Forget the pilgrims and the pumpkin pie; this Thanksgiving, we’re serving up pure carnage. After years of November not getting an iconic horror film, there is finally excitement in the air. This is a film that fully embraces dark comedy and imagery. The successful movie Thanksgiving, directed by Eli Roth, delivers a modern slasher that feels like a loving, bloody throwback to the classic horror films that look like it was made in the late 90s.
The story centers on a small town, Plymouth, reeling from a horrific Black Friday tragedy that occurred one year prior. When a masked killer, embodying a sinister Pilgrim known as “The Carver,” begins picking off those connected to the event, the film shifts into a tense whodunit mystery with outrageously creative kills.
Eli Roth has great ideas and thoughts for this movie. Director Eli Roth has stated that the film is rooted in a lifelong passion for the concept, dating back to his childhood. On the film’s style and fun, he explained, “I wanted to add a new one to the canon, I wanted to bring some new blood to the genre.”
Roth also grounded the violence in a surprising social commentary, noting how the holiday has been corrupted by consumerism, which served as the perfect catalyst for the carnage. “It’s about the perversion of the holiday… you’re so thankful at dinner, and then you run out and trample over your neighbor for a waffle iron.”
In my opinion, this movie is good for the scares it gives you. There are some parts in the movie that will surprise you. I think that the movie is way too scary for my liking and could have added more details of why they are killing the characters, but that’s what makes it a great movie. It is also a good horror movie for those that love horror, but it can also give you a good laugh.
