Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Thanksgiving Blu-ray Movie Review

"There will be no leftovers..."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown January 30, 2024

Ah, yes. 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 bloody ridiculousness of a Turkey Day slasher starring a masked killer who, I kid you not, is dressed as Mayflower pilgrim John Carver and wields one of the best-looking murder axes this side of Friday the 13th. So shut off your brain, my babies, and give thanks 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 as good a time as I did.

Thanksgiving Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Sony's 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer doesn't miss a step, besting every challenge Thanksgiving throws its way. Almost impenetrable darkness? No problem, no crush, excellent black levels. Shadow delineation prevails, revealing as little (or cloaking as much) as it should. Splashes of deep red and orange, piercing through more bleakly lit scenes? Punchy and vivid, without any banding to report. Bright outdoor parade scenes giving way to a smoke-strewn murder spree? No errant noise, no unsightly anomalies. You wouldn't be that out of line to think you were watching a 4K disc. None of it is razor sharp, despite its digital photography, but it grants Thanksgiving an appreciated filmic appearance, complete with faint, consistent grain that is neither obtrusive nor detrimental at any point. Edge definition is nevertheless crisp and clean, textures are refined and the only thing left to the imagination makes tense sequences more tense. Add to that plenty of warm, smartly contrasted colors and lifelike skintones (and blood sprays-n-spatters) and you have a '70s grindhouse throwback that doesn't look like a cheap, grungy grindhouse production. Whether that's a positive or a negative -- I would have been a-okay with a much grainier, uglier nod to the genre -- doesn't reflect on the quality of the technical presentation.

Thanksgiving Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Roth has plenty of fun with the film's sound design too, allowing it to increasingly climb over-the-top of audio norms and infusing kills with more literal splatter and chunkiness than might typically be warranted. Sony's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track follows suit, leaning into the joke and embracing the crescendo of looniness and chaos that ensues. Voices are clear and intelligible at all times, screams slice through the soundscape with hair-rising chilliness, and prioritization is solid throughout. LFE output grants axe strikes nice, meaty thunks and foot falls a heavy desperation thanks to notable weight and heft in low-end elements. Rear speaker activity is great too, filling the soundfield with enough directional clanks and clatters, ambience and environmental nuances to make things immersive and involving. All told, Thanksgiving sounds as good as it should.

Thanksgiving Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Goodness, I love that screenshot. Makes me chuckle every time. Ahem. Anyway, Thanksgiving arrives on Blu-ray from Sony Pictures with some welcome exclusives (mainly of the deleted variety) and a trio of mainline extras that add some nice value to the release.

• 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 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 of us willing to buy into the film's premise should prove to be enough. Sony's Blu-ray release is even better, with a striking video presentation, strong lossless audio track, and a solid selection of extras. I'm surprised this one isn't available in 4K as well, but it hardly matters when a disc looks and sounds this good.