Thanksgiving (2023) Review
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?
Starring Patrick Dempsey (BRIDGET JONES’ BABY, TV’s ‘GREY’S ANATOMY’), Addison Rae (HE’S ALL THAT), and Nell Verlaque (NOWHERE, THE MARIJUANA CONSPIRACY), THANKSGIVING follows a gruesome killer, masked as the iconic John Carver, as he creatively murders his way through the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts – will anyone survive to unmask the killer before his sadistic feast?
Directed by Eli Roth (HOSTEL, CABIN FEVER), THANKSGIVING is another in a long line of slasher flicks that follows the ‘whodunnit with SCOOBY DOO-style’ reveal that first became the norm for this subgenre since the likes of SCREAM and I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER popularised the format back in the late Nineties. It’s also the third feature-length movie to be based on a mock trailer that was first seen in 2007’s GRINDHOUSE – the first two adaptations being 2010’s MACHETE and 2011 HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN.
Known in some territories as BLOODY THANKSGIVING, Roth’s latest is a solid horror flick, that boasts two impressive gory set-pieces, the first being the instore shopping carnage towards the start and the other being a Thanksgiving dinner with potential victims trussed up for a slice of something other than the usual turkey. Between these standout scenes there’s a neat line of humour running in tandem with the bloodletting, it’s well-paced and the acting work spot on. Roth has recently announced that there will be a sequel and to expect it sometime in 2025. On the evidence of this, the sequel will be well worth the wait.
The Home Premiere of THANKSGIVING is available to Buy or Rent on Digital from Monday 1st January 2024.