10 Biggest Unanswered Questions That Thanksgiving 2 Needs To Answer

Warning: Spoilers for Thanksgiving.

While Thanksgiving was a relatively straightforward slasher, there are still many unanswered questions that its sequel Thanksgiving 2 must address. Thanksgiving saw director Eli Roth adapt his own Grindhouse trailer into a feature film, although the finished effort was not quite what viewers may have anticipated. Roth’s Grindhouse trailer was a gross, gory pastiche of ‘80s slashers like Mother’s Day, My Bloody Valentine, and Blood Rage. In contrast, 2023’s Thanksgiving owed its style, tone, and sense of humor to the ‘90s slasher revival. Roth’s completed movie felt more like I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream, or Urban Legend.

While Thanksgiving’s ending revealed the killer was Patrick Dempsey’s Sheriff Newlon, the movie still left room for a sequel. In a direct nod to I Know What You Did Last Summer’s ending, Thanksgiving’s final scene saw the heroine have a nightmare about a badly burned Sheriff Newlon somehow returning to attack her again. Since the police noted that they never found Newlon’s body in the preceding scene, it was pretty obvious that Roth’s movie was setting up the possibility of the villain’s return. Luckily, there are a lot of other plot threads that Thanksgiving 2 could tie up nicely.

10 Is Sheriff Newlon Still Alive In Thanksgiving 2?

Thanksgiving’s ending left the villain’s fate unclear

The final scenes of Thanksgiving gave Newlon a classic slasher villain death as Dempsey’s character was consumed by an explosion when Jessica shot a parade balloon filled with flammable gas. What made this such a perfect fate was the fact that it seemed to definitively kill the villain, but Thanksgiving’s ending technically left Newlon’s fate ambiguous since his remains were never found. As such, Thanksgiving 2’s story can confirm whether Newlon really died as the sequel follows either Dempsey’s returning villain or a copycat killer taking advantage of his unclear fate.

9 Will Rightmart Answer For Thanksgiving’s Opening Riot?

Newlon’s spree was started by a miscarriage of justice

The reason that Newlon kills Thanksgiving’s victims is that they were involved in a Black Friday shopping stampede that claimed the life of his love interest, Amanda Collins. However, while Newlon targets most of the shoppers present during the melee, he doesn’t go after the corporation responsible for stoking the disaster. Rightmart never faces meaningful consequences for the riot, with Jessica’s father, Thomas Wright, even insisting that the store should open for Black Friday a year later despite the tragedy. Thanksgiving 2 could reveal whether the company was ever held accountable.

8 Will Scuba and Gaby Return In Thanksgiving 2?

Thanksgiving’s heroes could leave their traumatizing hometown

One disappointing element of Thanksgiving’s slasher story was its merger body count. Not only did Final Girl Jessica survive alongside both of her potential love interests, Bobby and Ryan, but her friends Gaby and Scuba also made it out alive. Few of the main characters actually died in Roth’s slasher but it is unclear whether Gaby and Scuba will remain in Plymouth after their traumatic Thanksgiving. No one would blame the duo for leaving town, especially when they have graduated high school and Newlon’s massacre is likely to have ruined any fond recollections they have of their hometown.

7 What Will Bobby Do After Thanksgiving’s Ending?

Jessica and Ryan’s relationship leaves Bobby little reason to stay in Plymouth

Much like Scuba and Gaby, Bobby has little reason to stick around in Plymouth after Thanksgiving’s ending. Even though Thanksgiving’s early scenes give away the killer, Bobby is repeatedly used as a red herring when he is seen skulking around near crime scenes. Despite this, he turns out to be a heroic presence who helps Jessica defeat Newlon. Since he already left Plymouth for a year after the riot, it seems unlikely that he will return to the town in Thanksgiving 2’s story now that Jessica and Ryan are dating.

6 Do Jessica and Ryan Stay Together In Thanksgiving 2?

Jessica and Ryan’s relationship was challenged by John Carver’s killing spree

Speaking of Jessica and Ryan, the couple appear to be going strong in Thanksgiving’s ending despite all of the trauma that they have endured together. Jessica and Ryan began dating after Bobby left town and, even though Jessica briefly suspects Ryan of committing the killings, they end the movie in a committed relationship. However, only time will tell whether this couple lasts. To up the ante after Thanksgiving’s many brutal killings, the sequel will need a lot of disposable supporting characters like Ryan to kill off.

5 Will Mitch Collins Seek Revenge In Thanksgiving 2?

Thanksgiving’s most obvious suspect still has an ax to grind

For much of Thanksgiving’s runtime, Ty Victor Olsson’s Mitch Collins seems like the most likely suspect. His wife was gruesomely killed in the Black Friday stampede, and he got no justice when he tried to bring Rightmart to court, meaning he seems like a prime candidate for the slasher movie’s villain. Since he turned out to be a red herring, this leads the viewer to wonder whether Thanksgiving 2 will bring back this supporting character for the sequel’s story.

4 Did Sheriff Newlon Have An Accomplice In Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving 2 could fill in various plot holes with this twist

Since Thanksgiving’s killer John Carver was revealed to be Newlon acting alone, Thanksgiving 2 could completely rewrite the original movie’s story by revealing he had a secret accomplice. This would explain how Newlon pulled off his ambitious killing spree and could make the sequel’s villain even more threatening. If Newlon had an accomplice, they would likely be dead set on finishing his bloody work.

3 Will Thanksgiving 2’s Killer Bring Back The John Carver Mask?

Thanksgiving 2’s villain could change their disguise

Thanksgiving’s villain had a memorable disguise that consisted of a John Carver mask, but it is not clear whether the sequel’s villain will bring this back. On one hand, the mask’s return could cement Carver’s status as a classic slasher franchise villain. On the other, there are a lot of other Thanksgiving-related disguises that the killer could don, and a new look could make them even more threatening and unpredictable.

2 Will Jessica’s Father Survive Thanksgiving 2?

Thanksgiving’s most odious survivor is overdue for a death scene

While Thanksgiving’s many horror movie nods included some gruesome, gory death scenes, one character got off surprisingly light. Jessica’s father, Thomas Wright, never took responsibility for causing the Black Friday stampede and managed to survive the entire movie, narrowly avoiding death after his wife was cooked alive by Carver. As the person who was culpable for the events that set Newlon’s killing spree in motion, Wright is overdue for a death scenein Thanksgiving 2.

1 Can Thanksgiving 2 Still Take Place in Plymouth?

Thanksgiving’s sequel may need a new setting

Scream 2 uprooted its story from the suburban town of Woodsboro to a college campus while I Still Know What You Did Last Summer took its cast on a tropical vacation to forget their fears. As such, it stands to reason that Thanksgiving 2 will likely leave Plymouth for a new location. However, Plymouth provides a fitting setting for the series thanks to its connection to the eponymous holiday. As such, it is tough to tell if Thanksgiving 2 will move on from Thanksgiving’s iconic setting.