5 Best Thanksgiving Horror Movies You Need To Check Out

Thanksgiving usually means turkeys, parades, and togetherness, but if you want to add some spice to your festivities, you should consider watching a Thanksgiving-themed frightfest instead of your run-of-the-mill football game. While Thanksgiving isn't a frequently-visited holiday within the horror genre compared to Halloween and Christmas, there are several scary films with a Fall-time twist out there that deserve your attention.

But which of these flicks are the best of the bunch? The assortment of films listed below range from highly comedic to incredibly scary. However, they all have one thing in common — they feature, take place on, or are all about that famous late-November holiday in one way or another. If you want to scream your way through Turkey Day, here are five sure bets that will have you hiding behind your sofa.

"ThanksKilling" is a wacky film about a peeved, wisecracking turkey that decides to slaughter a bunch of college kids who have taken a Thanksgiving vacation together. Turkie (voiced by director Jordan Downey) is a zombie fowl who's resurrected every 505 years and seeks to kill every Caucasian he encounters. The result of necromancy on the part of Feathercloud, a Native American shaman who wanted to claim revenge on a debauched pilgrim, Turkie keeps on killing even after all of Feathercloud's original targets are dead.

This low budget black comedy flick is knowingly over-the-top, with the gore levels turned up to the max. It seeks to outrage and offend, so don't be shocked if your jaw hits the floor and stays there for the duration of the film. If you want a wild time this Thanksgiving, don't hesitate to seek it out. And, if you enjoy it, there's a sequel called "ThanksKilling 3" — there's no "ThanksKilling 2," with the creators boasting that this is the first franchise to skip its sequel. That should give you an idea about the kind of humor you should expect.

• Cast: Natasha Cordova, Lindsey Anderson, Wanda Lust
• Director: Jordan Downey
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 70 minutes
• Where to watch: Tubi, Pluto TV, Fandango at Home, Philo

Black Friday is a classic — and sometimes horrifying and dangerous — part of the Thanksgiving experience. While stores have generally been moving away from opening on Thanksgiving evening, the Friday after the holiday is usually earmarked for early openings and the start of the Christmas sales rush. 2021's "Black Friday" capitalizes on the anxiety and stress of a Black Friday opening, adding a touch of gore and some violent yet cheery whimsy. It's a fun experience, and a little bit of "Evil Dead" star Bruce Campbell never hurt anyone.

A parasite of unknown origins has begun attacking the employees and customers of an All-Mart store (managed by Campbell's Jonathan Wexler) just as it's getting ready to open for Black Friday. Ken Bates (Devon Sawa) forms the first line of defense against the creatures, and he and his co-workers are forced to fight for their lives as the rapidly-mutating infected people try to propagate and form a much larger creature to take over the store — and the world. A packed cast filled with talented genre actors make this one a cut above the rest.

• Cast: Bruce Campbell, Devon Sawa, Michael Jai White
• Director: Casey Tebo
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 84 minutes
• Where to watch: Roku, Prime Video

The Plymouth, Massachusetts-set film "Thanksgiving" is the most holiday-heavy of all of the movies listed here. It's Thanksgiving night, and RightMart is getting set to open for Black Friday. Jessica (Nell Verlaque) and her friends Scuba (Gabriel Davenport), Gaby (Addison Rae), and Ryan (Milo Manheim) have scored early entry to the store thanks to Jessica's manager father. Unfortunately, the sight of them in the store causes the crowd of shoppers waiting outside to riot, which results in multiple deaths. (The film's opening scene is based on a real-life Black Friday tragedy, according to director Eli Roth.)

A year after the tragedy, as Thanksgiving once again approaches, a number of Plymouth natives are attacked and killed by an assailant dressed up like Pilgrim John Carver. It seems all of the victims are related to the riot at RightMart. Will Jessica and her friends live to see the end of "Thanksgiving," or will they become victims of the killer? You'll have to watch to find out, but just be warned: It's filled with plenty of gore and guts, so be sure you wait a few hours after dinner before you dive in.

• Cast: Patrick Dempsey, Nell Verlaque, Addison Rae
• Director: Eli Roth
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 106 minutes
• Where to watch: Hulu

"Blood Rage" is perhaps the most unique Thanksgiving-centered slasher out there. Twins Todd and Terry Simmons (both played by Mark Soper) have a long and twisted history together. When they were younger, Terry framed Todd for a homicide born from his oedipal feelings regarding their mother, Maddy (Louise Lasser), and Todd was committed to an asylum as a result. Years later, Todd and Terry are now grown — Terry is happily living with Maddy, while Todd has just escaped custody.

Meanwhile, Terry is filled with homicidal rage over his mother's upcoming marriage to Brad (William Fuller), a wealthy real-estate magnate. Things get even more complicated when Todd shows up at the family apartment complex. A deadly dance between the twins begins, leading to a fatal showdown between them and their mother. Lasser was mainly known for her comedy work at the time, so it's fascinating to see her play a mom to a couple of very twisted young men. The gore effects are great, and Todd is quite a sympathetic character. This is an essential Thanksgiving slasher that features a memorable cameo from "Xena: Warrior Princess" cast member Ted Raimi. 

• Cast: Louise Lasser, Mark Soper, Ted Raimi
• Director: John Grissmer
• Rating: R
• Runtime: 82 minutes
• Where to watch: Fandango

Dean Koontz is known as the master of suspense for a reason, and "Intensity" — the story of an introvert's fight against a murderer — proves that he knows his way around a good horror tale. Chyna Shepherd (Molly Parker) is traveling to Washington State with her best friend Laura (Deanna Milligan) to celebrate Thanksgiving with the latter's family. When they arrive, Laura and her entire family are slaughtered by serial killer Edgler Foreman Vess (played by "Scrubs" star John C. McGinley).

Vess takes Chyna hostage, and the murderer and the girl face off — with the safety of a new hostage, a young girl named Ariel (Tori Paul), hanging in the balance. Both Parker and McGinley are great here, with the latter downright terrifying as the TV movie's killer. Unfortunately, it's not currently available for digital purchase or streaming, so you'll have to be creative if you want to try this one on for size.

• Cast: John C. McGinley, Molly Parker, Piper Laurie
• Director: Yves Simoneau
• Rating: TV-MA
• Runtime: 186 minutes