When Grindhouse opened in 2007, the few people who saw it in theaters were gifted several trailers for the satirical film. Years later, one of those trailers, Machete, became an actual movie. A sequel, Machete Kills, was made, and is known as one of the most outlandish films ever released in theaters (and quickly disappeared from theaters). And following in the footsteps of Robert Rodriguez, Eli Roth will finally bring his passion project, Thanksgiving, to the screen in 2023.
The film received good reviews for a slasher film, mainly due to its style, tone, and cast’s performances, and did relatively well financially, but much like the first fake trailer This has led to questions. “Why don’t we make more Turkey Days” – Are there any horror movie themed ones? Since the 1970s, Christmas has seen a parade of holiday-themed horror movies trying to capitalize on the festive spirit. Examples include Black Christmas, Christmas Evil, Gremlins, the ultra-controversial Silent Night, Deadly Night, Elf, Hardware, Gingerdead Man, Santa’s Slay, Krampus, and two quasi-remakes of Black Christmas.
Video by ComicBook.com
That list doesn’t even include half of all the Christmas-themed horror movies in existence. When you watch Halloween, it’s clear why so many horror movies include it. However, at Christmas, which is primarily about love and spending time with family, there are not many direct connections.
Thanksgiving basically has the same purpose as Christmas, but with the addition of gratitude. Still, it wasn’t until Ross’ fake trailer that we actually saw very little of Blood Rage (not easy to find, but worth checking out if you’re a slasher fan), a recognized direct-to-video There were just a lot of movies. It’s not even close to Blood Rage or 2005’s awful Boogieman. The lack of Thanksgiving-themed horror content didn’t change much between 2007 and 2023.
Movie “Blood Rage” Poster (1987) / Film Limited
There’s the absurdist black comedy “Thanks Killing,” and 2019’s “Escape Room” took place during the holiday season, but that’s about it. To put this in context, over the same 16 years, fans of Halloween-themed horror movies have been treated to Rob Zombie’s two Michael Myers films, David Gordon Green’s Michael Myers trilogy, and Trick. A Treat, All Hallows Eve (an anthology film centered around Art the Story) has been released. Clown), a sequel to All Hallows’ Eve, two horror films, and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. For Christmas, Wind Chill, Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale, the underrated Silent Night reboot, Deadly Night, and the aforementioned Krampus, to name a few. There was “Better Watch Out,” “Anna and the Apocalypse,” and the low-budget Grinch movie “The Mean One.” .
(Related: The Simpsons’ best Thanksgiving episode should start a new tradition)
Essentially, Ross has created one IP that incorporates Thanksgiving directly into both the plot and the horror. It’s impressive that he was able to turn a short fake trailer into a solid and successful feature film, but the question remains why more studios, big and small, don’t try to take advantage of this beloved holiday. . Thanksgiving has even been shortened when it comes to comedy, most notably Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (which, at least for Steve Martin’s Neil Page, functions as a horror story in its own right).
The horror genre is arguably bigger now than ever before, and its offerings have proven to be more reliable at the box office than superhero movies, so why not embrace some more gobbling turkey and cranberry sauce? Actually, Christmas and Halloween classics are a more natural fit for the genre. Jack-o-lantern? scared. Is that an elderly man with a beard who comes into your house at night with a big bag slung over his shoulder? That’s scary. One of the dumbest birds on earth waddling around awkwardly? There aren’t that many. It takes a genre master like Ross to twist everything into something great, and it looks like fans will have to wait until his announced Thanksgiving sequel to get even more of the Pilgrim-themed madness. is.
We need this sequel for Thanksgiving…
Unfortunately for Thanksgiving-themed horror fans, it’s not as neglected as Easter-themed horror fans. Indeed, in Critters 2: The Main Course, a man in an Easter Bunny suit is attacked by a small furry alien with teeth. But as this scene’s description suggests, the Critters series has always functioned more as a sci-fi comedy than a horror movie. The scariest Easter movie right now might be a nightmare about choking on a plastic Easter egg.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
