The movie Thanksgiving opens on the holiday itself, in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Sheriff Eric Newlon (Patrick Dempsey) brings a pie to his friend Mitch (Ty Victor Olsson).
The sheriff shares a close bond with Mitch’s wife, Amanda (Gina Gershon). However, their dinner plans are interrupted when Mitch is called into work at RightMart. His boss has decided that Black Friday shopping should start on Thanksgiving.
A tragic event follows. During a rush to grab discounted waffle irons, a riot erupts, resulting in chaos. People are killed in the stampede, which echoes the infamous 2008 Black Friday incident where a Wal-Mart employee tragically died. Mitch’s wife dies while trying to bring him Thanksgiving leftovers.
The holiday spirit turns deadly as a masked killer targets the riot’s survivors (Photo: Thanksgiving/TriStar Pictures in association with Spyglass Media Group)The movie’s central figure, Jessica Wright (Nell Verlaque), finds herself at the store with her boyfriend Bobby (Jalen Thomas Brooks) during the riot. They were there because their friends wanted a new phone, and thanks to Jessica’s father, Thomas (Rick Hoffman), who owns the store, they were granted early access to the sale.
Several people are responsible for the chaos that ensued. There’s Thomas, who opened the store to make more profit, and his wife Kathleen (Karen Cliche), who encouraged him to do so.
The rowdy crowd at the front pushed down barriers and stormed the doors. Jessica’s friend Evan (Tomaso Sanelli) filmed the incident, aiming for internet fame, and Jessica herself played a role by letting her friends into the store early, increasing the tension.
A Year Later:
One year after the tragic riot, RightMart plans another Thanksgiving Day Black Friday sale, despite protests led by Mitch, whose wife died in the riot. Jessica and her friends are tagged in a mysterious social media post of a Thanksgiving dinner table, shared by an anonymous account. Jessica is also surprised to see Bobby back in town.
Bobby had moved away after breaking his arm in the riot and was unable to continue playing ball. Jessica, now dating Ryan (Milo Manheim), who had been interested in her during her relationship with Bobby, finds herself caught up in this new drama.
Soon, a woman named Lizzie (Amanda Barker), who was involved in the riot, is brutally murdered by a masked figure wearing a pilgrim hat and a John Carver mask.
Sheriff Eric and his team quickly deduce that the killer is targeting individuals who were part of last year’s riot. The Carver killer continues to kill, targeting people connected to the riot in creatively gruesome ways, all with a Thanksgiving theme.
Who Could the Killer Be?
Is Mitch, the grieving husband, the killer? Could it be one of Jessica’s two lovers, both of whom keep appearing near crime scenes? Or perhaps the local drug dealer who sells to the kids? What about the nerdy kid who does the jocks’ homework?
Time is running out as two of Jessica’s friends are kidnapped. Although she manages to escape, it becomes clear that the killer wants her next. Sheriff Eric suggests using Jessica and her family as bait to lure the killer at the Thanksgiving parade.
This plan, however, goes awry. Jessica and her family are kidnapped and taken to the killer’s lair, where her mother is cooked like a Thanksgiving turkey and her friend Evan is murdered while streaming on his phone.
Jessica manages to escape, but the killer is in hot pursuit. After injuring her ankle, she limps to a warehouse where she finds Sheriff Eric unconscious. Taking his gun, she enters the warehouse to find her ex-boyfriend Bobby unmasking the killer.
Revealing the Killer:
Spoilers ahead: The killer is not Bobby but Sheriff Eric! Jessica realizes this when she notices dirt and brambles from the forest on Eric’s shoes at the police department. The sheriff explains his actions—he drugged Bobby, forced him into the killer’s mask, and planned to kill him. However, Bobby fought back, striking Eric with a tire iron.
In the wake of tragedy, an anonymous killer emerges with a brutal agenda (Photo: Thanksgiving/TriStar Pictures in association with Spyglass Media Group)Why did he do it? If you recall, sparks flew between the sheriff and Mitch’s wife at the movie’s start. In fact, they were having an affair, and Mitch’s wife was pregnant with Eric’s child. The Black Friday stampede robbed him of the chance to have a family, leading him to seek revenge.
Ending Explanation:
While Sheriff Eric delivers his villainous monologue, explaining his plan, Jessica secretly streams his confession using her deceased friend’s phone from the evidence locker. Eric tries to attack, but Bobby comes to Jessica’s rescue.
The pair escapes in Bobby’s uncle’s tow truck while Eric screams about no leftovers this year. However, Eric stops them by attaching the tow cable to a wall, but Jessica shoots the inflatable turkey from the parade, causing a gas explosion. The warehouse catches fire, and Jessica and Bobby escape.
After the explosion, police confirm that Eric is dead. Yet, in horror films, no body ever truly means a character is gone. A suspicious shot of a firefighter with an axe similar to Eric’s leads us to believe he might still be alive. Jessica seems to share the same suspicion, as the final scene shows her having a nightmare of Eric returning to kill her.
End Credits Scene Explained:
After the credits, there is a fun outtake with actor Rick Hoffman. He bids farewell to his daughter, expresses his love for her, and then looks directly into the camera, flipping it the middle finger. Director Eli Roth then shouts “Cut.”
This lighthearted moment is simply a fun behind-the-scenes clip, offering no hints toward a Thanksgiving sequel. Roth and Hoffman, who worked together on the Hostel films, share a playful moment on set. Don’t read too much into it!
