‘There will be no leftovers’
Thanksgiving is a 2023 American slasher horror film based on Eli Roth‘s faux trailer from the 2007 movie Grindhouse.
Directed and co-produced by Eli Roth (Borderlands; The House with a Clock in Its Walls; The Green Inferno; Hostel; Hostel: Part II) from a screenplay co-written with co-producer Jeff Rendell. Also produced by Roger Birnbaum and Chris Stone.
The movie stars Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Milo Manheim (Zombies), Nell Verlaque, Gina Gershon, Tim Dillon, Rick Hoffman (Hostel), Karen Cliche, Chris Sandiford, Tomaso Sanelli, Mika Amonsen, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Jenna Warren, Jeff Teravainen and Dorian Giordano.
Reviews:
“Bringing Thanksgiving into a contemporary setting is an asset here. All of the fake trailer’s highlights get woven in or repurposed in organic ways, but now there’s a meaty subtext (but mostly text) to the holiday’s history that presents a perfect setup for a slasher. Like curating the perfect holiday feast, Roth orchestrates a vicious, thrilling, and raucously entertaining slasher with a showstopper finale.” ★★★★ Bloody Disgusting
“Thanksgiving is a mixture of Scream and holiday slashers like Black Christmas, but it gets its own, particularly nasty touch thanks to Eli Roth’s love for gore and grindhouse cinema. The pilgrim father, armed with an axe, fits wonderfully into the ranks of sadistic holiday killers, even if the film runs out of steam a bit in the final act.” Filmstarts [translated from German]
“Roth’s reference points aren’t particularly obscure, but he earns the right to claim them through his proud commitment to horror for horror’s sake, a balm at a time when it feels like every other entry to the genre is buckling beneath the weight of its belabored trauma metaphors. He applies discipline to the disreputable, elevating choice cuts of trash not with put-on profundity but with a keener mastery of and appreciation for their foulest, basest pleasures.” ★★★★ The Guardian
“Roth manages to shake things up enough to keep you guessing how each act of violence is gonna play out. Sprinkle in a little Rick Hoffman and just a pinch of Gina Gershon, and you’ve got a pretty good dinner. Though the opening Black Friday scene alone makes this dish worthwhile, the bulk of the film may not measure up to the promise of the original trailer. But that will likely have more to do with the pressure of expectations of modern horror audiences…” ★★★½ Maddwolf
“Some of the dialog was funny, but the violence was frustrating. I couldn’t tell if some of the deaths were intended to scare me or just gross me out. It seems Eli Roth intended horror, laughs and senseless deaths. I’m split on the movie because there were entertaining scenes and forced scenes and the characters were so laid back as victims.” 6 out of 10, MJB784
“I’m not sure noting that the script is seemingly intentionally bad is an endorsement. That really plays into how stupidly easy it is to figure out “whodunit.” The misdirections and false leads are barely attempted. And the film’s utterly deflating finale isn’t amusingly awful. It’s just awful and in the most half-@ssed ways.” ★★ Movie Nation
“Thanksgiving definitely leans hard into its slasher influences and pays tribute to the ’80s throughout, still lingering on the final girl premise. And fortunately for audiences, it all works. The practical gore effects are hands down some of the best of the year. John Carver is a perfected reintroduction to the slasher sub-genre that reinforces exactly what drew people to these movies in the first place.” The Movie Sleuth
” …a movie like this needs a far more interesting final girl than Verlaque’s Jessica, who is as bland as unsalted popcorn. In attempting to line up potential suspects, the movie is filled with too many characters, some of whom disappear for long stretches as though the writers have forgotten about them. Thanksgiving does just enough to deliver on its premise, but despite some fun kills, it feels like a missed opportunity to kick off a new slasher franchise.” ★★★ The Movie Waffler
“The film does not have the look that the fake trailer had, so do not expect that B-film cinematography, we are looking at a film totally of our time, with a current bill, more in the Scream style than the trailer that he proposed at the time. What you can expect is humour, even with scenes inspired 100% by the trailer. Nor does it skimp on blood and funny deaths, nor on the suspense of murderer and victim playing cat and mouse.” Terror Weekend [translated from Spanish]
“Overall it’s a mostly lightweight, fun, Roth only dips into Hostel territory once, slasher with familiar characters making familiar mistakes that lead to outrageously bloody deaths. He also does a great job of keeping the killer’s identity hidden, as well as giving them a plausible motive when it gets revealed […] Isn’t it ironic, it’s Thanksgiving and Eli Roth doesn’t give us a turkey.” 4 out of 5, Voices from the Balcony
For YouTube reviews, the trailer and more movie info please visit page 2
