Warning: This article includes MASSIVE SPOILERS for Thanksgiving.
John Carver inspired the Thanksgiving killer’s disguise, raising questions about who the actual historical figure was and his significance to the American holiday at the center of this slasher film. In 2011, Grindhouse used fake trailers to bridge the gap between two campy films in a double feature. Twelve years after this, a feature-length film based on Eli Roth’s fake “Thanksgiving” Grindhouse trailer was released in theaters, much to the delight of horror fans everywhere. This movie captured all the lascivious and gory moments that made the faux preview beloved.
As an homage to the slasher films of the ‘70s and ‘80s, Thanksgiving includes numerous Easter eggs and references to the greats of the subgenre. One of the most obvious references is the use of a masked killer – a nod to Friday the 13th, Halloween, and My Bloody Valentine. However, Eli Roth’s movie makes one big tweak to its inspiration. Thanksgiving bases its killer’s mask on a historical figure named John Carver. The movie briefly touches on the real Carver’s history, but there’s so much more that Thanksgiving left out.
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John Carver Was The First Governor Of Plymouth Colony In New England
Throughout Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving movie, the killer takes on the identity of John Carver, the first governor of the Plymouth Colony located in Wampanoag land, the first permanent English settlement in the modern Massachusetts area. Carver was the Dutch separationist who purportedly wrote the Mayflower Compact and was undisputedly the first signer. When traveling aboard the Mayflower, Carver and Robert Cushman performed the duties of governor. Upon arriving where they would settle, the Pilgrims elected John Carver the official governor for Plymouth. He was instrumental in building shelter and allocating jobs for the colonizers (via World History Encyclopedia).
Despite his best efforts, the colonizers had to contend with the winter of 1620-21, where around half of the Mayflower passengers died due to insufficient food and shelter as well as illnesses. There were also reports of harsh weather, though modern experts dispute this previously accepted fact. Ultimately, according to the National Library of Medicine, the Wampanoag people saved many of the Pilgrims from starving to death after the Winter of 1620-21.
According to the Library of Congress, a native person named Samoset introduced the English settlers to a Pautuxet man named Tisquantum, also called Squanto, who taught them how to live off the land. He then translated so John Carver and Edward Winslow could broker a peace treaty with Massasoit, the leader of the Wampanoag Confederacy. Due to diseases from prior colonizers wiping out many native people, Massasoit needed the treaty as much as the colonizers did. Ultimately, this deal between John Carver, Edward Winslow, and Massasoit set the foundation for The First Thanksgiving, which would occur in the fall of 1621.
John Carver Actually Died Several Months Before The First Thanksgiving
Despite having an integral role in forming the relationship between the colonizers and the Wampanoag Confederacy, John Carver didn’t live to see the first Thanksgiving. Approximately a month after signing the peace treaty, Carver had a headache while working in the fields, so he went home to lie down. Carver fell into a coma and died only a few days later. His exact cause of death is unknown. The colony buried him publicly during the light of day with a large amount of fanfare – a stark contrast from the secretive nighttime burials that occurred during the winter (via Mayflower 400).
Instead of Carver, his successor, William Bradford – previously believed to be the first governor of Plymouth – was the Pilgrim leader during the time of the first Thanksgiving. Bradford presided over the three-day meal that celebrated the harvest’s high crop yield. This meal included over 90 members of the Wampanoag people and around 50 colonizers. The First Thanksgiving story is why Bradford’s name is more commonly associated with the founding of Plymouth.
Is The John Carver House A Real Museum In Plymouth?
The John Carver House holds a deep significance within the plot and ending of Thanksgiving; however, this location was entirely fabricated. Despite what the Thanksgiving movie suggests, there is no museum called The John Carver House in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The only historical house in the area related to a person named John Carver ties back to a man from the early 1900s. The only home still standing in which Mayflower passengers lived is the Jabez Howland House, which was built in 1667. Artifacts related to the Plymouth governor, John Carver, can be found in the Pilgrim Hall Museum, though.
Where To Watch Thanksgiving On Streaming
Eli Roth’s holiday-themed horror movie, Thanksgiving, made its mark in theaters in November 2023, and it’s now available to stream or rent on PVOD.
Why The Killer Uses A John Carver Costume In Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving
Director Eli Roth explained the origin of the John Carver killer when speaking to Bloody Disgusting about the Thanksgiving movie. The idea to make the serial killer the Plymouth governor came from writer Jeff Rendell, who played the pilgrim in the fake “Thanksgiving” Grindhouse trailer. He discovered that the Pilgrim’s name was John Carver and thought it sounded like a slasher villain’s name. As such, he brought it to Eli Roth, who decided to run with Carver as the inspiration for the mask. They referenced the one existing drawing of John Carver from that time when creating the design.
From there, Roth and Rendell created the logic within the narrative for the mask’s existence. They originally planned for the movie to come out in 2020, the 400-year anniversary of the founding of Plymouth. As such, the masks were meant to celebrate the quatercentenary. However, COVID-19 prevented this vision from working. As such, Roth incorporated the pandemic into the story, making the masks leftover from the celebration that was canceled. This explanation clears up why John Carver was the Thanksgiving killer’s disguise and how he got around from place to place so easily.
However, there is also another layer to the John Carver killer’s disguise. John Carver – no matter how revered he is – was still a colonizer. The colonizers stole the Wampanoag people’s land, introduced new diseases, and committed acts of genocide against Indigenous people. As such, Carver’s positive reputation is still built on a foundation of death and destruction. The identity of the John Carver killer in Thanksgiving reflects this idea of someone considered good turning out to be horrible. Sheriff Newlon is a revered citizen who’s meant to protect people in Thanksgiving, but he commits heinous atrocities behind a Pilgrim mask.
Sources: World History Encyclopedia, National Library of Medicine, Library of Congress, Mayflower 400, Bloody Disgusting
Thanksgiving
- Director
- Eli Roth
- Release Date
- November 17, 2023
- Studio(s)
- Spyglass Media Group , Electromagnetic Productions
- Distributor(s)
- TriStar Pictures
- Writers
- Eli Roth , Jeff Rendell
- Cast
- Addison Rae , Patrick Dempsey , Jalen Thomas Brooks , Nell Verlaque , Milo Manheim , Gina Gershon
- Runtime
- 106 Minutes
