Following its theatrical release on November 17, 2023, Thanksgiving is now available to buy or rent on Digital. The horror film is directed by Eli Roth and picks up one year after a violent Black Friday riot results in the death of multiple customers and employees. When a masked killer seeks revenge for the tragedy, Jessica and her friends find themselves the target of his murder spree.
Nell Verlaque stars as Jessica Wright and is most well-known for her work on Big Shot and The Marijuana Conspiracy. Milo Manheim plays Jessica’s boyfriend, Ryan, and was recently featured in projects such as School Spirits, Prom Pact, and Journey to Bethlehem. Patrick Dempsey, Jalen Thomas Brooks, Jenna Warren, Tomaso Sanelli, Gabriel Davenport, Ty Olsson, Addison Rae, Rick Hoffman, Karen Cliche, and Gina Gershon complete Thanksgiving’s ensemble cast.
Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving: 11 Horror Easter Eggs & References
Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving might be a spinoff of 2007’s Grindhouse, but it references several other classic horror movies throughout its run.
Screen Rant interviewed Nell Verlaque and Milo Manheim about collaborating with award-winning horror director Eli Roth and their predictions for Thanksgiving 2.
Nell Verlaque & Milo Manheim Talk Thanksgiving
Screen Rant: Eli Roth is at the helm of this, and he’s been behind so many iconic horror films. How was collaborating with him on this project?
Milo Manheim: It was one of the more wild experiences I’ve had on set. For most of the movie, I was pretty confused about what’s going on, but knowing that we have Eli makes it so safe. I didn’t know if I was bringing the right vibe to the character. I’ve known Eli for so long and to be able to work with the horror guru on a horror movie is such a refreshing feeling. He’s a legend. I’m grateful to have worked with him.
Nell Verlaque: Eli is quite unlike any person I know. His passion comes out of extreme love. He wants to make something that’s so fun, so he doesn’t take anything seriously, which fosters such a comfortable environment. I was working pretty much every day, and these guys had a lot of days off, and on their days off, they would come to set because it was just the most fun environment and that’s really due to Eli. He’s awesome to work with.
Milo, I’ve loved watching you venture into such a wide variety of genres over the past year. Coming off of Prom Pact, School Spirits, and Journey to Bethlehem, what did you enjoy about diving into a more gritty, gruesome project like this one?
Milo Manheim: I’m always open to doing anything, honestly. It’s kind of weird navigating doing all these different projects. I feel like Thanksgiving and Journey to Bethlehem are on opposite ends of the cinema spectrum. They came out within a week of each other. But I think it’s great. I want to show the world that I love all these things, and I love learning new things.
Shooting Thanksgiving, not only was the cast amazing, and I learned so much from them as individuals, but thematically there were so many things that were new to me literally on set. There were lots of new gadgets and gizmos that we needed to use to spray blood. I learned so much about prosthetics on this one. I’m just picking up information as I go. I definitely learned a lot on Thanksgiving.
Nell Verlaque: He’s not just one thing. He has a lot to offer.
Milo Manheim: Look, I know that I want to do all these things, and I’m slowly just showing the world, “Hey, yo, I can be in a horror movie, I can be Jesus’s stepdad. Whatever you need me to do, I’m there.”
Nell, I’m going to jump to you for this one. I love seeing strong female characters in horror movies, especially. What do you admire about Jess, or what would you have done differently, if anything?
Nell Verlaque: Good question. I’ll start with what I admire about her because, when I read the script, exactly what you said. She was really at the forefront of this whole plot. She just had a lot going on. Sometimes I think when we watch these classic horror films, the lead, who may or may not be a woman, but usually, if it is a woman, they’re always kind of making the stupidest decisions.
You’ll be in the theater, and you’re like, “Why are you walking into that room?! You idiot!” She’s so smart and logical and wise beyond her years, so that was really fun to play. I don’t think I would do anything differently because I would be the idiot that was going into the room and getting killed. I will take her any day.
Thanksgiving did so well that a sequel has already been confirmed. What would you like to see in a future movie?
Milo Manheim: I haven’t even thought about it because I don’t want to get excited about something that’s not going to happen. I obviously want Ryan and Jess together forever, but I leave it to Eli. There’s nothing I could possibly think about that would be better than what he could create, I think. Nell, what do you want?
Nell Verlaque: I always want something to be set in the 70s, so maybe there could be an origin story.
Milo Manheim: Then we could bring back the characters that died.
Nell Verlaque: Exactly. Maybe I’ll pitch that. But, again, I trust Eli and Jeff to do what they do best, which is write the most bizarre stuff that’s very entertaining.
About Thanksgiving
After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts – the birthplace of the holiday. Picking off residents one by one, what begins as random revenge killings are soon revealed to be part of a larger, sinister holiday plan. Will the town uncover the killer and survive the holidays…or become guests at his twisted holiday dinner table?
Thanksgiving
Originally conceived as a parody trailer in 2007’s Grindhouse, Thanksgiving is a 2023 horror-slasher film from director Eli Roth. The movie centers around a serial killer who heads to a small town in Massachusetts that creates a huge event out of Thanksgiving each year with the intent of turning the residents into the main course.
- Release Date
- November 17, 2023
- Director
- Eli Roth
- Cast
- Addison Rae , Patrick Dempsey , Jalen Thomas Brooks , Nell Verlaque , Milo Manheim , Gina Gershon
- Rating
- R
- Runtime
- 106 Minutes
- Genres
- Horror , Thriller
- Writers
- Eli Roth , Jeff Rendell
- Studio(s)
- Spyglass Media Group , Electromagnetic Productions
- Distributor(s)
- TriStar Pictures
