Movies
Exploring the Forgotten 1980s Thanksgiving Slashers
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 Night. Black Christmas. Halloween. My Bloody Valentine, New Year’s Evil, Mother’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).
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
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
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.
Movies
The Best Horror You Can Stream on Shudder in November 2025
Halloween season is over, and many streamers have forgotten about us horror kids. While they take their 11-month hiatus from the genre, we can be grateful that we still have an app that cares. We are so lucky that Shudder remains that girl year-round. Whether you’re finishing their new original show Guts & Glory, catching up on The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans, or running at some of their deep cuts like I am, Shudder has your best interests at heart. As usual, she has quite a few titles fighting for our attention. Which is why I am here with five titles I think should be at the top of all of our watch lists this November. So, cancel your holiday plans and pick up your remote because we have got horrifying things to watch.
The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month
Habit (1995)
An alcoholic unwittingly enters into a relationship with a succubus in New York City. If you ever wondered what Larry Fessenden was getting up to in his youth, you need to see this ’90s gem. I lucked out and caught it at Brooklyn Horror Film Festival last year, and I lived my best life. While watching it on the small screen will not be the same, I plan to hit play anyway. Mostly because I love to see 1990s succubi leaving their mark on men…and also the horror genre. Shudder is also adding The Last Winter and Depraved, so we can spend a whole day with Uncle Larry’s work.
Sew Torn (2024)
A seamstress happens upon a failed drug deal and steals a briefcase. She soon finds herself caught in a deadly situation where all roads lead to death. I caught Sew Torn at SXSW last year and have been wondering what happened to it. So, I am very happy this odd little bird has found her way to Shudder. I cannot wait to make my friends who are looking for something cute and deadly watch. I knew nothing when I hit play on this, and I encourage you to know as little as possible, too. I fear I have already written too much in this blurb to be completely honest.
You can watch Sew Torn on November 1st.
The Retreat (2021)
A couple goes on a pre-wedding retreat and unwittingly becomes targets of a group of serial killers. We have seen too many movies about retreats, and I thought this one would be more of the same. This title does not completely reinvent the wheel, but it does set itself apart within this oversaturated subgenre. The Retreat is a surprisingly fun and tense little thriller that feels made for the winter watches. Come for the lesbian characters leading the film, and stay for the violence. I also encourage you to check it out while it is on Shudder, because it is usually on apps with ads.
You can watch The Retreat on November 1st.
The Creep Tapes (Season 2)
Peachfuzz returns with more tapes, chaos, kills, and WTF moments. Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice have reentered the TV arena and are making things weird again. If award shows were real, this duo would be leading the Emmys charge. I saw the first three episodes, and Josef/Peachfuzz is still the serial killer after our own hearts. Our Wolfie is still cutting up (literally and figuratively) in the most amazing ways. Guest stars in danger this season include David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil), Katie Aselton (The League), and Robert Longstreet (The Haunting of Hill House).
You can watch The Creep Tapes (Season 2) on November 14th.
Krampus (2015)
A kid accidentally summons demons during the holidays in this horror comedy. Krampus remains one of the top-tier Christmas horror titles for me. It is also my favorite Michael Dougherty film. Not only because it has the star power of Adam Scott and Toni Collette, either. This movie is wicked, and even the kids are in danger. I do not have many holiday horror movies I revisit every year, but Krampus is one of the very few. It still holds up, and I cannot wait to rewatch it with a festively boozy beverage.
You can watch Krampus on November 15th.
Those are a few reasons I am grateful for Shudder this holiday season. While the rest of you are fighting with your family and friends, I will be parked in front of my TV. You can have your turkey because I would rather gorge myself on episodes of The Creep Tapes anyway.
Let me know what Shudder shenanigans you have got your little eye on. I am nosy and want to make sure I am not missing anything on my favorite streamer.
Movies
The Best Horror You Can Stream on Netflix in November 2025
The year is winding down, and I don’t know about you, but I am trying to pack in as many 2025 horror movies as I can. Is this because I love making end-of-the-year lists? Yes. Is it because I am an unhealed overachiever? Also, yes. So, I am assuming some of you are also cruising the streamers to see what you may have missed. While Netflix has had my favorite new slasher Heart Eyes for a bit, and I have mentioned that in previous streaming guides, they also have other new horror titles to show you.
I do not talk about them as much because I did not have a good time with them. However, that does not mean you won’t enjoy some of these titles. That’s why I am taking the high road and finding something to be grateful for about each of them. That way, you will know there is a silver lining if you do watch them. Allow me to help you figure out what to prioritize this month and what to skip. Check out this chaotic Netflix hitlist below!
The Best Movies to Stream on Netflix This Month
28 Years Later (2025)
A group of survivors on a small island has built a fortress to protect them from the rage virus. However, a young boy discovers what is really outside the walls of their community and sets off to find a cure for his sick mother. We all loved 28 Days Later, and some of us liked 28 Weeks Later. So, 28 Years Later was never going to live up to the hype with almost thirty years of anticipation. While I didn’t love it, I did enjoy seeing Danny Boyle helm another zombie installment. What he does in the subgenre is top-tier, and we are welcome (even if the script left me wanting more). That might have gotten buried in all the talk about the dicks seen in the movie, though.
Fear Street: Prom Queen (2025)
A group of girls competing for prom queen starts disappearing, leaving the underdog to figure out what is happening to her competition. I had a lot of thoughts about this lackluster installment in Netflix’s Fear Street adaptations. As someone who grew up reading Fear Street books and wanting to adapt them myself, I do not understand how this movie came out so badly. Which made it hard to find something nice to say about this title. However, the soundtrack slaps, and it is not the soundtrack’s fault that it was wasted on a low-energy bottom-tier slasher. So, if you hit play on this, you can at least look forward to hearing some retro bangers selected by music supervisor Nora Felder. If you are familiar with her work on Yellowjackets and Stranger Things, you know Felder does not miss.
Maa (2025)
To battle a demon’s curse, a mother transforms into the legendary goddess Kali. As usual, Netflix did not advertise an international horror movie that seemed to have some potential. If they had told us Maa was an Indian Hindi-language mythological horror movie, most people who yell for intersectionality and originality would have run at it. Instead, we had to find out about it months later while looking for something we hadn’t already seen on the app. This movie is too long, and I cannot say it is good by any stretch of the imagination. However, it also made me realize how little I know about the goddess of destruction. If you are a nerd like me, this might lead you down a cool rabbit hole. You can also say you gave a view to a horror movie starring Brown people. Who knows, maybe you could be one of the few who enjoy this chaotic film.
Until Dawn (2025)
A group of friends find themselves trapped in a time loop where they keep getting killed in gruesome ways. I love the video game and was so bummed this adaptation was so bad. However, the practical effects are very cool and should be celebrated more. I think the stuff that the SFX team pulled off might be the only reason to watch the movie personally. I’m happy the actors whose work I enjoy got paid, and that’s another positive thing I can say. However, if we want to see young people in deadly time loops, we have so many movies that do it better. Excuse me as I look right at Happy Death Day and all of the movies that have tried to copy her.
Ziam (2025)
A Muay Thai fighter battles through a zombie apocalypse to save the woman he loves. Netflix fumbled the advertising for this one too, because who doesn’t want to see a Thai zombie film? So, I was excited to watch it, but then sad I did not like it. However, I think this one is on me. It is an action-horror with a lot of heartfelt moments, and that’s not my bag. I wanted more violence and zombie action because I am a broken and heartless ghoul. So, Ziam might be the only movie on this list that does not deserve my bombastic side eye. I am waiting for other people to watch it and let me know if they have a better time with it, though.
While I was not the audience for these movies, I am assuming some of you will dig them. Worst-case scenario, you cross off a few more 2025 horror movies and have something to talk about at Friendsgiving. Happy Horrordays! I will see myself out now…


