Gore master Eli Roth returns with a new horror film set around the titular American holiday. One year after people are killed in a stampede during a Black Friday sale, a masked killer starts targeting the people they believe are to blame.
Thanksgiving starts with a real bang depicting the carnage as shoppers storm a store in order to grab free waffle irons. That best pre-credits sequence since 2015’s Spectre is both bloody and funny, reminding me of Dawn of the Dead with its not too subtle critique of consumer culture. The rest of the film cannot quite live up to that and it becomes more of a straightforward slasher tale, but it remains incredibly enjoyable.
Unpleasant characters are despatched in inventive ways and the cast that includes Patrick Dempsey as the sheriff, Rick Hoffman as the venal store owner and Nell Verlaque as his daughter/final girl give it their all.
However, the ending is a bit of a let down with the killer revealed as someone who is obvious but also makes little sense logistically. But that will not stop me from looking forward to the sequel that has already been confirmed.
Rating: 7 out of 10