SummaryAfter a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts - the birthplace of the infamous holiday.
SummaryAfter a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts - the birthplace of the infamous holiday.
The film is Roth’s, and so expect a silly premise, comic-book violence, and gory set pieces. What you might not expect is the humour. Thanksgiving is funny.
Roth thinks in hooks and punchlines, which keeps the copious slayings inventive and gratifying while also enlivening the connective tissue between them.
thanksgiving is a gruesome graphic bloody gory movie with so many blood and gore just literally makes you wanna throw up and you don't know how much gore is going to be in the movie till you see like all of the kills and you are trying to find out who is the killer until later on in the movie you find out who the killer is and you're like what and you find out what cause the person to become the killer in the first place !
Whatever these objections, I found myself warming to Thanksgiving in a way I suspect few others will. For one, it’s a feature-length take on an older comedy short that (somehow) justifies being expanded into this form; there’s enough within its seasonally specific iteration of the Scream formula that sustains its runtime, never struggling to expand beyond a 90-second teaser as other Grindhouse trailers did in their adaptations. The story is simple: a year after surviving a department-store massacre in Plymouth, Massachusetts (where the first Thanksgiving was observed, and near Roth’s hometown of Newton), a group of teens are targeted on social media for filming the atrocities, getting picked off one-by-one in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. It’s partially a murder mystery, though this never inspires intrigue, at least partially by design––when countless people have the same motivation to target these survivors when their loved ones died, does it really matter who is engineering their downfall?
Roth and Rendell find the perfect balance of humor and horror, understanding the absurdity of their premise while still making their characters buy into the world. What that creates is a film embracing its own silliness, free of irony, while avoiding the pitfalls of oversentimentality.
The Cult of Roth will almost certainly eat this holiday horror feast up. But this turkey is never more than a mixed bag, and as the laughs peter out and the “clues” are contrived to fit the finale, “Thanksgiving” takes that tryptophan turn towards nodding off, the curse of Turkey Day since that first Thanksgiving — in Virginia.
Some films don’t pretend to be anything else, and this is one of them. Black Friday (originally Thanksgiving) is a straightforward slasher: bloody, sarcastic, and completely unashamed. Eli Roth returns to his mischievous roots, and you can tell he's having fun — even when the plot wobbles or the characters feel like walking **** movie opens with a brilliant first scene: wild, over-the-top, and hilarious — a statement of intent that sets a high bar. From there, the pace is uneven, but it never becomes dull. There are inspired moments, creative kills, and a constant mockery of consumerism and the hollow traditions of American holidays.Patrick Dempsey is a pleasant surprise, playing a role that suits him perfectly — part charming, part threatening. The script isn’t subtle, but the mix of black humor, gore, and classic slasher nods works better than expected. It doesn’t aim to be deep or original, but it does aim to entertain — and it ****’s one of those films you’ll probably forget quickly, but while you’re watching, it absolutely delivers. Perfect for horror fans with a strong stomach and a taste for bloody fun.
Really disappointed that they ruined the trampoline scene from the GRINDHOUSE trailer, which was the best part of it. 🩸 Besides that, THANKSGIVING is probably the best American slasher since HATCHET II. I want Mr. Roth to make more slashers like this one because he clearly loves them as much as I do. Just crank up the sex and nudity next time. P.S. Good job eliminating the unnecessary (and cringe) homophobia (in Hostel, Cabin Fever, ... ) from your dialogues.
Absolutlely terrible movie, my girlfriend fell asleep halfway through it. They need to un-release this, she only wanted to watch it because some tiktok person was in it.
Overrated? Yes, even for a slasher. The talented cast is given little to work with, the kills happen to few and far between, and the film runs a good 10-15 minutes too long.