In recent years (see here and here) I've made a tradition of watching Thanksgiving horror movies around US Thanksgiving. As with other holiday horror, this is a fun way to process my complex thoughts and feelings about this horrific, delicious holiday. And this year I discovered a film about that most uniquely American of holidays, Black Friday, in which we trample each other to buy stuff we don't need immediately after a holiday about giving thanks for what we already have.
I'll start and end with the movies I watched for the first time with a nice leftover sandwich of movies I've watched in the past. And for some reason, lighting in the films seems to be on my mind lately. Go figure.
I should acknowledge that today is also Native American Heritage Day, which in a peak American contrast, is always also the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Amityville Thanksgiving (2022)
There's a lot available on Amazon Prime these days. Sometimes this works out, as when I found The Last Thanksgiving three years ago (see below). But other times, you get something like Amityville Thanksgiving. I don't mind that it's low budget. Or that it's weird. But long parts of the movie commit the only real sin a horror movie can commit: being a bit boring. There are long, meandering, weirdly-lit scenes of "couples therapy," which eventually (after far too long) you find out are the machinations of some kind of demonic being who lures troubled couples to a cabin every Thanksgiving. There aren't even many amusing Thanksgiving kills (see Thanksgiving below for the best of those). But all that said, I can appreciate the weird premise, the outrageous (to me, anyway) New York accents, and a movie filled with middle-aged weirdos being as weird as they want to be.
The Last Thanksgiving (2020)
This was a delightful find on Amazon Prime a few years ago. Parts of it were filmed here where I live in Chattanooga, Tennessee! After I posted my review on Twitter in 2021, I heard from the director, who told me he grew up here and wanted to film some it in his hometown (most was filmed in Florida). Anyway, I don't have much to add to my 2021 review, but this time, as back then, there are some interesting thoughts on traditions and whether people should work on Thanksgiving. Also, The Last Thanksgiving once again inspired me to rewatch another favorite, Addams Family Values, due to a scene where two characters discuss whether Addams Family Values is really a Thanksgiving horror movie.
Thanksgiving (2023)
I watched this one in theaters last year, but I didn't get around to discussing it on the blog. Directed by Eli Roth (of Hostel fame), this may be the most widely released Thanksgiving horror movie ever made (unless you count Addams Family Values, of course). It's based on a fake trailer from Grindhouse (2007), so there's something funny about turning that into a big budget film. The film opens on a Black Friday massacre (see also Black Friday below), in which greedy, violent customers attack each other for deals at a superstore owned by a greedy businessman. Fast forward to one year later, when the greedy businessman, his family, and the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts, are still grappling with the previous year's tragedy.
And because this is a horror movie, some slasher is out for revenge wearing a John Carver mask and full 17th century Pilgrim get up (see also Pilgrim below). And did I mention the kills? Fantastic! And totally Thanksgiving related, from corn holders in the ears to a person being cooked alive like a Thanksgiving turkey. This is Eli Roth after all, so expect over-the-top gore. Without ever being boring or overly serious, Thanksgiving manages a carving-knife sharp critique of both America's horrifically religious and racist historical legacy and our true religion today: corporate consumer capitalism. There are reports that a sequel is currently in the oven with a timer set for next year, so look for another installment of my Thanksgiving horror series in 2025!
Pilgrim (2019)
Pilgrim is one I discovered on Hulu a few years ago as part of their Into the Dark series of holiday-based horror films. A family invites some Pilgrim reenactors to help them celebrate Thanksgiving, which because this is a horror movie, does not go well. Pilgrim is another fun way to deal with the problematic aspects of American history and traditions. You don't have to watch The Witch, after all, to realize those pilgrims were scary enough on their own.
Blood Rage (1987)
No discussion of Thanksgiving horror would be complete without the OG classic of the genre, Blood Rage. I've discussed this one before, and I've probably seen it a half a dozen times now. But it's just as fun every time. It has heaping helpings of cheesy 80's horror, a fun twist (that you can see coming from a mile away in the extremely well-lit apartment complex), "teenagers" that look like they're 35, and the best of all possible lines from any Thanksgiving horror movie: "It's not cranberry sauce."
Addams Family Values (1993)
In The Last Thanksgiving (see above), two characters discuss whether Addams Family Values should count as a Thanksgiving horror movie. After all, it's not set during Thanksgiving. It's a vehicle for the delightful 90's iteration of that kooky, spooky Addams family (probably my favorite iteration, although I enjoy both the 60's TV show and the recent Wednesday series). Why is Addams Family Values even in consideration for this list? Mainly because of my favorite scene: Wednesday and Pugsley are tricked into attending a summer camp, which is hilarious in itself, but they're forced to take part in a play about the old school white American Thanksgiving narrative of benevolent Pilgrims and friendly Natives. Wednesday decides to turn the narrative on its head with fiendishly delightful results.
I've discussed this before, but the scene is not entirely unproblematic, nor does it count as genuine Native representation (it's in the genre of white people telling other white people not to be racist with little, if any, input from others). But it does at least complicate the issue in interesting ways that will forever make Addams Family Values a personal favorite, one that today I think about in conjunction with Native American Heritage Day.
Plus: I love how Angelica Houston's eyes are lit like she's in a 1930's Greta Garbo or Bette Davis movie no matter how the rest of the scene is lit.
Black Friday (2021)
As foretold above, this year I discovered Black Friday (2021), a movie about the pure horror of Black Friday with none other than horror royalty Bruce Campbell! It honestly doesn't take much to turn Black Friday into a horror movie, but this one does so with a fun Lovecraftian premise of some goo from the stars that turns the customers at a big box toy store into murderous zombies. Then it's up to manager Bruce Campbell and his staff to survive the night. Since I've been mentioning the lighting, I should say this one takes place mostly in low light, but you're also able to see what's going on--a testament to the filmmakers!
I've only briefly worked in retail, but it was enough to make me forever kind and appreciative for those who do, especially given how their corporate overlords and the general public treat them. If you learn anything from this movie, it's to be kind to retail employees (and, for that matter, everyone else). Another lesson is that while I personally don't begrudge individual consumers who need those Black Friday sales to make the holidays special for their loved ones, there is definitely a critique to be had of our one true American religion: capitalism. And this movie makes that critique well. With zombies.
Although Black Friday came out in 2021, I was watching it thinking of our recent US election. Weirdly all the worrisome threats to democracy and dangerous Christian nationalist nonsense of Project 2025, etc. barely made a dent in our national conversation. The only real concern anyone was able to have was for "the economy" ... and look where that got us. (Not that I'm saying many Americans don't have legitimate economic grievances, but "the economy" is a convenient excuse to flatten out all political discussions to avoid engaging with deep, complicated issues facing this country).
Is Black Friday up there with classics of anti-capitalist horror like Dawn of the Dead or They Live? Probably not, but that shouldn't stop you from stampeding to the TV you bought for Black Friday to watch it. Just don't be a zombified asshole along the way.
Lastly, dear reader, this Black Friday and Native American Heritage Day, please see some resources here or seek out your own resources about the history of what we now call Thanksgiving that includes perspectives from the Wampanoag and other Native people.
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