Directed by: Eli Roth
Distributed by: Sony Pictures
Written by Alexander Reams
79/100
The genius of Eli Roth has always been his self-awareness. He knows he has a twisted sense of humor–think of any of the “torture” sequences of Hostel, or the entirety of “Cabin Fever”–and has always embraced it, maybe too much. After failed directorial efforts in other genres (despite the positive notices he received for 2018’s “The House With a Clock in its Walls” Roth returned to a 15-year-old idea. He had made a fake trailer for a film in 2007 entitled “Thanksgiving” to be placed in the “Grindhouse” double feature release of Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino’s “Planet of Terror and “Death Proof.” The Danny Trejo starrer “Machete” and a sequel have already come to life from another of these trailers that played between the films, and now Roth’s entry joins them.
“Thanksgiving” begins with the biggest fear of any retail worker: Black Friday. Roth sets the tone perfectly with claustrophobic insert shots of various crowd members in between large wides which establish the chaotic environment, the mix of which begins the buildup of tension. Which is exacerbated by the stereotypical “Masshole” attitudes that verbally assault the innocent employees and security guards who are trying to control the escalating situation. While the group of shoppers in front grows by the minute, the store owner, Thomas Wright (Rick Hoffman), who is under criticism for the store being open on the holiday, discovers that his daughter, Jessica (Nell Verlaque) has left the house. Jessica and her friends go to the store and the outrage from the crowd as they see these spoiled kids inside is too much, and all hell breaks loose. Roth’s coverage of the chaos is impeccable, and allows enough tension to build before the pain begins, at first it’s a few shoves, but quickly snowballs into a riot, and ends with Amanda Collins (Gina Gershon) missing a bit of scalp. This moment in “Thanksgiving” is worth the price of admission alone, it skillfully embellishes the terrifying reality for many people who work in retail and is only played up by the escalated violence.
After all the chaos has died down, Sheriff Eric Newton (Patrick Dempsey) is given a great freeze-frame shot that allows for the predicted time jump that puts much-needed separation from the insanity the year before. With the anniversary coming up it’s the perfect time for bodies to drop, first a waitress who was at the Black Friday riot, then a security guard from the store, and a few high schoolers for good measure, all at the hand of a masked figure called John Carver. Each murder was connected with that specific night, and if it couldn’t get any clearer who the next targets are, Jessica and her friends are tagged in an anonymous social media post. Roth’s employment of modern technologies in the film is smartly done and plays on the already lurking dangers of social media.
Roth continues to flesh out both of his storylines, with each delivering enough information while the chemistry between Jessica and her friends is more than believable for the film. This all builds to a finale that again includes Rick Hoffman bound to a chair–a nice easter egg for us fans of “Hostel”–and is appropriately (and predictably) over the top, with an ending that clearly telegraphs Roth’s desire to make further entries into this world. “Thanksgiving” is not only Roth’s strongest film since “Clock in its Walls,” it’s one of the best of his career.
“Thanksgiving” Trailer
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