Per Chris Snellgrove
| Published
As an ’80s kid and horror fan, I’m particularly fond of slasher movies, a genre popularized by gory icons like Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger. This genre peaked with the release of Wes Craven’s album Scream 1996, and fans like myself have been chasing the dragon ever since in hopes that another director could deliver a similar mix of humor, horror, and hemoglobin. Now the most unexpected director has done just that, and fans are hoping to experience the best slasher since Scream can now stream Thanksgiving on Netflix.
Thanksgiving on Netflix
When you watch Thanksgiving on Netflixyou’ll discover the truly crazy story of a turkey-loving town still reeling from a Black Friday shopping stampede that left three dead. When the same big name store prepares to hold a similar sale the following year, karma comes in the form of a killer wearing a truly creepy mask modeled after John Carver, the first governor of Plymouth Colony. As the murders get uglier than your drunken uncle talking politics, a group of teenage survivors of the original stampede try to stay one step ahead of a killer whose revenge is a dish never served cold.
If you just flew by Thanksgiving while scrolling through Netflix, you might not realize how impressively eclectic this movie’s cast is. By far the biggest name is Patrick Dempsey (best known for his performance on Grey’s Anatomy), who plays a sheriff trying to save the city from the most brutal threat it has ever faced. The cast is rounded off by some film veterans such as Gina Gershon (best known for acting in Tied) and Rick Hoffman (best known for his performance in Samantha Who?), as well as relative newcomers like Addison Rae (best known as a popular influencer on social media platforms like 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 that franchise, it kills Thanksgiving they tend to be tamer, which makes this movie a little more accessible to the average Netflix viewer. But Roth still knows how to crank up a movie’s scares to the max, as evidenced by a scene involving an oven that’s sure to make you squirm into your couch cushions while you watch.
A hearty horror meal
Fortunately, the audience didn’t cringe at Roth’s efforts: well before Thanksgiving ended up on Netflix, grossing $46.6 million against a $15 million budget. This was enough holiday box office to warrant a sequel, and Roth claims it Thanksgiving Day 2 will be released later this year. Not bad for a bonkers franchise that started with a joke announcement that Roth cut for the Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino horror classic Grindhouse.
Amazingly enough, Thanksgiving managed to impress critics, which is relatively rare when it comes to slashers. On Rotten Tomatoesthis thick piece of Turkish-inspired terror has an 84 percent critical rating. Generally speaking, critics praised the film for its unique blend of humor and horror and the way it combined creative kills with scenes and dialogues that are sure to make you laugh.
When I finally looked Thanksgiving on Netflix, I was surprised to find that the critics weren’t exaggerating… this might be the best slasher since Screamwhich is good because scene after scene is done Wes Craven style. Luckily, Eli Roth manages to fit the bill Scream-like sensibility with its trademark humor and bloody violence. On top of its horror movie quality, Thanksgiving Roth is arguably at his best: the film softens the excess of his Hostel films while also sharpening the broad humor evidenced by his debut film Cabin fevermaking it infinitely more accessible than, say, The green hell.
THANKSGIVING REVIEW ASSESSMENT
Will you find Thanksgiving the kind of movie that makes you want to go back for seconds, or will you think this Netflix slasher needs more time in the oven? You won’t know until you check for yourself on Netflix. Just be warned: when Eli Roth is preparing a new film, he uses a many cranberry sauce.