Horror Filmmaker Eli Roth is Grateful for His Movie ‘Thanksgiving’

2023 was a big year for Eli Roth, and the prime emotion he felt was gratitude. Fittingly, his film Thanksgiving finally saw the light of day. The film was spawned from a fake trailer he curated for the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez double-feature Grindhouse all the way back in 2007. Fans hounded him for a feature adaptation.

After many setbacks and delays, Thanksgiving was finally released on November 17, 2023, less than a week from the holiday. It received strong reviews from critics, made enough to warrant a sequel (which Roth is currently writing), and is now back in 500 theaters for a late-night showings.

Eli Roth was kind enough to call my phoneline to talk about the success that Thanksgiving has achieved thus far. It's poised for more, as it's now available on DVD, Blu-Ray, and digital. His gratefulness for the project is germane to the film itself, which, on top of being a mercilessly bloody slasher, is about the paradoxical greed that emerges in people on Black Friday, the day after the holiday predicated on giving thanks:

Revolving around a killer who is terrorizing the New England town of Plymouth, Massachusetts, the film is a must-see for horror fans. Eli Roth spoke about how he was able to stick with the project and see it through despite the setbacks:

Bullying and shaming by fans really worked better than you think it does. [The film's writer] Jeff Rendell is my best friend, we grew up, and our life's mission was to make the Thanksgiving movie [....] every year we thought there was going to be a Thanskgiving movie, and it drove us crazy that there wasn't [....] when Tarantino and Rodriguez asked if I wanted to do the fake trailer [based on the idea], I had the kills figured out.

 

After we did the trailer, we were like, 'we're done' [....] why bother with plot, character, and all that nonsense? Over the years, the fans were like, 'you gotta do it' [....] then we started thinking of ideas[....] - Eli Roth

During our interview, I had to bring up Cabin Fever, the film that catapulted Roth to stardom back in 2002. One of the best, most memorable aspects of Cabin Fever remains Giuseppe Andrews, who plays the eccentric Deputy Winston. Roth talked extensively about his relationship with Andrews (who has since ceased acting and faded from the public eye). Despite this, the "Party Cop" scene lives on in the hearts of horror fans everywhere.

From The Green Inferno to Cavin Fever, Eli Roth has been a mainstay in the horror genre for years, so it was a true pleasure to speak with him. Be sure to find Thanksgiving on DVD and digital, and take a listen to my interview with the man himself below!

JUST WEEKS AFTER THIS INTERVIEW, ELI ROTH RETURNED TO DISCUSS THANKSGIVING 2, THE MAKING OF THE GREEN INFERNO, AND MORE!