Movie Review: Thanksgiving

 

Hey everyone, my name is Anthony and welcome back to my Movie Review.

You know, since I reviewed Halloween franchise, I mentioned having a horror movie taking place on a holiday is an unusual and unique idea, sure its kinda becoming common in nowadays, but like I said, before we have Halloween, we have Black Christmas in 1973, which it became one of the earliest slasher film ever and the earliest holiday horror themed movie. But of course, we all know Christmas is all over the place for overhyping the celebration before we’re in December, so how about we have another holiday in America that celebrated in November (not in my homeland Canada, but different story), Thanksgiving. Its a holiday for connecting relation with pilgrim and natives, be thankful, be giving respect and celebrating to bring out the foods. But what about the same could be said for celebrating Thanksgiving… In a slasher? Well, Eli Roth has the answer.

“Thanksgiving” is a 2023 slasher film that was written/produced/directed by Eli Roth, co-produced/co-written by Jeff Rendell and another co-produced by Roger Birnbaum.

The idea of this movie all the way back in the mid-late 2000s, where many familiar filmmakers like Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino are working together to make a double feature films what they called “Grindhouse”, which is a films in a gritty and low-budget feel that they both came out in a same week, whereas Rodriguez’s Planet Terror is well-received, but Tarantino’s Death Proof was an opposite. But at the same time, Grindhouse also brought short films that are a fake trailers, one of which is Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving in a Halloween-like slasher theme about a pilgrim killing people for the sake of Thanksgiving, which this one got a lot of attention for another holiday themed slasher for his inspiration of Halloween. Of course, there are other short films made, but they were later got into big screen like Machete in 2010 (wow, three years after), Hobo with a shotgun in 2011 (four years after), and now we have this that it finally becoming reality that im overly curious to see after the “trailer” gave us.

So now a fake trailer becomes reality, will this movie is worth of celebrating Thanksgiving, or is this a punishment made from killer as John Carver?

Well, lets find out.

The Story

While its a generic slasher movie about our main heroes being stalked, but it has unique and creative concept in this movie.

Its begins taken place in 2022 at Plymouth, Massachusetts, we introduce Jessica and her friends and family gathering together for celebrating Thanksgiving, but when Jessica left with her friends, Evan, Gabby, Scuba and Yulia in their plan to see movie on a big screen, they stopped early to the supermarket “RightMart”, because not only its Thanksgiving, but also Black Friday, where many customers where all over in front of barricade that they have no patience, but after one shopper snatched a megaphone to calling “Its open!!”, all hell broke loose, the customers not only pushing barricade and security out of way, but also breaking through the glasses pretty hard (because we all know the shoppers are Bat-S(bleep) insane both in movie and IRL), but while they’re rowdy to get some items (including discount price of waffle machine (of freakin’ course) and other stuff, there also tragedy with one of them got stabbed in a throat from a damaged door with shard of glass, the second one only got cut open from glasses, but also trampled, and a lady got skull cracked to death by a shopping cart.

One year later, RightMart is about to prepare another Black Friday sale, but that causing a cautionary tale with protest based on last year’s chaotic and tragic situation of Black Friday, due to lack of security measure of crowd control and bad timing for celebrating thanksgiving and Black Friday. Meanwhile, Jessica and her friends are stay together to clearing their minds from the chaos of last year, but not before they see a social media post with their names on a thanksgiving table from a mysterious entity (aka a stalking serial killer) who disguises as historical pilgrim “John Carver” (Though in the credit, he’s nicknamed “The Carver”, right…). But after one waitress in a bar restaurant named Lizzie was killed, Jessica and friends (along with police) are trying to figuring out what “John Carver” goes next, as well as the good’ol fashion “Who’s done it”, its up to Jessica finding to stop “Carver” before losing her friends and other targets.

This story of this movie is like when you mix with “Halloween” but in thanksgiving, with “I know what you did last summer” and maybe even “Saw” and “Jaws” based various elements like the killer is looking at his target, a warning sign when the killer is going after them, as well as playing mind game of death. It may sounds generic, but the execution is surprisingly pretty good with adding something new like using social media and/or texting as a tease or a mind game at our main characters to stop him or it will be a thanksgiving killing massacre along when trying to regain the evidence before they either change or removing them to brushing off for the sake of celebrating thanksgiving (in reference of Jaws, if you yell serial killer, we got a panic in our hands of thanksgiving). It may sounds cliché of party ruined by killing out there, but its the execution done well for its creativity and probably a nice writing. But one nitpicky I have in this movie is a plot hole of love triangle between Jessica, Bobby and Ryan, it was meant to have a difficulty chemistry where Bobby wants to be with Jessica or other time, Ryan trying wants to protecting her, but this makes Jessica wanted to push away if one of them is the killer, I know its all about the “who’s done it” thing, but does the part with Jessica, Bobby and Ryan has something to do with the main plot? Nothing, but then again, it was a tease with “who’s done it” element, even if some part can be weak. But I should also point out it also has some humor moments from the dialogue, which I will admit, I have some chuckling moments.

While it may not be perfect, but the story is like a combination of elements with unique and creative idea for a slasher movie taking place in thanksgiving.

The Presentation

Like any slasher movies, the budget is cheap, but its not really as cheap, which it costs $15M, but it looks pretty and bloody nice.

At first, the filming location is actually look nice that im assuming they filmed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, which is a small coastal town located on Greater Boston and its nicknamed “America’s Hometown” based on its prominence American history, including one with pilgrims. Which may sounds like fascinating place to filming, but because of low budget (since filming in US could be expensive), they had to film in Ontario, Canada like Toronto and Hamilton, sure some places may or may not look similar to Plymouth, but il give a credit what they trying, despite for the sake of saving their budget. But il give a credit some filming shots are nicely done with different angles and a beautiful view.

Since this is a holiday themed slasher movie, what about the kills? Well, this one definitely shows a true color blood and gore. They are both pretty gruesome and most creative kills in the movie, sure there are fatal accidental kills during Black Friday like bleeding out from cut open or, the hardest one to watch, one woman got not only a cracked skull, but also a piece of skull pulled out of head to exposing a brain (Damn, Eli…!). But like I said, the highlight is easily Carver’s kills that it has the most creative like stabbing on ears with corn holders (to make a brutal deaf) and getting slashed open with buzzsaw, getting a skin peeled off after getting wet and sticky from a freezer before stuck in a dumpster before getting cut in a half by dumpster’s door (Im not so sure how its made of, but man, that’s a lotta blood and guts), a simple and brutal neck twisting (Pretty good, but we’ve seen it before) or even, the most creative, capturing a victim to decorating with food toppings to and frying the victim up before body twisting to replicating a thanksgiving turkey to forcing the capture victims eat or drinking blood to replicating a “fine wine” (eat your heart out, Sawyer family from Texas Chainsaw Massacre). But sometimes, they have some kill that we didn’t get like when two students where caught by Carver in a school which we didn’t to see what happened or a victim is letting our main character go in escape, also we unable to see what happened, either that or save the budget, or maybe get a warning from MPAA if the kills are too much to watch, just saying and wondering.

The best that I can tell, its done with practical effects and makeup with some of the kills, sure they can be gruesome to watch, but this is certainly looks pretty good and bloody to see that it definitely feel like a holiday themed grindhouse, then again, it was made a fake trailer before what we have today.

As for the body count for being a fan of Dead Meat’s Kill Count (SPOILER WARNING), its not easy to counting the body for watching it for the first time, for my best of knowledge, they’re about 13 or 14 kills in a movie. Correct me if im wrong.

As for the disguise of John Carver, he looks alright, even if he looks like if he cosplay as John Carver without a budget like mechanic suit, a pilgrim hat and Carver cheap plastic mask in front of balaclava, but its quite nice to covering up the appearance to be darker from identity.

But my big nitpicky part of Carver appearance (SPOILER ALERT), we never able to see him getting unmasked, most horror movies that we get to see slashers getting unmasked, but without it, it will be anti-climatic with a cheap revealing. But im not gonna tell who’s the killer to preventing spoiler with all due respect.

While it may have some flaws, but il give a credit for a beautiful view of filming and a pretty good blood and gore kills, its quite possibly (for me) a goriest kills in a holiday slasher movie I’ve ever watch, nice touch.

The Characters

In typical slasher movies, we have a couple of token characters from slasher bingo that we all know, but they have some nice acting and maybe some nice characters.

Lets starts off with main girl Jessica (played by Nell Verlaque), she’s the main character who wants to calm in peace for celebrating thanksgiving before learning the killer is out to get her and her friends. I find her to be an ok protagonist, she’s pretty much a nothing special version of Laurie Strode from Halloween. But she despite trying to surviving herself, but also doing investigation of a connection between Carver and the people who’re targeted who’s been in last year's Black Friday, which il give a credit what she’s trying, even if getting evidence is a challenging. But il give a credit for Nell’s performance that I find her decent in the movie.

Next, there’s Eric Newton (played by Patrick Dempsey), the town sheriff in Plymouth who’s aware about “John Carver” killing target, but doubtful about lackluster evidence or believing if Carver is trying to hide by deletion. I find him decent too, he seems nice, but doubtful about the killings, he’s pretty much a two-face in this movie, especially that, like our main characters, he has a traumatic experience from Black Friday. And I think Patrick did a nice work of his role for somewhat nice and A-Hole in his role of Eric Newton.

Then we have Bobby (played by Jalen Thomas Brooks) who’s an unfortunate victim in Black Friday when he got a harsh injury, but eventually recovered, despite he has trauma from what happened last year. He’s meant to be protector to Jessica that, like I said, he’s aware about the killer on a loose that he wants to come at Jessica for not just protecting and be aware about Carver, but of course, like any slasher movies, Jessica thanks Bob is either exaggerating that she never heard of, or she thinks he’s demanding her for a date, despite she’s meant to get along with big man Ryan. But like I said before, the love triangle part is not only dumb, but unnecessary for a subplot, despite Carver is targeting anyone out there. Despite the flaws, Jalen did a nice work of his role, but at least his warned character has more appearance compare to other warned characters have a brief appearance (Sorry, Crazy Ralph from Friday the 13th).

As for the rest of the characters, you can easily picking the characters in your slasher bingo how they’re depicted, but in fairness, the actors are doing nice work of their roles.

There’s Scuba (played by Gabriel Davenport), Jessica’s best pal who only mentioned he’s good for scuba-diving (go figure), Ryan (played by Milo Manheim) who’s Ryan boyfriend who’s unfortunately lacking, other than unnecessary love triangle part, Gabby and Even (played by Addison Rea and Tomaso Sanelli) who’re… A typical couple for befriend with Jessica, Yulia (played by Jenna Warren) a playful and friendly with Jessica, despite gotta leaving at Florida, Thomas Wright (played by Rick Hoffman) who’s both Jessica’s father and the owner of RightMart, and few other for their targeted for the obvious sake of body count.

While the characters may or may not be as memorable, but they’re nice for say the least and their acting are good too.

And now for my final opinion of this film

Overall, Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving is a pretty good slasher holiday movie that I can say.

The movie has a pretty good idea as another holiday themed slasher but with thanksgiving, a nicely done writing for its execution (no pun attended), some good acting, a beautiful view, and of course, a gory and creative kills.

However, its nowhere perfect, with subplot that came off as unnecessary and… Maybe the characters could’ve give us something better with proper development and maybe surprising delivery, but in fairness that the writing is good with some humor lines that gives me a chuckle.

If you’re a fan of Halloween, some slasher movie or in a mood to celebrating American Thanksgiving, get some of your friends together to see, it may not be as perfect, but its a pretty good slasher movie that im having fun of watching it. I recommend to check it out if you fan of slasher movies or even sick man to see blood and gore like me.

For may rating, im gonna give this one an 8/10.

So this ends of my movie review, if you guys have your opinion or any suggestions, let me know at comment bellow and support me on KO-FI.com/blackevil.

Thanks for reading, and im Anthony, signing out and Happy American Thanksgiving.