First Things First…
I saw this in the theater last year, a couple of days before the holiday. I thought it was stupid fun that I liked. But it’s one of those movies that seems to be growing in estimation in my mind. I’m hopeful, watching it now just in time for this Thanksgiving, that it holds up and might become an annual viewing for me.
5 Things I Like
5. The Russian
As shit gets realer and realer for these kids, and they keep getting tagged on social media by John Carver as he sets the table for their deaths, it comes completely out of left field when this big Russian guy shows up. He seems like he’s in a completely different movie.
I’m not sure I even knew at that point that the blonde girl’s name is Yulia, or that she’s Russian. But it just cracked me up that this guy, who looks so totally out of place in Plymouth, MA, arrives on the scene, grabs his daughter, and says he’s taking her to Florida.
4. Pre-Black Friday Madness
The riot at the store on Thanksgiving evening is nasty fun!
Personally, I’ve never gone shopping on Thanksgiving night or Black Friday. I actually do my best to avoid weekends entirely after Thanksgiving, not so much because of the crowds but because of the traffic on the highway.
That said, this looks like an absolute nightmare. It’s the worst of human nature coming out in people, on a night designed for them to be home with their families.
The whole thing feels symbolic of the anger just below the surface all over the world, ready to boil over at the slightest provocation. And these asshole kids who get in early provide the necessary spark—a spark that causes people to trample each other, beat the shit out of each other, and even grab boxes out of the arms of dying customers just to save 60% on a waffle iron.
As ridiculous as the rest of the movie is, you could do a lot worse in terms of finding a reason to send someone on a murder spree.
3. John Carver Runs Wild
He’s no William Shatner, but the John Carver mask is pretty creepy in its own right.
Couple that with the full pilgrim costume, and it’s a great look for a serial killer. And it makes this movie feel that much more festive for Thanksgiving.
Even better is the killer’s brilliance—knowing the whole town is filled with people wearing the same mask, giving him plenty of cover.
2. A Dreamy Killer
“Sorry, Jessica! This year, there will be… no leftovers!”
Sheriff Eric Newlon
I’m no Grey’s Anatomy fan, so I haven’t seen Patrick Dempsey in much. But I’ve always liked him well enough when I have seen him in stuff. With his looks and charm, I obviously can see why he’s a star.
And he uses that perfectly here to make for a creepy killer.
He pulls off the turn at the end really well, and comes off much more menacing than I ever could’ve pictured him playing.
1. Creative Thanksgiving Kills
The violence in this movie promised to be over the top…
And boy, does it deliver!
The thing I remember seeing in the trailer that made me cringe winds up not even being a kill. It’s when Carver dunks the waitress’ head in a sink and then immediately presses her face to the inside of the freezer door, so she has to peel her face off to free herself. Yet she survives for a few minutes longer, until she gets bisected by a truck against a dumpster.
The corn in the cob holders in the ears is another nasty one that, technically, isn’t a kill. But that’s the beginning of the end for Yulia, as it seems to destroy both her ear drums. And that has a nice holiday flavor to it.
Speaking of holiday flavors…
Nothing matches the pure horror and absurdity of turning Jess’ new stepmom, Kathleen, into a headless Thanksgiving turkey! That’s the lasting image from this movie. Even if they make sequels, which they leave it open for, I don’t know how you ever top that.
1 Thing I’m Mixed On
1. Killer Reveal
“It’s about the details. Small mistakes, that’s how they get caught.”
Sheriff Eric Newlon
Although I like who’s revealed as the killer, I don’t love how the reveal happens.
The part I like is that Jessica sees the brambles on his pant leg, and it goes back to him saying killers usually get caught because they miss some small detail, like he obviously does.
But then it goes through a montage of scenes from earlier in the movie that are supposed to show us the clues were in front of us all along.
I just don’t see it.
Eric telling Jess he couldn’t do it without her isn’t really a clue we should’ve picked up on. It’s something he obviously said with a double meaning in mind, but in this type of scene, I expect to see more clues I missed, like the brambles.
1 Thing I Don’t Like
1. A Dearth of Suspects
“Tell Ryan he’s still a dick, even if he’s not the killer.”
Bobby DiStasi
I didn’t figure out who the killer was the first time I watched this, but Eric was on my shortlist simply because he had to be. Who else was it gonna be?
Mitch is the one with the most motive, but he takes a backseat most of the movie, which makes him feel unlikely.
Billy gets set up, and between disappearing for a year and losing his baseball career in the riot, he has some motive, too. But he never feels realistic.
Ryan is a douchebag, but that’s a far cry from a killer. I wish they would’ve gone in a little harder on him as a possibility.
They never do anything to make Thomas, the store owner and Jess’ dad, a suspect. And with the often creepy Rick Hoffman and that tremendous mustache playing him, he’s someone I could’ve easily bought as a possibility.
Evan is such a dick that I’d buy him, too, but because he’s one of Carver’s targets from the start, he’s never on the table.
And they could’ve done more with the new deputy, but he never really comes into play, either.
It feels like the movie’s one big missed opportunity. You have a masked killer who will clearly be unmasked before the end, but instead of having fun trying to figure out who it is, it never felt like there were any great choices.
Tim Matassa
