PopHorror Let's Get Scared
“They don’t make ’em like they used to,” us old-timer horror fans say frequently, as we begrudgingly shove our credit cards into the box office kiosk or violently smack at the buttons on our smartphones to purchase tickets to the latest release in this ever-evolving genre. Well, now we can finally say, “That’s what it was like when I was a kid,” as we walk out of the theater or drive away from the drive-in with youngsters in tow, just as excited as we are about the feast we were just given. Eli Roth has finally graced us with a feature-length Thanksgiving we won’t soon forget.
The 1990s ushered in the era of meta-horror with brilliant films like Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994), and Scream (1996). When it feels as though everything’s been done, the next logical step is parody. The lines between fiction and fact blur. Then, as social media grew and the 24-hour new cycle became unavoidable, tensions rose, opinions became gospel, and now we have elevated horror. Gone are the days of simply being entertained.
Yet, many of the top directors in horror today, have a very special way of making the old brand new again. The stars aligned when a few of them teamed up to create Grindhouse (2007), a double feature in the style of the down-and-dirty exploitation films you’d see at the drive-in back in the 1970s and 80s. Sandwiched between Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror and Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof, were a few mock trailers by Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk Till Dawn, 1996), Rob Zombie (The Devil’s Rejects, 2005), Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, 2004), Jason Eisener (V/H/S/2, 2013), there it was – Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving.
I, myself, was just as excited for the mock trailers as I was for the double feature. The buzz was that they were all movies we’d be begging for with Thanksgiving at the top of that list in all its classic trash slash glory. We were treated to 2 minutes and 45 seconds of pure grindhouse debauchery, and images that stuck with us through 16 years of begging for a feature-length version.
Who could forget the killer pilgrim beheading the turkey at the Thanksgiving Day parade, Eli himself losing his (ahem) head, the bouncing half-naked cheerleader impaled on a knife, the taglines: This year, there will be no leftovers, and Come hungry, leave stuffed? Yes, this mock trailer definitely stood out.
Does the feature live up to the mock trailer? Oh, my horror freak friends, it does more than that. It goes above and beyond.
It’s Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Jessica’s dad, Thomas Wright, has decided to open his Wright Mart stores early for Black Friday. Unfortunately, things go terribly wrong and the festivities end in tragedy, spurring a masked Pilgrim to take revenge on those involved one year later, especially Jessica and her friends and family.
Thanksgiving is refreshingly not self-aware. While it is modern and fresh, it maintains the feel of a simple slasher from the bygone days of gems like The Prowler (1981) and Pieces (1982), with the added mischief of ruining innocent holidays in the tradition of Black Christmas (1974) and My Bloody Valentine (1981).
It is far from predictable, and you’ll find that you’re enjoying the antics of the killer pilgrim so much, that you’re not obsessing over who it is behind the mask so much as just anticipating what kind of savagery he has in store for his next victim. There are very few jump scares, but the atmosphere is palpable. The pilgrim obviously has a lesson to teach in greed and accountability.
The cast is even better than I imagined with newcomer, Nell Verlaque, solidifying herself as a strong candidate for final girl. Scream 3 alum, Patrick Dempsey gives another beautifully vague performance that leaves you wondering, IS it him? – NO, it can’t be. Another newcomer, Gabriel Davenport, puts up a fantastic fight, giving Nell a run for her money as a possible final guy. And stick around after the credits roll for a little giggle from Rick Hoffman (Hostel, 2005).
This holiday season, us horror fans have much to be thankful for as the genre is going strong. But most of all, we give thanks to Eli Roth for bringing back the traditional slasher in all its exploitative, good-time glory this holiday season.
Thanksgiving is playing exclusively in theaters. Check it out! Because this year… there will be no leftovers!
