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Thanksgiving (the slasher film, not the holiday) is here and delivers all it promised to be. Eli Roth’s goofy horror comedy evolved from his Grindhouse trailer. The trailer satirized the subgenre of event-themed slashers by using the trappings of a sillier event. Halloween remains the gold standard, but tons of other examples play traditions for scares. Ignore horror movies that incidentally take place on special days. Instead, these thrilling nightmares are perfect second courses after Thanksgiving.
Pilgrim
Eli Roth nailed the Thanksgiving slasher film, but his take didn’t satirize the holiday. Roth had more to say about Black Friday than about the harvest festival. Pilgrim finds horror in the Puritan tradition of the event. Pilgrim is a part of Blumhouse’s frustrating Into the Dark anthology, which insists it’s a TV show despite visibly consisting of several straight-to-streaming movies. The second collection featured films based around holidays. Pilgrim adapted Thanksgiving into a torture horror outing with some familiar themes. The film comes from Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton. The duo became famous for writing the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh Saw films. If you like Saw and hate the fourth Thursday in November, this film is perfect for you.
Silent Night (2012)
Try to ignore the countless other movies entitled Silent Night, including the one coming out later this year. This 2012 outing is a remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night. I can’t recommend that film or its sequel highly enough, but they’re both established gold standards in the “so bad it’s good” community. In contrast, the 2012 remake is a fun, compelling horror mystery with a classic evil Santa gimmick. Thanksgiving also uses a silent slasher villain and a cast of excellent character actors. Donal Logue’s Charles Manson impression and Malcolm McDowell’s bombastic sherrif make this movie worth watching. The kills are icing on the cake.
April Fool’s Day
There are a thousand Christmas slashers and at least a few about Thanksgiving, but the iconic day of pranks and merriment sports one notable entry. April Fool’s Day dropped into the slasher golden era. Critics who bemoaned the excessive gore of other examples applauded this film for its restraint. Few appreciate the reduced blood and guts today, but there’s more to love about April Fool’s Day. The story follows a group of college friends sharing spring break in an island mansion. They find the house packed with pranks, some darker than others. Victims pile up fast, and a maddening twist threatens to unravel the narrative, but this film has appropriate tricks up its sleeve.
Krampus
Small details make this horror comedy a holiday treat. The sound designers make every moment feel impactful. Beloved character actors like David Koechner and Conchata Ferrell elevate the already impressive script. Bob Buck’s costume design is flawless. Krampus became shockingly influential. Free streaming services like Tubi feature a thousand shameless rip-offs with “exorcist” or “Amityville” in the title. Similarly, Krampus inspired countless terrible imitators. Watch Krampus, then grab any competitor to remind yourself of Michael Dougherty’s excellence.
ThanksKilling
With a $3,500 budget, a blisteringly stupid premise, and some of the worst jokes in the history of the written word, ThanksKilling is a masterpiece. Thanksgiving made a meal of its silly slasher concept. ThanksKilling is less like a turkey on a plate and more like a pie in the face. This is pure, uncomplicated Mystery Science Theater 3000 fun. Instead of being frightened, you’ll be laughing through every scene. ThanksKilling attracts a specific audience. Anyone looking for a quality selection can keep looking. There’s no clever satire here. The writers and director knew what they were making. If you like your horror hilarious and your one-liners abysmal, you’re at the right dinner table.
Holiday slasher films are a dime a dozen, but the good ones stand out. You could start a thrilling tradition with your loved ones with any of these classics. Gather your friends this Christmas Eve and watch old St. Nick toss a woman into a woodchipper in Silent Night. Or, if you’re so inclined, gather your pals for a drunken viewing of ThanksKilling. These events should bring people together. Nothing brings folks together more efficiently than seeing someone else torn apart.
