there are certain expectations to be had and this one meets those expectations. First and foremost I want gore. I grew up on 80s slashers and Eli Roth brings the bloodshed for sure. Those of us who like gore and violence will not be disappointed.
Second, the killer needs a good costume. Whether it’s a killer Santa Claus in a Christmas flick or Michael Myers in a mask on Halloween, the killer needs an identifiable costume. Roth introduces the world to John Carver, an axe swinging, murdering Pilgrim. Based in Plymouth, Massachusetts, home to the first Thanksgiving, having the killer in the mask of a Pilgrim (and first governor of the Plymouth colony who is credited with writing the Mayflower Compact) is genius. Carver is an instant horror icon up there with Ghostface from Scream who can very easily return in sequels as different killers take over. And yes, I want sequels.
Holiday horror tends to be comedic as well. Having people murdered during times of joy and family gatherings makes for funny situations. This is full of one-liners, hilarious incidents and the opening Black Friday sequence had me laughing immediately. It being based in Massachusetts, the characters are filled with stereotypical Massachusetts types. I’m a born and bred Masshole so hearing the towns talked about and seeing the type of characters in it made me laugh throughout. Roth is from Massachusetts himself and made this because he wanted to see Massholes in a slasher. As a Masshole, thank you Mr. Roth!
The only real negative I have for the film is that it’s only based in Massachusetts and not shot here. As a local actor myself, I would have loved to have worked on it. I also would have loved to have seen other actors I know in it as well. The diner waitress, the Black Friday shoppers, all the small town locals should be people I know. Also as a New Englander, we can tell when someplace only looks like our towns/cities, but isn’t really them. If you aren’t from here it won’t make a difference to you.
Thanksgiving is what I was hoping it would be. It’s not trying to be anything it’s not and Patrick Dempsey seems to be having a ball in it. The young lead actress reminds me of the young lead actress from Scream 5 and 6 so I can see her breaking through from this. If you want some gore and violence to go along with some thigh meat and pie, then Eli Roth’s latest is…
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Cast
Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, Milo Manheim, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Nell Verlaque with Rick Hoffman and Gina Gershon
Directed by: Eli Roth
Screenplay by: Jeff Rendell
Story by: Eli Roth & Jeff Rendell
Produced by: Eli Roth, Roger Birnbaum, Jeff Rendell
The Nerds Templar 