For as many movies as I watch, I’m shockingly ignorant of what’s actually being released ever since I stopped watching trailers and accidentally reading spoilers on news sites. So I went into Thanksgiving knowing it was a holiday-themed slasher and that’s it. No idea it was an Eli Roth joint… and no idea he finally got to make the slasher he created a fake trailer for in 2007’s Grindhouse. Good for him… and for slasher fans.

The flick is almost as bog standard as you can get in a slasher formula. An Inciting Incident – a Black Friday rush turns deadly – inspires a slasher to don a gimmicky Pilgrim costume and take his revenge the following year.

Bog standard it might be, but very well crafted is the result. I’m very mixed on Eli Roth as a director – I’ve been meh on way more of his films than I’ve liked – but I really liked this one. I think it’s his best flick, in fact. And also a darn good one of these… a good old fashioned slasher.

And a wildly gory one too. Just the utmost in splatter and entrails and carving and goop. I’ve surely seen worse, but this one certainly revels in going that extra step too far. Usually in a good “Ooooh-hoo-hoo nasty!” chuckling sort of way… though your results may vary. Those with weak stomachs or who loath gore will want to steer away.

I also appreciated a pretty good set of teen victims and survivors. Not the best cast but also more distinct and personality-filled than many other slashers. Not top tier certain, but good. It helps to not want your characters to die.

It genuinely had me wondering who the killer was… even if the final reveal was a bit “roll the dice”. Sure, the killer made sense once we get the explanation but it really could have been anyone. Plus I think we have a case of a teleporting maniac… but, hey, that’s par for the course for a slasher flick.

I’m not gonna say I was all that scared watching it… I don’t scare easily. I did jump a couple of times but I mainly appreciated the film’s solid look, feel, and technical prowess. I really enjoyed this by-the-numbers slasher… it knows what it is and it’s a very good one of them.

Score: 86