Verdict: 4/5
Eli Roth’s ‘Thanksgiving’ probably won’t get the audience it deserves in Australia given the title doesn’t immediately resonate with local crowds, but it’s actually one of the more decent slasher flicks released in recent years.
In fact, if blood and gore is your thing, it’d be hard not to be impressed with the kill scenes and be leaving the cinema asking “what was your favourite death?”
After a Black Friday sale goes horribly wrong in Plymouth, Massachusetts – the birthplace of Thanksgiving – the town is left to pick up the pieces of a death toll from a stampede of bargain hunters.
A year later, store owner Thomas (Rick Hoffman) hasn’t learned much – and is preparing for another massive sale, with extra security guards of course.
But when those with a link to the stampede start being killed in mysterious circumstances one after the other, it’s up to the core group of survivors (led by Nell Verlaque’s Jessica) to figure out who has an axe to grind, so to speak.
I’ll be honest – the twist here is rather predictable, but for so long you think they can’t possibly be setting up such an obvious ending, that it still manages to keep you guessing.
‘Thanksgiving’ certainly isn’t your family holiday movie, but if you’re a horror/thriller fan and you’re up for a few jump scares, it’s worth seeing.
Oh, and if you’re a ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ fan, Patrick Dempsey stars too – so there’s that.
See this movie at Hoyts Penrith.
Troy Dodds
Troy Dodds is the Weekender's Managing Editor and Breaking News Reporter. He has more than 20 years experience as a journalist, working with some of Australia's leading media organisations. In 2023, he was named Editor of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards.