By Chris Snellgrove | Published
As a child of the ’80s and a horror enthusiast, I have a particular fondness for slasher films, the genre popularized by gory icons like Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger. This genre reached its peak with the release of Wes Craven’s film. Shout in 1996, and ever since, fans like me have been chasing the dragon in hopes that another director can deliver a similar blend of humor, horror, and hemoglobin. That’s exactly what the most unexpected director has done, and fans are hoping to experience the best slasher since Shout can now stream Thanksgiving on Netflix.
Thanksgiving on Netflix
When you look Thanksgiving on Netflix, you’ll discover a truly crazy story about a turkey-loving town still reeling from a Black Friday shopping stampede that left three people dead. When the same department store prepares to hold a similar sale the following year, karma shows up in the form of a killer wearing a truly frightening mask, fashioned after that of John Carver, the first governor of the colony of Plymouth. As the murders become even uglier than your drunk uncle talking about politics, a group of teenagers who survived the initial stampede try to stay one step ahead of a killer whose revenge is a dish never served cold.
If you just flipped through Thanksgiving While browsing Netflix, you might not realize how incredibly eclectic the cast of this film is. The biggest name by far is Patrick Dempsey (best known for his performance in Grey’s Anatomy), who plays a sheriff trying to save the town from the cruelest threat it has ever faced. To complete the cast, some cinema veterans like Gina Gershon (best known for her performance in Related) and Rick Hoffman (best known for his performance in Samantha Who?) as well as newcomers like Addison Rae (best known as a popular influencer on social media platforms such as TikTok).
Besides Dempsey, the other big name involved in this production is director Eli Roth, a horror veteran known for gorefests like Hostel. Compared to this franchise, the killings in Thanksgiving are generally tamer, which makes this film a little more accessible to the average Netflix viewer. But Roth still knows how to push the movie’s scares to the max, as evidenced by a scene involving an oven that’s sure to leave you retreating into your couch cushion while you watch.
A hearty meal of horror
Fortunately, the public did not flinch from Roth’s efforts: long before Thanksgiving finished on Netflix, it grossed $46.6 million on a budget of $15 million. It was enough holiday box office to warrant a sequel, and Roth claims that Thanksgiving 2 will be released later this year. Not bad for a crazy franchise that started with a joke trailer that Roth cut for the Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino horror classic. Grindhouse.
Surprisingly, Thanksgiving managed to impress critics, which is relatively rare when it comes to a slasher. On Rotten Tomatoes, this thick slice of turkey-inspired terror has a critical rating of 84%. Generally speaking, critics praised the film for its unique blend of humor and horror and for the way it combined creative kills with scenes and dialogue that are sure to make you laugh.
When I finally looked Thanksgiving on Netflix, I was surprised to discover that the reviews weren’t exaggerating…it might be the best slasher since Shoutwhich is good because scene after scene, we go on to bite the style of Wes Craven. Fortunately, Eli Roth manages to blend in Shout-like sensitivity with its own brand of humor and bloody violence. In addition to its horror film quality, Thanksgiving is arguably Roth at his best: the film softens the excesses of his Hostel films while sharpening the broad humor evidenced by his first film. Cabin Feverwhich makes it an infinitely more accessible crowd-pleaser than, say, The green hell.
THANKSGIVING REVIEW NOTE
Will you find Thanksgiving the kind of movie that makes you go back for a few seconds, or will you think this Netflix slasher needs more time in the oven? You won’t know until you check it out for yourself on Netflix. Warning: when Eli Roth concocts a new film, he uses a plot of cranberry sauce.
