Fake trailers are great. You say the words “fake trailers” and I am transported to fake-Oscar-bait fake-trailer Satan’s Alley, a rich text about monks in love. But Satan’s Alley is not a real movie, and Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving is.
This tale began life as a pretend-trailer before Grindhouse, 15 years ago, and now is a feature film, the whole point of which seems to be that the murderer does his bloody work with cooking implements. And—in a fairly memorable image—those little corncob pokers you hold ears of corn with.
If Patrick Dempsey isn’t the pilgrim-hat-wearing murderer, what is the point of his presence here? Dempsey appears to be playing an amiable and clearly untalented cop who lets a lot of people get carved up (get it, get it) in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The murders have something to do with a Black Friday riot that happened previously. The murderer also seems to be focused on a group of wholesome teens who are likely to meet very unwholesome fates. “No leftovers,” the trailer promises.
Along with Dempsey, Thanksgiving stars Addison Rae, Milo Manheim, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Nell Verlaque, Rick Hoffman, and … Gina Gershon? Okay, sure.
Eli Roth directs from a script he co-wrote with Jeff Rendell, making this a reunion for the fake-trailer makers. The table is set for November 17th. Don’t forget your napkin.
This post was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the film being covered here wouldn’t exist.
