Thankskilling is a rare film: it was made on a budget beneath even shoestring, maybe a floss budget. $3500. It’s meant to be bad, and funny, and it accomplishes both of those things. It’s short and to the point, without a lot of filler.
Like a lot of horror films, the protagonists aren’t necessarily likeable. In this case, the star is definitely Turkie, the evil turkey at the center of the movie. The cast is a weird mish-mash of bad acting with a few silly lines (which is really the joy of the movie). The turkey makes a few of these lines.
There’s a sort of parody to it as well — it’s making fun of some of the tropes in horror. I’m not the world’s biggest fan of the movie, but it was a pretty good first attempt. The problem with judging movies like this is that they’re kind of hit or miss, and Thankskilling kind of hits but kind of misses. The acting is really, really bad. The dialogue is only good when it’s funny. The characters are actually dumber than average.
It’s worth seeing, but I don’t want to put it in the win column — so Thanksgiving (and April Fool’s Day) survives with a 2-1-1 record. On to Christmas!
Report card:
Runtime: An hour and six minutes.
Acting: Not good.
Effects: The turkey is pretty good for the budget.
Violence: A great deal.
Dead Townsfolk: Ten.
Revenge Kills: None.
Gun Use: Batshit.
Gore: Kind of in places.
Creepy? No.
Monster Type? A turkey.
Monster Ick Factor: Slight.
Funny? Yes, intentionally.
Nudity: Right out the gate, topless female nudity.
Pet Death: Yes.
Pacing: It’s too short to have pacing issues.
