Thanksgiving Review: A Feast of Gore or Just Leftovers?

Release date	Nov 17, 2023
Cast	Patrick Dempsey, Ty Olsson, Gina Gershon, Lynne Griffin, Karen Cliche, Nell Verlaque, Rick Hoffman, Derek McGrath, Katherine Trowell, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Mika Amonsen, Amanda Barker, Shailyn Griffin, Tim Dillon, Chris Sandiford, Addison Rae, Tomaso Sanelli, Jenna Warren
Director	Eli Roth
Producer	Eli Roth, Roger Birnbaum, Jeff Rendell
Genre	Holiday, Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Comedy
IMDb rating	6.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes	83%

Detailed Review of “Thanksgiving”

Eli Roth made a fake trailer in a movie called Grindhouse in 2007. It's called Thanksgiving and is about '80s slasher films. The trailer is two minutes long and it's really cool. It has a killer dressed as a pilgrim and feels like old scary movies with cool music. But, when people expected a full movie from Roth based on this trailer, they were let down.

The movie is about Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts. On Black Friday, a big rush at a store turns into a terrible event. A year later, a person in a pilgrim outfit starts killing those who were there during the tragedy. But, the review says the movie isn't as smart, creative, or cool-looking as the original trailer. The scary parts and killings are just okay, and Eli Roth's try to make the joke into a full movie doesn't work well.

The reviewer is upset about Eli Roth's past failures in making classic horror scenes again. They say the movie doesn't live up to the exciting idea it had. In the story, the store owner tries to forget the bad things from the year before, but the movie gets bad reviews for being badly made. The filmmaking is lazy, and it doesn't have the scares and fun that the trailer promised.

The review talks about two views on the Thanksgiving movie. One says it's a messy try to use an old idea without adding anything new. The other likes Eli Roth for sticking to cheap genres and the crazy fun of old exploitation films. The movie shows a Black Friday rush as a scary scene, and this part is praised for being tense and funny. It also points out that it nods to the messed-up way capitalism has changed the holiday.

Is it a messy grab for money or a fun celebration of low-budget genres?

One review sees Thanksgiving as a fun and bloody horror-comedy that does well in building on the first fake trailer. It praises Eli Roth for keeping a playful and crazy mood, mixing horror and comedy. The movie gets compliments for being scary and fun, and Roth's ability to create tension and humour is highlighted. The exciting start of the Black Friday rush scene is specifically mentioned to show the craziness of shopping chaos.

Thanksgiving gets praised for being dedicated to horror without deep trauma meanings common in the genre. Eli Roth's use of catchy moments, creative killings, and references to classic horror stuff make the movie work. The review likes how Roth is good at enjoying the grossest parts of cheap horror, calling Thanksgiving a feast of top-tier trashy fun.

In short, some reviews are not happy with Thanksgiving, saying Roth didn't do well. Others like the movie, praising its fun and bloody parts.

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