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Exploring the Forgotten 1980s Thanksgiving Slashers

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Eli Roth’s new movie Thanksgiving (which is an expansion of the parody trailer “Thanksgiving” that was created for the 2007 throwback double feature Grindhouse) is set to premiere on November 17, which means the discourse around “Thanksgiving” is being taken out of tin foil and re-heated once more. This annoys me because I thought I’d never have to read about the idea behind the trailer again. 

The Origins of Holiday Slasher Films

The story goes like this: In the 1970s and 1980s, the slasher genre was obsessed with movies centered around holidays or special occasions. Silent Night, Deadly NightBlack Christmas. Halloween. My Bloody Valentine, New Year’s EvilMother’s Day, April Fool’s Day, Happy Birthday to Me, Prom Night, Friday the 13th, and so on. You get the picture. Roth came up with the idea to create a trailer for a fake early ‘80s slasher based around Thanksgiving because when he was a kid, “every November we were waiting for the Thanksgiving slasher movie.” 

But here’s the thing. There were actually two 1980s slashers set on Thanksgiving. To be fair to the young Roth, these Thanksgiving movies were not huge releases, nor were they actually released around the Thanksgiving holiday, so he can be forgiven for not being aware of them at the time. But they existed, dammit, and there was plenty of time between 1989 and 2007 to look into this. “Thanksgiving” is thus not really filling a void at all. He shoulda done Columbus Day, just saying.

Exploring Forgotten Thanksgiving Horror Films

The moral of the story is that I’m an insufferable pedant. Don’t be like me. But do come with me on a journey through the pair of movies that prove Eli Roth wrong. We’ll take a look at what they have to offer and rate them on how Thanksgiving-y they actually are, on a scale from one to five turkeys.

Home Sweet Home (1981)

Home Sweet Home isn’t a terribly memorable slasher movie, unfortunately. However, it does have the distinction of being the first of just a scant few 1980s slashers to be directed by a woman (documentarian Nettie Peña). 

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The movie is entirely watchable, though, because it is so thoroughly weird and random. Even its opening scene is disorienting: A man who seems to be hanging out in the L.A. riverbed proffers beer directly to the camera before the killer leaps into frame on the reverse shot and strangles him to death. Who is this man? And who is he offering the beer to? Is it us? We’ll never know. RIP Beer Man.

This is also a movie where a teenage boy named Mistake runs around with an electric guitar amp strapped to his back while slathered in faux KISS makeup, making him look less “Starchild” and more “mime on laundry day.” Once the escaped mental patient descends on the ranch and the slashing heats up, things get a bit dull and bloodless, but it never stops offering up unpredictable and strange encounters with a vast ensemble of characters who seem to have learned about human behavior via correspondence course.

This off-kilter vibe extends to the cast, which randomly includes then-five-year-old Hocus Pocus star Vinessa Shaw. Also, as the killer, we have Jake “Uncle of Hailee” Steinfeld, the Body by Jake workout mogul who was known for being a personal trainer for celebrities, including Harrison Ford.

How Thanksgiving-y Is It? You’d be forgiven for forgetting Home Sweet Home is set on Thanksgiving in the first place. The only real indications that this is the case are the fact that the group is gathered for a turkey dinner and several mentions of Thanksgiving in the copy on the VHS box. 

1 out of 5 turkeys

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Blood Rage (1987)

Hoo boy. If you thought Home Sweet Home was weird, get ready for Blood Rage. So this movie is about a young man breaking out of a mental institution and coming home, at which point a bunch of killings happen. Seems straightforward, right? Wrong. The killings are actually perpetrated by his twin brother, who framed him in the first place and is mostly just mad that his mother (Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman’s Louise Lasser) is getting engaged. It’s all very Oedipal.

Blood Rage is a family drama potboiler that keeps crashing headlong into a 1980s slasher movie, complete with ooey gooey gore from future Terminator 2 effects guru Ed French. It’s all very heady and exciting, even if the third act could probably have used some tightening up. Also, it’s the only slasher movie I can recall where the killer stops to take a pee break, which is well worth the price of admission. 

This movie probably still rests in the “bad-good” camp, but it’s weighted so much toward the good that it’s hard even to tell the difference. In addition to Lasser and French consistently bringing the house down, Mark Soper gives a surprisingly complex performance as both twins.

How Thanksgiving-y Is It? Solidly Thanksgiving-y. The kills and many individual scenes aren’t specifically themed after the holiday, alas. But it does take place explicitly on Thanksgiving night. There’s a football game complete with tiny short shorts, Terry can’t stop pointing at his bloody blade and remarking “It’s not cranberry sauce,” and Louise Lasser has a sublime freakout scene where she sits on the floor in front of the fridge and desperately chows down on leftovers. Plus, what’s more Thanksgiving-y than a movie about what happens when a relative you can’t stand comes to town? 

3 out of 5 turkeys

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Can Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving Outshine the Classics?

This does in fact leave some wiggle room for Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving to out-festive both of these titles put together. That remains to be seen, but hopefully the new movie is a true cornucopia of Thanksgiving-ified fun. 

Then maybe I’ll stop complaining. Probably not. But maybe.

Brennan Klein is a millennial who knows way more about 80's slasher movies than he has any right to. He's a former host of the  Attack of the Queerwolf podcast and a current senior movie/TV news writer at Screen Rant. You can also find his full-length movie reviews on Alternate Ending and his personal blog Popcorn Culture. Follow him on Twitter or Letterboxd, if you feel like it.

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The Best Horror You Can Stream on Netflix in March

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Netflix did not give me a lot to work with this month. I may have also zoomed through many of my favorite things on the platform these last few months. So, many of these are titles I have been meaning to check out, and I hope they are worth the wait. However, I cannot promise the carnage, chaos, and confusion I normally provide for this column. This means you’ll have to forgive me for having less razzle dazzle and a little more uncertainty while I list some stuff off the less beaten path. Gather around, and I’ll tell you what I am trying to get into this March!

Archive (2020)

In 20238, George Almore’s newest AI prototype is nearly complete. However, this humanesque machine is also hiding one of George’s secrets that must remain hidden. While I love some British sci-fi and believe we should watch as many of the 2020 movies that slid under our quarantined radar, I’m pulling up for another reason. I want to see Theo James in something that isn’t The Monkey. Literally. I didn’t enjoy that movie, and I seem to be the last person I know who was unfamiliar with James before that. So, I’m trying to rectify that and see what he can do in anything else. Hopefully, after catching this on Netflix, I will have a new movie that comes to mind when he is mentioned. Fingers crossed, friends!

Green Room (2016)

A punk rock band gets trapped in a venue where skinheads want to kill them. So many people have told me this movie is worth my time, but because it’s always too soon for violent racists in this decade, I keep putting it off. However, I am so curious to see what Patrick Stewart, Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, and the late Anton Yelchin are doing in this movie. Green Room is also one of the few A24 horror movies that I have not seen, which makes it even more intriguing. While I doubt 2026 will calm down enough for this not feel too real, I think it’s time for me to be brave and cross this movie off my list already. So, I might have to grab a drink, a weighted blanket, and remote so I can open Netflix.

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M3GAN 2.0 (2025)

Two years after M3GAN’s murder spree, she is rebuilt by her creator to take down a military-grade weapon made from her stolen tech. Is this movie as good as the original written by Akela Cooper? Obviously not. No one can do what Cooper does and we shouldn’t hold people to that very high bar. Is this movie way too damn long? Also, yes. However, was there still a lot of fun to be had along the way? I thought so. While M3GAN 2.0 isn’t the sequel we wanted, I’m happy to rewatch it for free at home. We lose a lot of the threads I loved in the first one, but I’ll be damned if this isn’t the new Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day anyway. In a perfect world, Akela Cooper will reopen the computer (after receiving a very large check from Blumhouse) and give us a third installment to bring our dancing diva back into the horror fold.

Life After Beth (2014)

A man discovers his dead girlfriend is back, and that might be for the worst. I never watched this horror comedy, but I’m sad and hoping Aubrey Plaza can change that. After all, if she can’t wake us up after a long winter, then who can? I also imagine Plaza as a zombie is kind of great. Along for the ride is Molly Shannon, so between the two of them, I expect some chuckles and guffaws. Maybe the powers that be at Netflix knew we could all use a laugh, and that’s why this is waiting for us on the other side of February. Or possibly they wanted to apologize for that last season of Stranger Things. Or maybe it’s just a wacky coincidence, and I’m looking for meaning where there is none. Either way, I have a date with this movie, and you might want to check it out too.

Teen Wolf (2011-2017)

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Getting bitten by a werewolf turns life upside down for a high school student and his best friend. Hear me out! I doubt there is a world where I will watch all six seasons of this. Hell, I doubt I’ll even finish the first season. However, I skipped this MTV moment when it originally aired. Which is why I didn’t know who Dylan O’Brien was when Send Help was announced. So, I’m using this Netflix account to see where he started now that I have seen him in something. You can join me in this or mark your time as safe and watch something else. I don’t blame you either way, and I hope you’ll respect my privacy during this adventure.

That’s what I’m doing with my Netflix account this month. Here is hoping April gives us more scary movies because some of us deserve it. Most importantly, I deserve it.

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The Best Horror You Can Stream on Shudder in March 2026

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Shudder is still that girl even in March. Our beloved streamer is adding classics like The Fog and Messiah of Evil. They are also adding a couple of films that are precious to my generation, like May. The app always has an eclectic lineup, but this month is an embarrassment of riches. At least if you are like me, and looking at a list of movies you have had on your watch list forever. That is why it took me a hot minute to figure out which five titles should be this month’s priority. However, I cracked the code and think I have something old, something new, and definitely at least a couple of things that will turn blue. Check out what I am trying to see on Shudder this month. Also, be sure to let me know if you are as geeked about these titles as I am.

The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month

The Last Horror Film (1982)

A New York taxi driver stalks an actress during the Cannes Film Festival. I love 80s slashers and have been on a quest to watch them all. This one has eluded me for a couple of years, and I am so happy Shudder is finally letting me cross it off my list. I am not expecting this to break my top 1980s slashers. I’m not even counting on it to be one of the best movies about a stalked actress of that era. However, I’m excited to finally see it for myself with an adult beverage in hand.

You can watch The Last Horror Film on March 1st.

Fade to Black (1980)

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A film fanatic begins murdering people who betray him while stalking his idol. I finally caught this on Shudder in the last couple of years and will be using its return as an excuse to rewatch it. Very few movies cater to the slasher kids and film nerds as well as this one. Fade to Black is the kind of psychological horror comedy that is the reason 1980s horror remains unmatched. The costumes, the obsession, and the kills are the most fun you can possibly have on a Shudder Saturday. Do yourself a favor and hit play immediately. 

You can watch Fade to Black on March 9th.

Hostile Dimensions (2023)

Two filmmakers travel through alternate dimensions seeking out the truth about a missing graffiti artist. This found footage film has been on my list for years, and I am so grateful that Shudder is finally letting me see it. I have heard so many great things, and the FOMO was killing me. Hopefully, Hostile Dimensions lives up to the hype. Otherwise, I have to ask my nearest and dearest to explain themselves and then stop accepting recommendations from them. Will it scratch the found footage itch I have this month? There is only one way to find out, and that is why I will be sat the day this drops on the app.

You can watch Hostile Dimensions on March 9th.

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1000 Women in Horror (2025)

Women have been an integral part of the genre since Mary Shelley started thinking about Frankenstein. However, we do not always get the credit and respect we deserve. Which is why I am thrilled 1000 Women in Horror is celebrating the badasses who revolutionized horror films. Not only is the documentary opening the libraries for us, but it’s also bringing current faves along for the ride. Akela Cooper, Toby Poser, and Jenn Wexler are just some of the names I know who are about to inspire so many women to get serious about making their movies. I cannot stress enough how happy I am that Shudder is adding this to its lineup. 

You can watch 1000 Women in Horror on March 20th.

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

College friends backpacking through Britain are attacked by a werewolf. As a werewolf film enthusiast, I know they are not all made equally. That is one of the many reasons why this is easily one of the best werewolf movies the genre has. The transformation alone is worth the price of a Shudder subscription. So, it shouldn’t come as a shock that this is one of the five titles I’m most excited to see this month. Hell, it’s probably in everyone’s top five to be completely honest. I cannot think of a better way to close this month out than with a top-tier werewolf flick.

You can watch An American Werewolf in London on March 31st.

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I told you, Shudder is that girl. Whether you’re on spring break, taking a mental health day, or just dissociating, this app has got you covered. Make sure you dig into some of this sick, twisted, and cool cinema. As for me, I will see you next month with more recommendations.

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