Thanksgiving is a holiday made to commemorate all of the blessings of the year. It is a thanks for good health, fortune, family, food, and friends. Until November 17, when a horror movie titled “Thanksgiving” hit the movie theaters, giving a sick twist to the otherwise joyful holiday. Directed by Eli Roth, the movie released with a strong successful start. It has amassed $29 million at the box office and collected virtually all positive feedback.
The film takes place in the city where the very first Thanksgiving occurred, in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It kicks off with an irritated mob of people waiting for a store called RightMart to open for Black Friday. Our main characters, named Jessica, Evan, Gabby, Scuba, Yulia, and Bobby secretly make their way into the store. Upon their infiltration, they begin to take the store’s most expensive items and taunt the rowdy crowd outside. The crowd sees them doing this which causes their anger to boil over. The frenzy forces their way into the store, and a massacre ensues. An employee gets trampled, multiple maimings occur from debris, and more violent deaths occur as a result of oblivious, greedy shoppers. Exactly one year later, the RightMart store plans to open for Black Friday again. A few residents of Plymouth protest this idea, as they do not wish for another massacre to follow. But one unknown resident takes their protest a step further: by planning to vengefully murder the protagonists and other townspeople that led others to their deaths. They don a pilgrim outfit, and a mask reminiscent of real life pilgrim John Carver. The look of the killer is extremely threatening, and has ample potential to become another iconic slasher in the horror genre.
The movie overall is quite grisly, and delivers ruthless kills on the regular. Senior Tatiana Bedolla described Thanksgiving’s kills as, “Probably up there as one of the most gory movies I’ve ever seen. I honestly didn’t expect it to be so crazy.”
Also commenting on the graphic imagery was senior Henry Beltran, who believed that, “It excelled in shock factor and gore effects. The deaths were gory but not overbearing, and they made me uncomfortable – in a good way.”
Viewer discretion is absolutely advised if you wish to watch Thanksgiving. It is best seen in theaters where the sound and visuals are at maximum to grant you the best experience. If you can stomach it, expect a high octane, gruesome rollercoaster of a horror movie.
