I was ready for a good ol’ slasher flick for my 31 Days of Horror, and Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving was the perfect movie. And, good gravy, am I thankful I was able to carve out some time to watch it before November rolls around, so I have a chance for my drumstick-shaped thighs to stop quivering like cranberry sauce before I’m really stuffing my pie hole next month!
When the rich owner of the Plymouth, Massachusetts RightMart chooses to open for Black Friday deals on Thanksgiving evening, an unruly mob sees his teenage daughter Jessica and her friends gaining early entry and breaks through the barriers, creating an epic bloodbath in their quest for a free waffle iron. One year later, the town has moved on, and no one has been held accountable. So, of course, a killer takes it upon him- (or her-) self to seek revenge.
One by one-in truly creative, gory, and okay, even funny, ways-and wearing a plastic mask of the city’s founding father John Carver, the killer seeks out first those who contributed to the riot, then the close-knit group of friends. This killer has set a beautiful Thanksgiving table, and each seat has been reserved for (the remains of) those who were responsible a year earlier and got away with what happened. The town’s sheriff, played by missing ‘r’-accented Patrick Dempsey, is competent, but always just a step behind, and Jessica works with him to catch the deranged killer. But will they be able to “stick a fork in” the murders in time, or will they, too, soon join the feast?
- Top Scare: Mother Hiding Scene
- Heartbeats: 3 out of 5
- Gore Factor: 4 1/2 out of 5
- Scare Factor: 3 out of 5
- Recommended for: 17 and up