Riley Peru, Staff Writer
Just in time for the holidays, TriStar Pictures released their newest film Thanksgiving. This rated-R film is labeled as a horror/slasher film that is both scary and funny for the viewers. There are many familiar faces on the cast list, including Patrick Dempsey, Gina Gerson, Rick Hoffman, Milo Manheim, and Addison Rae. The film is directed by Eli Roth, known for directing movies like Hostel, The Green Inferno, and Knock Knock.
Tragedy hits Plymouth, Massachusetts after multiple deaths following a Black Friday riot. The store in which the riot takes place continues business as normal, refusing to close its doors for the next Black Friday. The following year, a masked killer terrorizes local people in the town who have some relation to the riot. specifically, a group of teenagers who were in the store early. The group must figure out who is terrorizing the town before it is too late.
Jessica (Nell Verlaque) lets her friends into her father’s store before everyone else on Black Friday. Her friends then taunt the people outside, causing a riot with the people waiting for the doors to open. Now with an angry crowd, they overpower security and rush to the doors. Evan (Tomaso Sanelli) records the entire event which is later posted on social media which gains traction from the community. This video is used by the killer to identify his victims, as well as determine how to get to them. Hidden by a pilgrim hat and John Carver mask, the axe killer takes his victims one by one and posts about them the following day on a specific Instagram account made for his crimes. His goal is to capture the teens and host them for his own take of a Thanksgiving dinner as revenge for the events that took place on Black Friday.
Following its slasher label, this film does in fact show guts and gore. Every death is gruesome in its own way. There are some jump scares that are effective. The acting itself isn’t bad, a couple of the lines in the film are in fact corny and funny to listen to. The plot is easy to follow, and there are multiple instances where you think you know who the killer is and then it’s proved wrong as the plot develops on. The movie will make you laugh, cringe, sweat, and scare you all at the same time. If you’re squeamish with blood, guts, and extreme gore this movie is not for you.This film was decent and I enjoyed it. As a horror fanatic though, this wasn’t the best. It was cheesy and the dialogue was really funny. Me and my friends were laughing for most of the film. It’s entertaining but if you want a true horror film this is not that movie. Thanksgiving is in theaters now.
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