November 17, 2023
Thanksgiving is a 2023 American slasher film directed by Eli Roth from a screenplay by Jeff Rendell, based on a story by the pair, who produced with Roger Birnbaum. It is based on a fictitious trailer from Grindhouse (2007). The film stars Patrick Dempsey, Addison Rae, Milo Manheim, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Nell Verlaque, Rick Hoffman, and Gina Gershon, and follows a small Massachusetts town that is terrorized by a killer in a John Carver mask around the Thanksgiving holiday one year after a Black Friday riot ended in tragedy.
Thanksgiving was released in the United States by TriStar Pictures through Sony Pictures Releasing on November 17, 2023. The film received generally positive reviews from critics and grossed $46.6 million worldwide against a production budget of $15 million. A sequel is currently in development which is scheduled for a November 2025 release, but no recent updates were given on the sequel.
Storyline
On Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts, a mob gathers outside local superstore RightMart in preparation for a Black Friday sale. Jessica Wright, whose father Thomas owns the store, lets her boyfriend Bobby and friends Gaby, Evan, Scuba, and Yulia inside early. The crowd notices them and charges into the store in a frenzy. In the ensuing chaos, Amanda Collins (wife of RightMart's manager Mitch), a security guard, and a customer are killed. Bobby, whose arm was shattered in the incident, later moves away from Plymouth. The following year, RightMart begins preparations for another Black Friday sale. When Bobby returns to Plymouth, a waitress named Lizzie is killed by a figure wearing a pilgrim hat and John Carver mask. Lizzie's actions in the RightMart incident played a role in Amanda's death, leading police to believe that those who were involved are being targeted. The assailant, now fittingly called "John Carver", tags Jessica and her friends in grisly social media posts. Jessica lends camera footage from the RightMart incident to the town's sheriff, Eric Newlon. Carver kills several more residents involved in the riot, including a security guard who fled during the rush and the student responsible for the vicious stampede into RightMart. Evan and Gaby are soon abducted while Yulia is attacked in her home. Jessica and Scuba make it to Yulia but are unable to stop Carver from disemboweling Yulia with a saw. The police attempt to lure Carver out by having the Wright family participate in the Thanksgiving parade. Carver in a different disguise decapitates a mascot and sets off smoke bombs, causing chaos in which he is able to abduct Jessica, Scuba, Thomas, and Jessica's stepmother Kathleen. Kathleen tries to escape but is captured and cooked alive at Carver's hideout. Her corpse is served as a "turkey" at a table where the hostages and victims' corpses are seated. Carver then bludgeons Evan to death in a livestream in front of the others. Jessica and Scuba escape from the table and Carver chases Jessica through the woods. She then comes upon Eric lying on the pavement and follows signs of movement into a building where parade float materials are being stored. She sees Bobby in the Carver costume but Eric joins her and tells her to go outside. Gunshots are heard but Bobby is not found. The police inform Jessica that her friends and father are safe. In the sheriff's office, Jessica notices the same debris from the woods that stuck to her clothing is also stuck to the hem of Eric's pants, which confirm that he is John Carver. Jessica asks Eric why he engaged in his killing spree, and he reveals his motive for the murders was revenge; Eric had been having an affair with Amanda, who was pregnant when she was killed during the RightMart incident. Eric then began targeting those he held responsible for the riot, as their negligence and violence caused Amanda's death. Eric had also abducted Bobby and placed him in the Carver costume to frame him. Jessica then reveals to a horrified Eric that she has live-streamed his confession, exposing him as the killer to the world. Eric attacks her, but Bobby intervenes. An enraged Eric attacks again, intent on killing Jessica for ruining his plans and his life. Jessica loads a blunderbuss using her mother's bracelet and shoots down a balloon attached to a tank of gas, causing an explosion that engulfs the sheriff. Jessica reunites with Gaby and Scuba while Bobby is taken to the hospital. Authorities are unable to find Eric's body and believe he was incinerated in the blast. Reunited with her boyfriend Ryan, Jessica has a nightmare in which she is attacked by a flaming Eric.