Your Guide To A Scary Thanksgiving
Nov 9, 2023
THANKSGIVING opens November 17
Halloween may have come and gone, but this doesn’t mean the spooky season is over, nor does it mean we’ve seen the last of the promising horror movies in 2023. This fall, audiences at AMC Theatres nationwide will be able to check out a new slasher called THANKSGIVING, Eli Roth’s full-scale expansion of the mock trailer he created for the 2007 release of GRINDHOUSE, a double-feature from Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino.
But before you run off to see the new horror flick when it hits the big screen on Friday, November 17, there are a few things you’ll probably want to know about it first. Here is your guide to THANKSGIVING.
Like all great slashers, THANKSGIVING has a fairly simple premise in that it centers around the residents of Plymouth, Massachusetts, as they deal a mysterious serial killer known only as “John Carver,” which is admittedly an incredible name for the mysterious villain in a slasher film. Taking place some time after a Black Friday riot brings tragedy to the birthplace of the Thanksgiving holiday, the movie will follow the ferocious serial killer as he carves his turkey, err, victims with an assortment of weapons you’d find in your family kitchen or from around the table at any holiday gathering.
When THANKSGIVING brings thrills, chills, and a cornucopia of bloody violence to the big screen this holiday season, it will feature a rather impressive cast, even if we don’t yet know the identity of the masked “John Carver.” The biggest name in the cast is undoubtedly Patrick Dempsey, whose previous experience in the horror genre includes the 2000 slasher, SCREAM 3. This time around, Dempsey will be taking on the role of the town sheriff investigating the grisly murders.
Other members of the THANKSGIVING cast include Addison Rae, Milo Manheim, Amanda Barker, Gina Gershon, Tim Dillon, and Rick Hoffman, who previously worked with director Eli Roth in the 2006 body horror film, HOSTEL. Jalen Thomas Brooks, Gabriel Davenport, and others are also set to appear either as victims of the mysterious serial killer, or Plymouth residents impacted by his reign of terror.
Back in April 2007, more than a half-decade ago, Eli Roth directed a throwback fictitious trailer for THANKSGIVING, which served as both a parody and homage to holiday-themed slashers of the 1970s and 1980s. Well, like MACHETE and HOBO WITH A SHOTGUN before it, the clip has been turned into a feature-length film that is once again directed by Roth. And like the fake trailer sandwiched between PLANET TERROR and DEATH PROOF all those years ago, Roth created the story with Jeff Rendell, who was tasked with putting together the film’s screenplay.
The project has been a long time coming for Roth, who told CinemaBlend back in 2010 that he was working on turning THANKSGIVING into an actual movie. However, over the course of the past 13 years, the horror icon has been quite busy with movies like THE GREEN INFERNO, KNOCK KNOCK, DEATH WISH, and THE HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS.
Not even a year following the release of his holiday slasher, Roth will give audiences his long-awaited film adaptation of the BORDERLANDS video game franchise, which is currently set to hit the big screen on August 9, 2024.
Considering Eli Roth’s body of work and all the visceral and violent moments from his various movies over the years, it probably doesn’t come as a surprise that THANKSGIVING is rated R. According to the MPA, the upcoming slasher features “strong bloody horror, violence, and gore,” as well as some “pervasive language” and “sexual material.” This is to say that this movie is probably one that won’t be suited for younger audiences or those who get squeamish at the sight of blood and gore. And if what we’ve seen from THANKSGIVING is any indication, there’s going to be buckets of blood and all kinds of gross and sickening moments before the credits roll on this one.
Horror hounds and moviegoers alike were treated to an early holiday feast in October 2023 with the release of the official THANKSGIVING trailer, a bloody and chaotic tease of the highly-anticipated slasher. With introductions for the major players, including the masked “John Carver,” the Black Friday riots that preceded the killings, and everything that happens after, there was a lot stuffed into this two-and-a-half-minute video. Check it out below:
Those who remember the fake trailer on which the movie is based will probably pick out a lot of moments and scenes that have been recreated, including the killer’s attack on a parade that sees a victim in a turkey suit be decapitated. But there are also some new grotesque scenes that appear to up the ante for Eli Roth and his unique brand of horror.
Though unconventional, Eli Roth’s latest slasher could very well be one of the best ways to celebrate the holiday with the family, but only if they know what they’re getting into with his new horror flick. If this looks like something you and more hardened members of your family will enjoy, be sure to check out THANKSGIVING when it opens at an AMC Theatres location near you.
THANKSGIVING opens November 17
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