Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Thanksgiving 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Bloody delicious...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown October 19, 2024

The world needs more holiday horror movies. Zero sarcasm. I'm serious. Not horror movies set during holiday seasons, or unfolding around holiday gatherings. Real holiday horror flicks that dig in, chomp down hard and have some gory, cheeseball fun chewing through a big ol' meal of a slice-and-dice romp with all the trimmings. In other words, give me more movies like Eli Roth's Thanksgiving. Not that it's a great film. Honestly, most people probably won't think it's a particularly good film either. But it's a whole lot of mashed-potato fun, and I don't even know how "mashed-potato" works as an adjective. That's how much fun I had laughing at the sheer gory ridiculousness of a Turkey Day slasher starring a masked killer who, I kid you not, dons a mask of Mayflower pilgrim John Carver and wields one of the best-looking murder axes this side of Friday the 13th. So shut off yer brains, me babbies, and give t'anks for Roth's gravy-boat take on pulpy, indulgent, guilty-pleasure holiday horror.

Look out shoppers. One year after a deadly Black Friday riot ended in terrible tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer begins to terrorize the bustling town of Plymouth, Massachusetts; the birthplace of the beloved holiday that, four hundred years after its inception, has been sullied by commerce and greed. Dressed as famous 17th century pilgrim John Carver, the writer of the Mayflower Compact, the killer enacts a string of seemingly random revenge murders soon revealed to be part of a larger and far more maniacal plot. Will the town uncover the identity of the killer and survive the holidays? Or become guests at the dinner table of Carver's twisted Turkey Day retribution? Directed by Eli Roth and written by Jeff Rendell, the film stars Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, Chris Sandiford, Milo Manheim, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Nell Verlaque, Rick Hoffman, Gina Gershon, Ty Victor Olsson and Karen Cliche.

The bluntly titled Thanksgiving traces its origins all the way back to 2007, when it debuted as a fake trailer that played before screenings of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's double-feature, Grindhouse. It was little more than a joke but it's important to remember its origins. It would be easy to out and out dismiss Thanksgiving as silly horror comedy that takes itself too seriously. But it began its life tethered to Grindhouse, and viewed in that context, it sorta, almost, kinda really works. Roth even delayed the project multiple times, trying to bring it up to par with the faux-trailer that inspired it. It's a horror flick that requires context and at least an ounce or two of love for the low budget '70s splatter and schlock that stumbled in and out of cheap theaters for nearly a decade.

Who's the killer? That may be some of the fun but it hardly matters. Some of you will nail it from the outset; others will fall prey to a half-dozen red herrings dangled in front of your face in an attempt to make the final reveal more of a treat. Eh, it is, it isn't. That's not the draw here. Thanksgiving is built to take anything and everything we associate with the holiday and turn it on its blood-soaked head, transforming traditions and trappings into dangerous, deadly pitfalls. The vengeful John Carver specter haunting Roth's version of Black Friday-week Plymouth has the stiff, cold glare of V from V for Vendetta, the speed and omnipresence of a true threat, and the icy relentlessness of Michael Myers. (The costume beyond the mask and hat is rather dull -- a black coverall suit and boots instead of more pilgrim-y attire -- but so it goes.) And my goodness, does Roth come up with excuse after excuse to kill plenty of townsfolk and trot out a decent reason why the madman is so, um, mad. Add to that the tease of possible Thanksgiving sequels before the credits roll and you have plenty of genre dessert to go with the main course.

Where Thanksgiving fails is in not going far enough, early enough, into the campiness of the Grindhouse double feature that gave it life so many years ago. The third act is looney tunes. Love it. Prior to that, it stays in step with too many films its trying to toy with. Too much effort is invested in making viewers care for core characters, a la the Scream sequels, and not enough time setting up main protagonists who fall earlier than expected and surprise heroes who rise from the supporting cast to save the day. Roth has a blast playing with the holiday, but not enough fun playing with audience expectations and genre tropes. It's there, it just gets lost in all the elements of Thanksgiving. (You'll never look at turkey dinner the same way again.) The dialogue can get pretty sloppy too, as intended, but some of the cast doesn't seem to be fully invested in the grindhouse gag of it all, resulting in some tonal wobbliness. None of it ultimately matters in a film like Thanksgiving, of course. You'll either enjoy the ride or roll your eyes and move on. Those who dig the setup, embrace the joke, and stick around for whatever payoff may come will have a grand ol' time.

Thanksgiving 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

From the desk of Eli Roth, Summer 2024: "Dear viewer, it is with the deepest pleasure and gratitude that I present you with 'Thanksgiving' in all its glorious, *gorious* details, lovingly mastered in 4K. This is the highest quality and the most spectacular viewing experience short of crawling inside the actors' skin and re-enacting the film. (Which I do not recommend. It's very sticky.) We put so much detail and love and blood into every scene and now you can enjoy it for all of eternity. Or at least until robots ban the film thousands of years from now. I recommend watching on the biggest screen you can, played nice and loud, or at least loud enough for your neighbors to think you are roasting someone in an oven... See you at the dinner table."

Thanksgiving already looked terrific on standard Blu-ray. So what does Sony's 2160p 4K video presentation have to offer? Tastier second helpings. And before you ask: yes, reds are bolder, splashier and more visceral than before, while the darkest shadows are more absorbing and natural. Just what the horror hounds among ye ordered. Colors retain their vivid, lifelike qualities throughout, but look no farther than the third act to see what sweet desserts 4K brings to the table. The roasty, toasty firelit hues of Carver's murder oven are at full, blazing heat, with a convincing richness and depth to both flame and darkness that bring the movie's final kills as close to life as it gets. Delineation is even a marginal notch better than with its predecessor, creating a sicker, more sinister atmosphere to surround the madness that builds as the blood really starts to flow. Likewise, detail is improved as well, though not as jaw-droppingly so as other films might allow. Thanksgiving gets dark. Plenty dark. And the ensuing fog of war isn't the most revealing. Fortunately, such things don't involve wayward crush. It's all by design, and the refined results allow for plenty of visible genre fun in the otherwise unforgiving pitch black of night. Edges are sharp enough to suggest malicious intent and textures are beautifully resolved, particularly when the sun is out or the lights are up, and what teeny tiny hint of grain there is -- and it's not much -- fares slightly better than it did in 1080p. The image subjectively appears to have an even slicker digital sheen than its 2K counterpart, which, again, is all a tad strange considering the film's Grindhouse aspirations. But intention reigns and Roth has made his distinctly 21st century aesthetic choices. Even so, there isn't a hint of blocking, banding or other unsightly business, and the encode holds its own regardless of what challenges are tossed its way.

Thanksgiving 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Am I having a bigger blast with Thanksgiving this time around? Apparently so. It snuck up on me. What didn't sneak up on me, though, was Sony's Dolby Atmos experience. How could it? It's got so much swagger. So much power. So much murderous intent, and none of it is exactly subtle. But this is neo-Grindhouse, and the film's new surround track is a delight. You can almost hear the sound designers giggling in the booth. Dialogue is intelligible and naturally grounded in the mix, prioritization is spot on, more nuanced sound effects are reproduced with perfection, and blah blah blah. You don't care about that anyway. What you do care about is the soundfield, which is so effective and immersive that, even with this being my second viewing, I jumped a helluva lot more. The surround channels are full of engaging, hair-raising activity; all of it a bit too effective. Moreover, pans and directionality are downright eerie, making Carver's appearances more menacing and, inevitably, more frightening. You can even hear the sizzle of roasting skin all around, with the track dropping the listener right in the middle of an oven. Shivers. And dynamics? So, so good. Punchy, powerful... the sort of LFE support you expect from a modern release and certainly deserve, especially when it comes to pulpy, squelchy horror. Ax strikes come with a wildy and weighty thunk that you can feel deep in your chest, while the film's score bum-bum-bumps along like a heavy heartbeat. Atmos is the way to hear Thanksgiving and Roth's every last little bit of devilish deviance.

Thanksgiving 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Mmmm. Not my favorite flick, but what a fantastic SteelBook. Matte black. Subtly raised lines on the cover art. Gold lettering. Blood as dark as pitch on the head of a wood ax buried in a deliciously dressed turkey. Flip it over and you get Carver's fire-licked mask. Mm. Simple, striking design, front and back, inside and out. This might just be one of my favorite SteelBook designs of the year; minimalistic, classy throwback elements and all. Enjoy!

• NEW Behead the Scenes: Carve Diem (HD, 25 minutes) - The first of two new featurettes is a half legit, half tongue in cheek gem where the cast are given mini DVD cameras "from 1999-2000" to document their experience making the film.

• NEW Behead the Scenes: Giving Shanks (HD, 23 minutes) - Another look behind the scenes with a second production featurette, making for almost an hour of additional, 4K-exclusive content. Ironically it's all filmed in faux-standard definition, which only adds to the charm.

• Audio Commentary - Director Eli Roth and writer Jeff Rendell spin the tale of Thanksgiving's long gestation and the many, many stages of development the story and script went through. The rest is par for the course -- production, casting, fun on set, anecdotes, explanations as to how kill scenes were executed, etc -- but Roth is an infectious soul who loves to talk horror, making it worth any fan's time.

• Behind the Screams (HD, 4 minutes) - A brief behind-the-scenes featurette with the filmmakers.

• Gore Galore (HD, 4 minutes) - Another short EPK, this time focusing on the bloody bits.

• Deleted, Alternate & Extended Scenes (HD, 34 minutes) - A ton of deleted material is available. Scenes include "Evan's Vlog", "Visitor Log", "Decoy", "Idiot", "Close the Store", "Alternate Sequence", "Games are Important", "That's Weird", "Get Us Killed", "Extended Cooking with Carver", "Tunnel Master", "Dinner Guests", "So Close" and "Cooked Turkey".

• Outtakes (HD, 5 minutes) - Crack-ups courtesy of the cast and crew.

• Massachusetts Movies: Eli & Jeff's Early Films (HD, 12 minutes) - Archive VHS movie clips from childhood with optional commentary.

• Sony Previews

Thanksgiving 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Switch off your brain's critical core. Thanksgiving is a bloody good time. Nothing more... maybe something less, if grindhouse throwback isn't your thing. Walking the fine line between parody and homage, Roth at least entertains, which for those willing to buy into the film's premise should prove to be enough. Sony's 4K release is even better, with perfect UltraHD/Atmos AV quality and a solid selection of extras (two of which are exclusive to this edition).