Writer/director Eli Roth became a horror icon when he showcased his sickening vision of gore and brutality through films like Cabin Fever, the Hostel films, and The Green Inferno. Now, Roth returns to those bloody roots with Thanksgiving – a slasher that merges seasonal flair and murderous fun for an incredibly fresh experience.

Based on Roth’s fake trailer of the same name from the 2007 film Grindhouse, Thanksgiving takes viewers into Plymouth, Massachusetts where the titular holiday – as described by the town’s trusted sheriff – is an institution. Each year, Plymouth’s historical ties to the first Thanksgiving are celebrated through an annual parade and strong communal bonding. Unfortunately, this year’s festivities are tarnished by the arrival of a killer donning a John Carver mask – who hopes to craft their own sinister dinner table filled with guts and gore. Now, it’s up to the locals to stop the killer before they end up on their murderous carving board.

Roth’s direction and creative power for Thanksgiving is seen right in the film’s amazing opening. Just after Roth delivers a loving nod to the opening of Halloween, he establishes the humor, atmosphere, and holiday-themed terror perfectly. As much as Thanksgiving thrives in its twisted odes to the central American holiday, its display of Black Friday chaos is a sheer delight. It acts as a great way to shift the tone away from the warm vibes of Thanksgiving and into the cold-hearted greed of shoppers who are ready to tear each other limb from limb for the best deals. It also allows Roth’s style of dark humor to develop and poke fun at America’s peak commercial holiday. Then as all the tension boils over, the film dives deep into its horror and turns a shopping spree into a jaw-dropping bloodbath. Plus, it sets up this traumatic event that not only affects the community a year later, but also inspires this killer to go on a revenge tour.

All the strengths of the opening make the title splash immensely pleasing and carry excellently into the mystery that unfolds. Now, Thanksgiving doesn’t stray far from the usual slasher genre trappings — living and dying by a familiar formula. The sense of suspicion and paranoia is typical for slashers, and there are scenes ripped right from this subgenre’s playbook – right down to the main teen group running through their own suspect list. There’s an excess of red herrings who embody tiresome tropes in their personalities.

There are also a couple story threads that go nowhere and end up being needlessly pointless. There’s a love triangle with main lead Jessica (Nell Verlaque) that only exists to label her two “boyfriends” as possible suspects, but it isn’t given the time or care to be remotely interesting. The film has a storyline with a character who wants revenge because of tough loss during the opening that’s barely touched on even though it seems important at first. Not to mention, Roth’s approach to humor can make certain characters have unlikable personalities that are tough to deal with. Thanksgiving is a traditional slasher – for better or worse – and has shortcomings in its writing that keep it from being a completely fresh entry.

Yet, Roth shows enough confidence and inventiveness in his craft to make Thanksgiving an undeniable crowd-pleaser that’s charming at nearly every turn. It’s hard not to be impressed by his ability to depict the unwavering love this small town has for the titular holiday and then spin it into something sinister. Whether it’s a tacky town parade that quickly becomes gruesome with a sudden beheading or the killer’s horrifying take on Thanksgiving dinner, this film delivers holiday horror in spades. Roth’s devotion to the Thanksgiving theme results in some goofy aesthetics that add to the film’s hilarity and make the horror have a distinct identity.

However, the film’s desires to put a strong coating of horror on the Thanksgiving season come through its killer the best. The John Carver-dressed murderer is an absolute treat and has all the making of being a classic slasher. Despite the killer being mostly silent, they have a personality that shines through and makes for some hilarious moments. While they can have a strangely scary presence that lets the chase sequences keep their suspenseful thrills, Roth isn’t afraid to let the killer be silly. They’re not against feeding their victim’s cat because walking out the door nor playing with their captives in creepy yet fun ways. Also, the simple design of the killer’s look is flawless. The John Carver killer kicks off their legacy considerably well and displays a persona that fans will instantly gravitate towards.

It helps too that Roth is particularly diabolical when it comes to creating the film’s kills. Roth holds nothing back in dishing out some wild gore that’ll leave audiences in a state of shock and awe. Seriously, Thanksgiving might have some of funniest and mind-blowingly graphic deaths the genre has seen in the last decade. They’ve got all the gore that horror fans want and some insane body horror concoctions that’ll cause stomachs to flip and churn. It’s where Roth takes full liberties in blending elements of Thanksgiving with horror and it’s an unforgettable return to form for Roth that fans – particularly gore hounds – will adore.

Not to mention, even with the film’s writing not being as sharp as its style, the story is still very likeable. Both Roth and the cast totally embrace the B-movie slasher feel that Thanksgiving exudes, and it makes the performances and chemistry a lot of fun. There are some standout performances from Verlaque and Patrick Dempsey, and the central group of teens have some fun lines and interactions that evoke the right type of cheesiness that fits this genre well. Also, the overall mystery behind the killer’s identity is fun to watch evolve throughout the film. It’s exactly the kind of whodunnit that audiences love to ponder on, and the big reveal doesn’t disappoint.  The finale delivers satisfying twists and turns, and it leads into a wildly fun battle that rarely lets off the gas.

At this point, pretty much every other holiday has some slasher to call their own. Now, Roth gives Thanksgiving the slasher it deserves while injecting some much-needed fresh energy that revitalizes the director’s legacy in horror and delivers a jaw-droppingly gory horror flick that audiences will be thrilled to feast on.

Watch the Trailer Here: