TL;DR
Eli Roth's "Thanksgiving," a feature-length expansion of his *Grindhouse* trailer, sets its slasher story in Plymouth, MA, during a post-Black Friday riot. While the concept taps into holiday horror, the film falters with a disjointed narrative, unlikable characters, and a blunt execution that misses the dark humor of Roth's earlier work. The reviewer also found the UHD release to be disappointing, citing soft visuals and lackluster HDR, with the DTS 5.1 audio being adequate but unremarkable. Though the American version includes extensive bonus features, the Swedish release is barebones. Despite its flaws, a sequel is already in the works. Discover if this Thanksgiving slasher is worth your time in our full review.
The setting of Thanksgiving is Plymouth, Massachusetts, the historical origin of the holiday. In this locale, a serial killer, costumed as pilgrim John Carver (the first governor of Plymouth Colony), commits murders following a tragic Black Friday riot at the town’s Right Mart supermarket.
Thanksgiving, directed by Eli Roth (known for Cabin Fever and Hostel 1 and 2), is a feature-length adaptation of the fake trailer Roth created for the 2007 film Grindhouse. Notably, in Sweden, the original Grindhouse double feature was not presented as intended. Death Proof (directed by Tarantino) and Planet Terror (directed by Rodriguez) were screened separately, thereby omitting the interspersed trailer experience. Robert Rodriguez was the first to extend his trailer into a feature film with Machete, released in 2010.
Eli Roth initially impressed with the effectively crafted horror film Cabin Fever (2002), demonstrating his ability to balance horror with dark humor. His direction of the first two Hostel films, however, veered into excessive territory, bordering on torture porn. While those films still retained a certain spark, Thanksgiving, unfortunately, lacks this quality.
The film opens with a supermarket riot, and its narrative structure proves somewhat disjointed, making it difficult to fully grasp the unfolding events and their motivations. The characters lack compelling qualities, often presenting as unlikeable. Consequently, when the killer initiates their attacks, the audience may find it difficult to empathize with or even recall the reasons behind their demise. While the core concept is promising, and the connection to the Thanksgiving holiday is evident, the execution lacks subtlety and nuance, resulting in an overly blunt presentation.
The film features some well-executed sequences. Moreover, the actor portraying the revealed killer demonstrates a notable range that has not been previously showcased. However, such moments are infrequent.
A significant drawback of Thanksgiving is its subpar UHD release, ranking among the weakest reviewed. The visual quality falls short of expectations, suggesting an upscaled Blu-ray release. The image appears soft, with noticeably poor black levels compared to typical UHD presentations. Despite the packaging indicating HDR support, this feature is not apparent, as the colors appear washed out.
The audio is presented in DTS 5.1, which is underwhelming for a contemporary film. Research indicates that the film’s original sound design was limited to this format. While the sound is adequate and provides necessary emphasis, it remains unremarkable overall.
The American version boasts a wealth of supplementary material, including commentary tracks, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and outtakes. Regrettably, the Swedish release offers NO extras, a significant deficiency.
Despite its shortcomings, Thanksgiving achieved sufficient box office success to warrant a sequel. Future installments may offer improvements, as this initial offering, along with its Ultra HD release, proved underwhelming. The rating will reflect these observations.
SF studios provided review copies for this evaluation. Please note that providers of review materials do not influence our editorial assessments. Our reviews are conducted independently, prioritizing the interests of our readers and consumers.
