Review of the Thanksgiving Movie

Director Eli Roth has called himself a “horror master” in the past, but Thanksgiving may be his first good film. Incredibly creepy and hilarious, this holiday-themed slasher may not be perfect, but it’s worth seeing in a packed theater. A year after the Black Friday fiasco in which several customers were brutally murdered, a ruthless killer disguised as a menacing pilgrim begins stalking everyone involved, especially a group of teenagers. Roth has never shied away from gore, nor has he taken his movies too seriously (I’m not sure if I’ll ever see his horrifying cult film Cabin Fever). Thanksgiving revels in the absurdity of the holiday, highlighted by a bombastic opening period in which shoppers fight (literally) at each other’s throats to score a free waffle maker. Director Roth, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jeff Rendell, doesn’t have a knack for sharp comedy, but it’s been a long time since we’ve seen a slasher that deals in something so ridiculously and ridiculously cruel. The killer dispatches his victims in grotesque ways, and Roth leaves little to the imagination. At Thanksgiving, the food is served raw. If you like that kind of course meal, this movie is for you.