Thanksgiving isn’t a holiday that gets much attention in horror. Outside of a scant few perennial favorites, like Blood Rage, Thanksgiving doesn’t seem to elicit much creativity or excitement in the genre space, even when there appears to be an appetite for it. Just ask Eli Roth, whose fans have been begging for a full-blown feature of the Thanksgiving teaser made for 2007’s Grindhouse. Writer/director Erick Lorinc seeks to fill that holiday void with feature debut The Last Thanksgiving, a retro-styled slasher that revels in gore and self-aware horror humor.
The setup is simple; a family of cannibalistic pilgrims adore Thanksgiving so much that they target those that don’t celebrate. This year, they’re descending upon a restaurant that dared to stay open during the holiday, discouraging the requisite family gatherings. The Last Thanksgiving bides its time getting to the horror, to introduce each character and their interpersonal dynamics. That includes the villainous family as they prepare for their annual holiday slaughter. Still, don’t expect much depth.
While more of an ensemble story, the film focuses on the bratty Lisa-Marie Taft (Samantha Ferrand). Emphasis on bratty. From the moment her parents get her out of bed and shoo her off to work, she’s nasty to just about everyone she encounters. It’s by design, as it turns into a bit of a running joke, but that doesn’t make it any less unpleasant. Traditional horror conventions would mark Lisa-Marie as the character audiences most actively root for death. Yet, Lorinc is a clear horror fan more interested in lovingly poking fun at many of the genre’s tropes. That means that The Last Thanksgiving’s success hinges on how well its audience receives its self-aware humor. For this writer, much of the comedy didn’t land at all.
Lorinc does go all-in on the gory kills, thankfully, ensuring his debut is a feast for gorehounds. The retro style and earworm score pay proper respects to late ‘70s and early ‘80s horror, though that doesn’t extend much to the narrative outside of an extended cameo by ‘80s horror stalwart Linnea Quigley. All of which to say that The Last Thanksgiving is well put together for a feature made on a shoestring budget. Where the budgetary constraints show the most is in the performances. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; in the context of a retro-styled slasher comedy that can work in favor of the humor. Or it can grate, depending on taste and preference.
It’s clear that Lorinc is an avid horror fan. The Last Thanksgiving is a trashy, blood-soaked ode to ‘80s slashers, basted in self-referential in-jokes for the fellow fan. Perhaps it’s a little too self-aware for its own good. It’s a fun concept and makes some bold choices, but there’s not much rooting interest in its cast of characters. Not even the villains have any defining personality outside of a stereotypical maniac role. Despite it featuring a cannibalistic family, there’s not much meat on its bones. It’s a quick, superficial appetizer that might tide you over until the next new Thanksgiving meal, full of bloodshed to satiate your appetite – at least if the humor works for you.
