Thanksgiving: A Holiday-Themed Horror Hit
Thanksgiving, a horror film directed by Eli Roth, has received positive reception and is now available to watch on VOD. The film, which stars Patrick Dempsey, Gina Gershon, and Addison Rae, follows one family's attempts to deal with a pilgrim-inspired killer named John Carver. With the confirmation of Thanksgiving 2 on the way, the first Thanksgiving is available to rent or purchase on most major digital platforms. This article explores the film's reception, audience response, and box office performance.
The Story of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving, a holiday-themed horror hit, is now available to watch on VOD. Directed by Eli Roth, Thanksgiving began life as a fake trailer that played in front of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse double feature. The full-length film, which stars Patrick Dempsey, Gina Gershon, and Addison Rae, ended up being a hit upon its release in theaters last month, following one family's attempts to deal with a pilgrim-inspired killer named John Carver.
Patrick Dempsey as John Carver stalks Jessica (Nell Verlaque) holding a phone in Thanksgiving
Now, following the confirmation that Thanksgiving 2 is on the way, the first Thanksgiving is available to rent or purchase on most major digital platforms. It will cost the usual $19.99 to rent the movie, or $24.99 to purchase it outright.
Rick Hoffman as Thomas Wright Smiling at the Dinner Table in Thanksgiving
How Was Thanksgiving Received?
Roth's holiday-themed horror flick hit theaters on November 17 and, perhaps surprisingly, was met with a very positive reception. While Roth has a dedicated fanbase and has long been attracted to the horror genre, his movies are not often critical hits. One based off of a fake trailer in a 16-year-old movie certainly didn't seem like it was going to buck this trend.
Scuba (Gabriel Davenport) and Jessica (Nell Verlaque) covered in blood and surrounded by plastic sheeting in Thanksgiving
Critics' Thanksgiving reviews, however, praised many aspects of the film, most notably its combination of humor and gory, inventive kills. Veering away from the upsetting 'torture porn' aspects of some of his earlier works, his holiday slasher was a ton of fun, though not particularly scary. The general response from critics was so positive, in fact, that Thanksgiving's Rotten Tomatoes score is the highest of Roth's career at 84%.
John Carver puts Kathleen (Karen Cliche) in an oven in Thanksgiving
The audience reception to the film has been similarly positive, and the film's audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is a respectable 79%. This strong response translated to box office performance, with Thanksgiving bringing in $45.5 million worldwide on a budget of $15 million. It'll likely be a while before the sequel hits movie theater screens, but Thanksgiving's VOD release means the film is now available to revisit (or check out for the first time) during the December holiday season.
Lizzie (Amanda Barker) wears a John Carver mask in Thanksgiving
