Slasher horror is, by far, the most popular subgenre of horror. Due to the large array of films cemented under the title, with a lot of them setting themselves as the “greatest of their time,” it is easier for new slasher films to establish themselves while following in the footsteps of their predecessors. However, it is still hard for newer films to distinguish themselves to a higher standard compared to their older counterparts. 

This is precisely why I didn’t expect “Thanksgiving” to be a top hit this year, and I was right.

“Thanksgiving” is a horror movie attacking the toxic culture of consumerism in America. A Black Friday event at a store called Right Mart, owned by a self-centered Thomas Wright (Rick Hoffman), ends in death and emotional turmoil. In response to this catastrophe, a new killer emerges from the dining table to get revenge on those who instigated and contributed the most to the event. 

For the most part, this movie was decent. The plot at the start made sense: a riot breaks out in a store due to the negligence of its owner and the immaturity of some of its patrons. This leads to a few deaths, and now someone wants to avenge those who were lost. The acting was enjoyable, save for a few crocodile tears and awkward yells of frustration. I won’t lie and say that I didn’t find this movie to be interesting. I found myself on the edge of my seat, racking my brain to figure out who could be the killer. 

I am a sucker for slasher movies, and this film hit nearly all of the points in my book: a killer who appears to be everywhere at once and isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty and scenes that make my skin crawl, such as someone’s skin being ripped off of their face as they try to escape. There were even characters who were so annoying that when they died, I silently cheered. 

However, there were a few parts of this movie that ruined my experience, and the ‘guess who’ game was one of them; there wasn’t a concrete line of reasoning in this film. Of course, it was obvious why certain people were being targeted, but when it came to the evidence needed to point fingers at certain characters, nothing solid was presented. All the audience received were random photos and baseless assumptions, nothing that truly made sense. When the plot twist surrounding who the killer is showed up on my screen, I was left with nothing but confusion. The plot twist didn’t make much sense and felt random. I was disappointed to see that even the actual killer didn’t get a realistic line of reasoning for their actions.

The movie also has it’s fair share of missed opportunities. For instance, Mitch Collins (Ty Olsson) lost his wife, Amanda Collins (Gina Gershon), during the riot and went on to continuously protest and advocate for a shutdown of the Right Mart Store; however, it is barely portrayed in the film. Taking the time to incorporate side characters like Mitch more would have elevated this film.

Despite the few mistakes and missed opportunities, this movie was decent. Though I would not put it on my go-to slasher film watch list, I also would not be opposed to watching it again.