The new movie Thanksgiving has received a high Rotten Tomatoes score as the first reviews are in for the new seasonal horror movie by Eli Roth.
Starring Grey’s Anatomy’s Patrick Dempsey, the film follows a Black Friday riot tragedy which leads to a Thanksgiving-inspired killer who terrorises the people of Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Thanksgiving currently has a critic score of 82% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes from a total of 17 reviews (as of November 15). The film has also earned positive reviews from critics, who have particularly praised Roth’s vision and his treatment of the slasher genre.
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Here’s what some of the critics have said so far:
The Hollywood Reporter
"Featuring plenty of the gore promised in the trailer, this throwback slasher pic will gratify genre fans who will appreciate the titular holiday finally getting its own horror film along with the likes of Christmas, Valentine’s Day, etc.
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"It offers plenty of cheap thrills, or more accurately cheap kills, presented with the sort of attention to bloodthirsty detail that horror aficionados crave."
Variety
"[Eli Roth] is a highly skilled pulp practitioner, witty and shameless enough to be at once incorrect and diabolically unhinged. Thanksgiving follows the rules of the slasher genre, but it’s got a more charged and entertainingly hyperbolic atmosphere than these movies used to have."
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The Guardian
"Roth’s reference points aren’t particularly obscure, but he earns the right to claim them through his proud commitment to horror for horror’s sake, a balm at a time when it feels like every other entry to the genre is buckling beneath the weight of its belaboured trauma metaphors.
"He applies discipline to the disreputable, elevating choice cuts of trash not with put-on profundity but with a keener mastery of and appreciation for their foulest, basest pleasures. What more do we need to give thanks for?"
Collider
"Yes, Thanksgiving’s script is quite basic and the twist reveal of the killer may not be that surprising. But it knows exactly what type of film it wants to be. It doesn’t waste time by shoving in a high-concept B-plot or going out of its way to make a slasher like no other. Thanksgiving could be seen as derivative of so many that have gone before it, but it doesn't seem to care.
"With Thanksgiving, Roth brings horror back to basics and reminds us that it can be nasty, gory, gnarly, and a ton of fun all at once."
Thanksgiving is released on November 17 in UK and US cinemas.
Soaps Writer, Digital Spy and Inside Soap
After studying for an English degree at the University of Exeter, Erin completed a PPA-accredited Masters in Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. She first joined the Digital Spy team in late 2023, writing across both news and features.
Erin is a fan of all things TV, from comedy and drama to reality TV and soaps.
