THANKSGIVING (2023) - Movie Review

Director: Eli Roth
Starring: Nell Verlaque, Rick Hoffman, Karen Cliche, Addison Rae, Jenna Warren, Patrick Dempsey, Gina Gershon
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Mystery
Writer: Jeff Rendell, Eli Roth
Runtime: 106 min
Rated: R for strong bloody horror violence and gore, pervasive language and some sexual material
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), 4K Ultra HD, Apple TV

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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?

Review:

As far as I know, there have been no Thanksgiving-centric horror films until Eli Roth decided to carve out his name in cinema history with the aptly titled slasher flick "Thanksgiving". The movie kind of took everyone by surprise, and I have to admit, despite not being a fan of Roth's films, it might just be his best work to date. A short-lived victory followed by this year's "Borderlands". Like "Hobo with a Shotgun" and "Machete", "Thanksgiving" is a feature-length adaptation of a fake trailer from the 2007 film "Grindhouse".

The movie's opening sequence, which features a Black Friday mob getting violently out of control, immediately tells you what kind of movie it's going to be. The 15-minute scene sets the biting satirical tone and gives the viewer a taste of how brutal the gore is going to be. It's the perfect opener. The plot resumes one year later, when a mysterious killer dressed up as a pilgrim and wearing a John Carver mask, terrorizes the good people of Plymouth, Massachusetts and appears to be targeting those involved in the Black Friday massacre.

The plot is simple and straightforward, and I was relieved that the filmmaker avoids overly convoluted subplots and goes straight for the jugular. He wastes no time between kills resulting in a lean and tightly paced movie with some exceptionally crafted kills that are gory as hell. Roth intensely channels 1980s slashers with a touch of Wes Craven's "Scream". It's not as meta as the latter, but there's plenty of satirical bite present. It's also delightfully mean-spirited, which is a nice counterpoint to the holiday's commercialization and faux sentimentality. On the other hand, the acting is nothing to write home about and the characters are stock. However, Nell Verlaque does turn out to be a decent final girl, and Patrick Dempsey gets a couple of great scenes. Everyone else is just fine as axe-fodder.

Meanwhile, the 1980s influences are omnipresent. The heavy use of practical effects, the horny teenagers, the dark sense of humor and cheesy lines like "This year, there will be no leftovers!", not to mention some vintage needle-drops, make this movie a true '80s time capsule. Brandon Roberts' score, however, hews closer to the operatic orchestral style of Marco Beltrami's "Scream". It's not a coincidence, considering that Roberts previously collaborated with Beltrami on films like "The Drop", "The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death", "The Giver" and "Underwater".

"Thanksgiving" is not a complicated movie, nor should it have tried to be. It's a throwback to simpler times in the genre and stands apart with its gruesome charm as a refreshing palate cleanser for those tired of the holiday offerings and those who've always wanted a Thanksgiving horror film to watch on the occasion.

SCORE: 8/10