While there are plenty of Christmas films made for theaters and TV, when it comes to Thanksgiving, the pool is much smaller. That’s even more the case for horror films, with the most prominent one up until 2023 being the Troma movieThankskilling. However,HostelandBorderlandsdirector Eli Roth decided to fill that void in 2023 by turning his spoof trailer fromGrindhouseinto an actualized feature film,Thanksgiving.
After a Black Friday sale leads to several civilians being injured and killed, a mysterious slasher in a pilgrim mask targets those involved in the tragedy one year later on Thanksgiving.Roth’s acclaimed $46.5 million horror moviewas a surprise success and now stands to be a Thanksgiving classic for horror fans. In addition to this,Thanksgivingis also a better representation of Roth’s talents as a director than his next film,Borderlands, would be.
Why Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving Is One of the Best Thanksgiving Movies in Recent Memory
The Best Thanksgiving Movie Started As A Spoof Trailer In Tarantino & Rodriguez’s Grindhouse
Thanksgiving,one of 2023’s best horror movies,is a tried-and-true slasher film, complete with bloody, unique deaths, a memorable masked killer, campy one-liners, and a whodunit mystery perfect for the final girl to unravel. It is not reinventing the wheel, but delivering exactly what horror fans are craving this time of year.Thanksgivingalso fills a void for a Thanksgiving slasher— Halloween has its icon in Michael Myers, while Christmas has a new face of horror with Art the Clown.
While Thanksgiving is more cynical and violent than other holiday films are, it is not afraid to emphasize its anti-consumerist message.
Additionally,Thanksgiving surprisingly nails it as a holiday film. FromHow the Grinch Stole ChristmastoIt’s a Wonderful Life, many successful and beloved holiday films champion the idea that material goods and money can never compete with time with loved ones. WhileThanksgivingis more cynical and violent than other holiday films are, it is not afraid to emphasize its anti-consumerist message. It kicks off with a bloody Black Friday tearing families apart. Thanksgiving is about being grateful, as well as the loved ones around them, and Roth’s 2023 horror film embraces this notion.
Thanksgiving Shows How Eli Roth Can Recover After Borderlands' Disaster
Borderlands Fails To Capture What Makes Eli Roth A Filmmaking Icon
Thanksgivingis the antithesis ofBorderlandson several levels. WhereBorderlandschampions a star-studded cast,Thanksgiving’s core group of teens are newcomers. Additionally, the established actors, like Patrick Dempsey, are not advertised as the main pull of the film. WhereBorderlands’budgetis an estimated $100 million,Thanksgiving’s is a fraction of that, at $15 million (viaThe Numbers). Finally,Thanksgivingis an original idea, whereasBorderlandsis an established IP.
Thanksgiving Ending & Killer Identity Explained
Thanksgiving’s ending reveals the slasher movie’s killer and their motive, but also sets up a potential sequel for Eli Roth’s holiday horror.
Unsurprisingly, Roth, whose first feature film isCabin Fever, nails it with smaller-budget, original horror films that do not rely on star power and aren’t afraid to lean into bloody practical effects.Thanksgivingreflects that talent more thanBorderlands. In fact, between these two films by Roth, it’sThanksgivingthat’s already confirmed to be getting a sequel. Fans of this holiday slasher can rejoice when there are severalunanswered questions forThanksgiving 2to answer.
Thanksgiving
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Originally conceived as a parody trailer in 2007’s Grindhouse, Thanksgiving is a 2023 horror-slasher film from director Eli Roth. The movie centers around a serial killer who heads to a small town in Massachusetts that creates a huge event out of Thanksgiving each year with the intent of turning the residents into the main course.
