I’ve not historically been a big fan of Eli Roth. His films are often sophomoric and the humor doesn’t always land for me. However, the Cabin Fever director’s latest picture, Thanksgiving, shows a different side of the filmmaker. A more mature version, perhaps. I enjoyed the seasonal slasher enough that I’m confident in calling it my favorite of his films. The flick will likely become an annual staple in my household. And it seems I am in good company. With the big day just around the corner, Thanksgiving is currently the most-searched completed horror film according to Google Trends. If you have yet to take in the flick, you can find it streaming on Netflix now!
Thanksgiving was born from a fake trailer.
The film began life as a fake trailer for the Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez double bill Grindhouse. And like Machete before it, the faux trailer garnered such a positive response that it inspired the production of an actual feature.
Roth directed Thanksgiving from a script penned by Jeff Rendell, with Roth taking a ’story by’ credit. Rendell co-wrote the original trailer that had fans clamoring for a feature-length rendition. He’s also taking point on penning the upcoming sequel (working title: Thanksgiving 2).
I was initially bummed that the feature-length version of the faux trailer doesn’t maintain the gritty aesthetic of the spoof preview. But after taking the full film in, I changed my tune.
The flick features a strong cast of characters.
Thanksgiving stars Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, Milo Manheim, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Nell Verlaque, Rick Hoffman, and Gina Gershon.
Roth told Variety (a few months back) that we might see Addison Rae back in the sequel. In the director’s words, “We kept her alive for a reason.” I’m all for that. I love to see a final gal return.
If you’re in the mood for some festive fun, head over to Netflix and show the film some love. Who knows? You might just find that you connect with Roth’s foray into slightly more serious fare.
The setup for this gory horror picture on Netflix goes like this:
After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts – the birthplace of the infamous holiday.
That’s all we have for you at present, dear reader. Keep an eye out for more breaking updates on which films are trending and where to stream them. If you’d like to chat more about seasonal slashers, hit me up on Threads @FunWithHorror.
Categorized:News
