Eli Roth, the mastermind behind Hostel and The Green Inferno has done it again, and his latest creation is 16 years in the making. His new holiday slasher, Thanksgiving, may appear hokey to those who aren’t in the know, but horror fans like myself have been waiting many years for Roth to bring this project to fruition.
Eli Roth created a fake Thanksgiving trailer in 2007
A faux trailer for Thanksgiving first appeared in theaters during the 2007 Grindhouse double feature of Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror and Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof. Like many other horror fans, I remember the show being unlike anything I’d ever encountered before. My favorite part, hands down, was the mock movie trailers that played between films.
For those who missed it, the retro cinematic experience paid homage to exploitation films and included fake movie trailers by Roth, Rodriguez, Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, and Jason Eisener. Since then, two other directors have made full-length films based on their faux trailers, including Machete and Hobo with a Shotgun.
Talk of a full-length movie started right away
Almost immediately after the Grindhouse double feature hit theaters, fans wanted more from Roth and insisted he make a full-length Thanksgiving film. A 2007 Wired article reported that Roth took to MySpace (yes, that’s how long ago this was) to address fans. While he didn’t promise a full movie, he offered hope while promoting merch for the fake trailer.
“The first step towards turning a fake trailer into a real movie is to convince the unsuspecting public that it actually exists, and what better way to do that than with a Thanksgiving t-shirt and poster of the Dan Frisch turkey?? … And who knows? It may even turn into a real movie one day.”
It may be more than a decade later, but that day has finally come!
What is Eli Roth’s ‘Thanksgiving’ about?
Thanksgiving is set in Plymouth, Massachusetts, where Pilgrims and Indians first (allegedly) shared a meal in the early 1600s. The town goes above and beyond with holiday celebrations, making it the perfect hunting ground for an ax-wielding killer dressed like a Pilgrim.
According to Collider, Sony Pictures’ official synopsis of the movie is:
“After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts – the birthplace of the infamous holiday.”
It sounds like this guy overslept on Black Friday and decided to take his frustration out on his neighbors.
The ‘Thanksgiving’ trailer emulates the original
While it no longer has the grungy retro vibe, the new teaser trailer for Thanksgiving shares similar imagery with the original. Horror fans are psyched to see that several iconic scenes from the faux trailer made it into the movie, and I’m not just talking about the Thanksgiving Day Parade. An especially horrific kill scene in the fake trailer features a cheerleader on a trampoline, which is briefly replicated in the movie trailer.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can see Roth’s 2007 Thanksgiving trailer here. (Warning: The faux trailer contains nudity and sex acts that are NSFW!)
Eli Roth began writing ‘Thanksgiving’ in 2010
According to Collider, Roth began transforming his fake trailer into a full-length film back in 2010. He enlisted the help of his childhood friend, Jeff Rendel, who also played the Pilgrim in the 2007 trailer. Fans asked Roth about the status of the script during an AMA on Reddit in 2016.
He told fans the script was still in the works, but it still needed more editing to live up to the trailer. Despite the years of rumors flying around about the movie’s status, fans held on to hope that the film would eventually happen. Our patience proved worthwhile, though, as Roth finally confirmed that Thanksgiving was happening earlier this year.
When is ‘Thanksgiving’ being released?
Thanksgiving will hit theaters on Nov. 17! Horror fans are counting down the days until this inevitable cult classic is released.
Who’s in Eli Roth’s ‘Thanksgiving’?
The holiday slasher film stars Patrick Dempsey (Grey’s Anatomy) as the town sheriff. Other cast members include Rick Hoffman (Suits), TikToker Addison Rae, Jalen Thomas Brooks (Walker), Milo Manheim (Zombies), Nell Verlaque (The Marijuana Conspiracy), Karen Cliche (Saw IV), Gina Gershon (Chucky), and comedian Tim Dillon.
