By 
Eli Roth‘s Thanksgiving is a glorious return to his horror roots, a masterclass in skillfully-made, low-budget grindhouse terror. With sleek production values, succinct storytelling, and no shortage of tension and gore, it isn’t just another holiday-themed cash grab. It’s a loving tribute to why Roth loves this genre in the first place.
What’s the Gist of It?
Based off a fake trailer Roth helmed for the 2007 mega-movie Grindhouse, the film follows a group of teenage friends whose hometown of Plymouth, Massachusetts is rocked by a series of grisly murders one year after a catastrophic Black Friday. One particular girl, Jessica (Nell Varleque), struggles to move on from the disappearance of her ex-boyfriend Bobby (Jalen Thomas Brooks), whose hand was crushed by a stampeder during the chaos. Moreover, she’s ticked off at the fact that everyone in town has moved on.
source: Sony
This includes her father Thomas (Rick Hoffman), the owner of the retailer where this infamous mayhem occurred, and who’s determined to keep his store open. But before Jessica and her friends can spend much time questioning it all, a masked killer dressed like a pilgrim, known only as John Carver, begins to slaughter numerous citizens. Soon, our hapless heroine and her besties must band together to figure out who this murderer is, why he’s doing this, and put an end to his reign before they all end up on the carving board.
Why Does It Work?
source: Sony
This is Roth‘s first horror picture since 2015’s The Green Inferno (unless you count Knock Knock, but I see that as more of a straightforward thriller). As such, he certainly indulges his well-known love for over-the-top, bloody horror mixed with nail-biting tension. In the opening, which introduces our main characters and the inciting incident super efficiently, the Hostel and Cabin Fever maestro knows how to stage the scene so that we just know something’s wrong, even when the shoe hasn’t dropped yet. Editors Michel Aller and Michele Conroy take their time to really build up the intensity of the mob that’s clamoring to nab their expensive purchases of choice. The rhythm of the cuts and the screenplay ratchets up the suspense to where we can’t take it anymore, then lets the guitar strings snap. A lot of the scary scenes work that way.
Once the carnage ensues, Roth doesn’t hold back. Preferring handmade practical effects as opposed to computerized imagery, each kill is conceived and executed rather creatively- and squeamishly. I won’t give away the details, but I will say these are the most memorable deaths I’ve seen in a slasher flick since Ti West‘s X. On multiple occasions I almost wanted to look away, but couldn’t at the same time.
source: Sony
I also have to say, Thanksgiving offers a pretty intriguing mystery as to who its mysterious masked culprit really is. Screenwriter Jeff Rendell offers up a few convincing suspects, and gives each a likely reason to be John Carver. However, he also gives us just enough reason to doubt our suspicions as well, cleverly subverting expectations in the process. My friends and I constantly struggled to guess the main antagonist’s identity.
Where Does It Fall Short?
While the film does give us enough reason to care about Jessica, as well as her ex Bobby and Sheriff Eric Newton (Patrick Dempsey, disarmingly likable), who’s investigating the Thanksgiving carnage, most of the main characters are pretty thinly drawn. That’s not necessarily a problem in regards to Jessica’s friends, who’re a bunch of purposely one-note caricatures- that’s part of the fun of old-school slasher flicks like this, after all- but it’s a problem when we’re focusing on Jessica’s relationship with Thomas (c’mon, how do you waste an actor like Rick Hoffman?), or her stepmom Kathleen (Karen Cliche). Honestly, Newton is the most fleshed-out player in the whole thing, though to say more would spoil the surprises.
My Final Verdict
In the end, Thanksgiving is a thrilling and tense experience that delivers on the cheap thrills you want and never lets up. Its story isn’t super deep, but that’s not the point. This is a film that knows what it is, doesn’t need or want to be anything more, and just delivers the goods. In relation to the rest of Eli Roth‘s filmography, this is easily the most accomplished horror movie he’s ever made. If you’re a genre fan looking for a divine cinematic feast this holiday season, run, don’t walk, to the theater.
Thanksgiving was released exclusively in theaters on November 17, 2023!
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