It seems no holiday is safe from a horror movie based around it – and this year Thanksgiving gets its own. Named, aptly for it the holiday Thanksgiving will be hitting theaters this weekend and promises a bloody holiday season for all of those involved. Following a tragedy the year before on Black Friday (which may have been a better horror movie name), a killer dressed as the Pilgrim that founded the town goes on a murderous rampage and starts picking off people who had any connections with the tragedy the year before.
The movie hangs on a lot of the horror movie and slasher tropes. From a killer after revenge, to a Final Destination-like list that the characters are hunted down in. It also leans very heavily into the holiday theme, with parades, pilgrims, turkeys, and feasts. But the movie also leans harder into the fact that it is based in Plymouth, Massachusetts and that’s where the Pilgrims landed and the supposed origins of the Thanksgiving tradition. Including John Carver, the pilgrim who not only actually came over on the Mayflower but founded Plymouth, MA. It’s his face you see throughout the movie, and with a name like Carver – it almost fits the movie theme perfectly.
There are some issues that the movie has, tropes aside. The first is the location. Not that the movie is set in Plymouth, Mass – that actually fits very well. But more the depiction of the city. Instead of the seaside town that is full of history and tourists visit each year for history or on their migration down to the cape, it is shown as a much larger city. Now, that can be taken with a grain of salt, the downtown is more of a middle-American style of architecture and downtown area. The historical village isn’t exactly right, but obviously is a set used throughout the movie and it’s not like they could destroy real historical sites.
Another issue that may bother a lot of viewers is Patrick Dempsey. Sure, it’s great seeing McDreamy back on the screen and in a much different role. Dempsey plays the town sheriff and is in the movie from the first scene and throughout. And while he may have been born in Maine, his fake Massachusetts-style accent is so bad it’s almost laughable. Was a dialect coach or someone local consulted before letting him use this in the movie? It’s comedic at best and the fact the accent slips in and out throughout the movie adds to its absurdity.
But really, those are more finding things to pick apart in the movie. If you’re going to see a Thanksgiving-themed slasher movie – do you really care if the city, history, and accents are correct? Chances are if you’re heading to see Thanksgiving you’re looking for blood, guts, a murderer, and a tad bit of a mystery. And that’s exactly what you can expect. There are plenty of creative killings in the movie, new ways to get revenge, and some well-placed puns throughout the movie as well.
Thanksgiving will be in theaters everywhere and it is the perfect holiday-themed slasher flick if you are a fan of the genre.
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About Thanksgiving:
After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts – the birthplace of the holiday. Picking off residents one by one, what begins as random revenge killings are soon revealed to be part of a larger, sinister holiday plan. Will the town uncover the killer and survive the holidays…or become guests at his twisted holiday dinner table?