Thanksgiving (2023)

Director: Eli Roth

Starring: Patrick Dempsey, Ty Olsson, Gina Gershon

After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts – the birthplace of the infamous holiday.

Jessica, her boyfriend and a few friends are going out for the evening after Thanksgiving dinner. They need to make a quick stop at Jessica’s Dad’s superstore, RightMart, but it is Black Friday and there are hordes of people waiting to take advantage of the specials. The security allows Jessica and her friends into the store, but when the crowd sees them inside, they rant and storm the store, resulting in a few deaths – including the wife of store manager Mitch.

A Year later, at the next Black Friday sale, a killer is on the loose targeting specific people who were linked to the tragic events of the year before. And so we watch a few people die horrible deaths. There’s loads of blood and guts, and the kill scenes are sure to satisfy slasher horror movie buffs. As for the film in general, I found it cliched, but I did like the killer’s unique mask.

The film felt like a mixed bag of ‘Scream’, ‘I know what you did last summer’, ‘Totally Killer’, and even a bit of ‘V for Vendetta’. It had the potential to be memorable, but when the killer was finally revealed I sat there thinking ‘what the hell’?? Why would this person be the murderer? Just why?? What was the reason for this bloody revenge? It made absolutely no sense and completely ruined the movie. It was a stupid and lazy reveal.

‘Thanksgiving’ earned $46.5 million on a budget of $15 million. It received 11 award nominations including Best Horror Film, Best Costume Design, and Best Use of Practical Effects.

Would I watch it again? No.