Thanksgiving: Release date, trailer, cast, plot, & more

Chris Tilly
Eli Roth's Thanksgiving stars Rick Hoffman

Eli Roth’s 2007 fake trailer Thanksgiving has been turned into a movie – here’s everything we know about the horror film, including release date, trailer, cast, and plot.

In 2007, Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez combined their talents to craft the movie double-bill Grindhouse, which harked back to the exploitation films of the 1970s.

Tarantino directed Death Proof. Rodriguez helmed Planet Terror. And the plan was for the pair to shoot fake trailers for Grindhouse-style movies that don’t actually exist. But when their filmmaker friends found out, they wanted in on the act.

So Edgar Wright shot the fake trailer ‘Don’t.’ Rob Zombie did ‘Werewolf Women of the SS.’ Rodriguez himself made ‘Machete,’ which was ultimately turned into a feature. And Eli Roth directed ‘Thanksgiving,’ which has also been turned into a film; one that’s now coming very soon.

Thanksgiving release date: When’s it out?

Thanksgiving will cut and slash its way into cinemas on November 17, 2023.

That’s more than 16 years after the original trailer for Thanksgiving debuted, as part of the Grindhouse package, on April 6, 2007.

The Tweet states that Thanksgiving will be playing exclusively in theaters, so don’t expect a digital release anytime soon.

Thanksgiving trailer: Is there a trailer?

The official teaser trailer for Thanksgiving was released today, September 7, 2023. Thanksgiving won’t be the same this year. Watch the teaser below:

While you can watch the fake trailer on which Thanksgiving based here, this video features actors Jordan Ladd, Jay Hernandez, Michael Biehn, and Eli Roth. Which is pretty different from the cast in the finished film…

On October 4, 2023, Thanksgiving received another trailer featuring Patrick Dempsey as the town sheriff. You can watch it below:

Thanksgiving cast: Who’s in it?

We don’t know the character names yet, but the following is the cast list for Thanksgiving:

  • Patrick Dempsey
  • Nell Verlaque
  • Addison Rae
  • Jalen Thomas Brooks
  • Milo Manheim
  • Gina Gershon
  • Rick Hoffman

Thanksgiving plot: What’s it about?

The plot for Thanksgiving is being kept under wraps at present, though if it follows the story of the fake trailer, the film will revolve around a serial killer dressing as a pilgrim and killing teens.

Based on an idea Eli Roth had when he was a teen, the film is written by Roth, and Jeff Rendell, who played the killer in the aforementioned trailer.

Thanksgiving is out in November, while for more horror coverage, head here or check out the below links:

How many Saw movies are there? | LGBTQ+ horrors | How to watch Evil Dead Rise | Terrifier 3 | Insidious: The Red Door | The Boogeyman ending | Tin and Tina explained | The Thing 2 | The Conjuring

About The Author

Chris Tilly is the TV and Movies Editor at Dexerto. He has a BA in English Literature, an MA in Newspaper Journalism, and over the last 20 years, he's worked for the likes of Time Out, IGN, and Fandom. Chris loves Star Wars, Marvel, DC, sci-fi, and especially horror, while he knows maybe too much about Alan Partridge. You can email him here: chris.tilly@dexerto.com.