Thanksgiving – Film Review

Thanksgiving, Eli Roth‘s latest foray into the world of slasher films, provides an ample playground for his maverick penchant for fusing fright and surprise, from the spine-tingling hallways of Hostel to the fake yet impactful trailers of Grindhouse. On the other hand, it seems like an odyssey with sloppy starts and rushed ends.

With a nod to Roth and Jeff Rendell‘s Grindhouse trailer, the film deftly takes advantage of Plymouth, Massachusetts’s sleepy, bucolic charm. In this tranquil town, where the horror of Black Friday still lingers, the Thanksgiving-themed killer goes about his grisly business. The first thirty minutes are when the reality hits rock bottom, despite the enormous promise of an engaging story. Instead of feeling thrills and terror, the audience is faced with disappointment due to the unexpectedly fast pace of predictability and repetition.

Eli Roth seems to be particularly skilled at creating brutally inventive kills and breathtaking gore scenes, which gradually inflate what feels like a punctured tire. But occasionally, one could argue, the unsettling factor outweighs the enjoyable element. In the midst of all this chaos, it’s nice to see some masterfully restrained performances, especially from Patrick Dempsey, who plays Sheriff Eric Newlon with admirable dedication, and Nell Verlaque, who plays Jessica Wright with an innocent resilience that shines.

The breathtaking gore, however, is inversely correlated with the traits of certain other characters in the story. Their grating, almost unbearable presence makes the ride rough, detracts from the excitement, and leaves you feeling nothing but annoyance. A special mention goes out to Addison Rae as Gabby, whose weak character development undermines the film’s overall credibility and overshadows the outstanding performances of her co-stars. To be clear, Rae is in no way the issue here. In actuality, Rae does a great job playing Gabby. Rae deserved a more compelling role to highlight her exceptional acting abilities. Simply put, her character was incredibly grating.

On the bright side, Thanksgiving finds redemption in the enigmatic character of its killer, who perfectly captures the insane madness of a holiday tradition gone awry. When paired with Milan Chadima‘s bright and artistic cinematography, the sense of impending doom is captured in every frame, contributing to a respectable degree of suspense and curiosity.

Nevertheless, there are occasional instances of poor dialogue in the film, which disappointed me. It’s hard to get emotionally invested in any of the characters or their impending danger when they have such boring, unimaginative lines. A number of scenes suffer because the dialogue is so empty of meaning and impact that it sounds like “space-fillers.” The strong narrative structure and the flimsy foundation these spoken words lay are obviously at odds with each other.

Thanksgiving rushes to the finish line rather than ending naturally, which also results in a disorganized conclusion. It starts off tasting like a lavish feast and gets over a lot of rough patches before ending abruptly and feeling more like an incomplete sketch, which dashes any bright hopes the audience may have had.

Despite its flawed storytelling, Eli Roth’s slasher endeavor Thanksgiving resonates due to its iconic gore style and robust performances from Nell Verlaque and Patrick Dempsey. This story is as inconsistent as a renegade Jack-in-the-box, but Milan Chadima’s vibrant visuals save the day. Thanksgiving‘s potential for success largely depends on how many viewers are willing to look past its glaring flaws and instead enjoy the thrilling horror experience.