Eli Roth's Thanksgiving Release Date, Cast, Plot, Trailer, And More Details

It's kind of funny to look at 2007's "Grindhouse" and how its trailers have evolved over time. Originally planned as an exclusive theatrical event, "Grindhouse" was initially made up of two feature films, "Planet Terror" and "Death Proof," as well as five fake trailers from the likes of Robert Rodriguez, Rob Zombie, Jason Eisener, Eli Roth, and Edgar Wright.

However, since the release of "Grindhouse," three out of the five fake trailers have been turned into real-life movies, including "Hobo with a Shotgun" and "Machete." The latest to receive that treatment is Roth's "Thanksgiving," a slasher movie that takes place over the November holiday.

Now, as the movie approaches its official release, it's the perfect time to lay out everything we know so far about "Thanksgiving." So, pull up a chair at the grown-ups' table and get your plate ready because something tells us the meat is going to be served up extra bloody this year. 

"Thanksgiving" is set to be released across North America on November 17, 2023. This puts the movie out just in time for this year's edition of the actual holiday on November 23. What kind of boost Eli Roth's deliberately silly slasher movie will get from coming out so close to its titular holiday remains to be seen, however.

Since 2002's "Cabin Fever" and 2005's "Hostel," Roth has yet to have another major success at the box office. Considering that "Machete" — Robert Rodriguez's own "Grindhouse" trailer-turned-movie — turned around a profit more than four times its budget, "Thanksgiving" could be the big horror hit that Roth needs. On the other hand, the sequel "Machete Kills" was a considerable commercial and critical disappointment, which means an association with the "Grindhouse" double feature in no way guarantees a triumphant run at the cineplexes.

Still, being that Roth's latest is opening a few weeks after the big Halloween horror blitz and a little more than a month before Christmas, "Thanksgiving" could have just the window it needs to stir up interest.

The logline for Eli Roth's "Thanksgiving" reads as follows: "After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts — the birthplace of the infamous holiday." Given that the inciting event is a little silly, we can likely expect that the filmmaker's trademark dark humor will be a part of many of the film's big kills.

While the premise of "Thanksgiving" scans like a goofy spoof of other holiday-inspired slashers like "Halloween" and "Friday the 13th," the footage we've seen thus far has played the premise relatively straight. Furthermore, the trailer seems to be showing off some pretty brutal kill scenes, suggesting that the film won't just be a simple turkey with extra stuffing. On the subject of the trailer for "Thanksgiving," however, it's probably worth taking a deep dive into the short teaser to glean information. You can put on your bib now — things are about to get nasty.

Character actor Rick Hoffman is headlining "Thanksgiving." Hoffman has over 60 acting credits to his name, and he has shown up for guest roles in everything from "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" to "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" to "Billions" and "Ballers." Though he's probably most famous for playing Louis Litt on "Suits," if you happen to be an Eli Roth fan, you'll likely recognize him as the American client in "Hostel."

Gina Gershon is also starring in "Thanksgiving." Her extensive career goes back to the '80s, but she's commonly associated with '90s cult classics "Bound" and "Showgirls." She's also in William Friedkin's scandalous crime thriller "Killer Joe" and she appeared in multiple episodes of "Riverdale," "Rescue Me," and "New Amsterdam."

The third headliner of "Thanksgiving" is Patrick Dempsey. Though "Grey's Anatomy" fans will no doubt recognize the actor as Dr. Derek Shepherd, you may also know him from his roles in "Scream 3," "Sweet Home Alabama," "Enchanted," and "Bridget Jones's Baby." The supporting cast includes Milo Manheim of the "Zombies" animated film series and Addison Rae of "He's All That."

As we mentioned above, there is a teaser for "Thanksgiving," and it sets itself up in the same way as many classic horror trailers. First, we see idyllic shots of friends and family celebrating the titular holiday and observing traditions like the yearly parade. Then the teaser detours into the grim and bloody aspects of the film.

We see the killer dousing a woman in water before throwing her into a walk-in freezer, the killer attacking with an ax and a garrote, and a shot of an unlucky person who is about to be chopped up with a table saw. There are also other shots of the victims of "Thanksgiving" that suggest some profoundly gruesome death scenes.

Of course, given the absurd tagline, which reads, "There will be no leftovers," you can likely expect the movie to be peppered with enough tongue-in-cheek humor that things never get too heavy. While we have only the teaser at this point, fans can likely expect a full trailer to come out closer to the film's release date.

Eli Roth is the director behind "Thanksgiving." You may know the filmmaker from his breakout slasher-infection horror film "Cabin Fever" and his torture-heavy vacation horror thriller "Hostel." Roth also directed "Hostel: Part II" before appearing as Donny Donowitz, aka the Bear Jew, in Quentin Tarantino's war epic, "Inglourious Basterds." Roth also created the fake propaganda film "Stolz der Nation," which appears in "Inglourious Basterds."

Since then, Roth has been sticking to genre fare, directing both the cannibal horror film "The Green Inferno" and the Keanu Reeves-led seductive thriller "Knock Knock." Roth was also responsible for the "Death Wish" remake starring Bruce Willis and the adaptation of John Bellairs' "The House with a Clock in Its Walls," starring Jack Black and Cate Blanchett.

However, Roth's most recent film, "Fin," took a decidedly different tack. A nature documentary in which the filmmaker travels around the world with deep-sea divers in hopes of figuring out what's causing the deaths of millions of sharks, the director's previous film is probably the biggest surprise of his career. In addition, Roth hosted the documentary television series "Eli Roth's History of Horror" for three seasons from 2018 to 2021.

Jeff Rendell is the writer behind "Thanksgiving," and he penned the slasher film alongside director Eli Roth. Roth previously wrote for his earlier films including "Cabin Fever," "Hostel," "The Green Inferno," and "Knock Knock," along with the natural disaster thriller, "Aftershock" and the action-packed period piece, "The Man with the Iron Fists." Meanwhile, Rendell is a past Roth contributor in more ways than one, having written the fake trailer for "Thanksgiving" and having acted in the original short and Roth's "Cabin Fever."

"Thanksgiving" is produced by Rendell and Roth, with Roger Birnbaum, among others, also joining the duo. Birnbaum has been at it since the early 1980s, having produced or executive produced hits like "Rush Hour," "Bruce Almighty," "Unbreakable," and "Wanted." "Thanksgiving" is also executive produced by Gary Barber, Peter Oillataguerre, Greg Denny, and Kate Harrison Karman.

Though we were unable to find an official rating for "Thanksgiving," prospective viewers can safely assume that the film will be rated R. Being that the NC-17 rating is generally considered a box office death sentence for films getting released in mainstream theaters, Eli Roth's latest will almost certainly keep its violence within the confines of an R-rating, potentially leaving cut content for an unrated home release. 

Generally speaking, every previous Roth movie, barring the nature documentary "Fin," has been rated R. If you're unfamiliar with Roth's work, you can likely expect grisly violence, some nudity, plenty of foul language, and to chuckle your way through the dark humor of it all.

While "Thanksgiving" will no doubt contain moments of shock, awe, and amusement, you probably don't want to take your kids to see this one. Either way, with the film set to be released in the next couple of months, you can expect an official rating to be forthcoming sometime soon.