20 Horror Movies Nobody Expected To Be Good

Holiday-themed horrors don't have a very good reputation. While the likes of Krampus, Black Christmas, and Trick 'r Treat are rare exceptions to this trend, the majority of these flicks are usually horrendous, with The Gingerdead Man and ThanksKilling being some of the worst offenders.

So, it might come as a surprise to some to learn that 2023 slasher Thanksgiving was actually great.

Directed and co-written by Eli Roth, the genre veteran behind The Green Inferno, Cabin Fever, and Hostel, Thanksgiving began life as a fake trailer shown as part of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's Grindhouse double-feature. Although the feature-length version isn't as gleefully depraved as the outrageous trailer, Roth nevertheless gave audiences something that was as delightfully fun as it was violent.

A year after a Black Friday sale turned into a deadly riot, the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts is terrorised by a masked killer who targets those responsible for the tragic event.

From the killer dressing as John Carver (the first Plymouth governor) to an assortment of Thanksgiving-themed kills, Roth fully embraced the schlocky premise to wicked effect. More impressively, the movie weaved together a compelling mystery that kept viewers second-guessing themselves until the final reveal.