ThanksKilling

DVD Release Company: Broad Daylight Pictures (http://www.thankskillingmovie.com)
Language: English
Length: 106 Minutes
Image: Color
Year: 2009
Rated: Unrated
Release Date: November 17, 2009

“Gobble, Gobble, Motherfucker.” – Turkey

MOVIE REVIEW

Packed with extra gore stuffing, ThanksKilling delivers a hilarious tongue-and-cheek horror much needed in a genre that has been serious for too long. With an 80′s appeal and a Troma-like presence, the audience can look past the intentional “turkeyshit” dialogue, the all over the place plot, and the rubber, yet well-introduced, Turkey to just enjoy the film for what it is: a holiday/supernatural creature horror spoof that intends to shock its viewers and to ridicule bad acting and plot line for the sake of entertainment and laughter.

It’s Thanksgiving break and five friends head home from college for some much needed rest and relaxation. But when their vehicle temporary overheats next to the forgotten city of Pilgrim heritage, the least of their worries is having to camp out in the woods for a night. A demonic Turkey has risen again after 505 years to kill any white man to seek vengeance for the neglected and poorly treated Native American people. The wise-cracking, killing Turkey plagues the five friends and their families, serving the white man’s on a platter for this bloody Thanksgiving feast.

When you look at a movie like this, you can’t give it the usual review treatment. You have to throw almost everything you’ve learned from your film classes into the oven and just burn at 600 degrees. A spoof movie is hard to review because it is suppose to be, for a lack of a better term, retarded and, also, extremely funny. There are various types of spoof movies and ThanksKilling focuses more of mocking the 80′s and the realistic items or creatures turning them into sick and twisted murderous villains; this enhances the “horredy” even more. We’ve seen this before with in similar content like Jack Frost, not to be confused with that crap family friendly film Michael Keaton starred in, or maybe a serious film but with unintentional humor like Pinata Survival Island, or, you can even go as far as Child’s Play which can be said to be a vary serious horror film without the comedy, yet it doesn’t hurt when it sometimes brings a little smirk to your face. Yet, we haven’t seen one of these spoof movies in particular, especially a laugh out loud one, in a few years.

The killer Turkey is a phenomenal character and stole the whole movie. The one liners had me rolling and kept me interested to see what he comes up with next. For example, the pre-credits scene began with a Pilgrimess and her gratuitous bare and busty funbags flopping relentlessly against her black dress while being chased by the killing Turkey and then when the Turkey catches up to her, he quips, “Nice tits, bitch;” I was immediately captivated. I knew what I was getting into and that scene set up the whole movie for me, putting me into a lighthearted mood and not deceiving me with brain boggling earnestness. When you sit down to watch ThanksKilling, keep an ear out for many more one liners – they’re absolutely to die for. Being an obvious rubber prop, it makes the film all worth the fun it holds dear. Also, the outrageous scenes with the Turkey create more anticipation; it has sex, it shoots a shotgun, it wields a tomahawk, and it even impersonates Leatherface from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Sheer laughter took over by that point and I had to continue to watch.

The goody good girl

The rest of the cast are intentionally placed to be your stereotypical victims: A jock (Johnny), a jokester (Billy), a nerd (Darren), a slut (Ali), a good girl (Kristen), and a crazy old man (General Bastard). Each actor plays their role over and beyond the specifications of what the characters actually call for and these characters are actually portrayed in other horror films and this film represents them uncannily similar to the real films which is quite sad. There is overly said exposition, there are rhetorical questionings, there is a constant acknowledgment of their qualities, there are bad jokes – everything you need to spoof characters like these.

What I’m also impressed with is the special effects and the gore drenching scenes. They’re actually very well done for an indie picture. Sometimes if there is an overdoing of gore, the scenes can look laughable and just overall horrible in quality even if it is a spoof. I’m seriously glad that it wasn’t beaten into the ground with the gore effects and stayed in the real of trying to make it believable even if it is a Turkey sawing into a neck or pecking out human heart. Special effects are cheesy, yes, but, again, it adds to the comedy just that much. I want to mention the animation portion of the film. I found it well-done and well executed. The back story animation could pass for big production indie – it was probably the least cheesiest of all of the film.

Basting in blood…

Also before I sat to view ThanksKilling, I would have thought this would go to a forestlike setting but in the same vein as Jack Frost took, the setting went a different route and took place in a town, in people’s homes, and as well as in isolated rural areas. I feared the worst for an outdoor, forest setting as it is too common and would put a bore quality in the Turkey, leaving him unqualified and undercooked as a killer who kills without utensils! The randomness of the plot helps factor in the setting as well as moving the story forward. Its as if writers Jordan Downey and Bradly Schultz wrote down how Turkey could get from point A to point B in the most ridiculous fashion and took a cue from the spoof Airplane! and make scenes and actions as pointless and blatant as possible. Good show, guys. I dug it. Only thing I had a issue with is that the crude humor was a bit over kill. Nothing wrong with crude humor, I enjoy it a lot, but if done too much, the fart and piss jokes get old for even a spoof and kind of make it tedious to some extent. The Turkey, like I said before, really kept my interest peaked and I think he is the reason why I watched so tentatively.

The overall review of ThanksKillings ranks high. A spectacular served spoof that savors every campy aspect of a tantalizing Thanksgiving humor taste! Even the theme song by Kajmir Royale gobbles up a delicacy! Not serious and not a mind twister but just a comedy gore feast that dishes out sinister psychotics. I’m definitely looking forward to a sequel…in space! Make sure you pick this up just in time for Thanksgiving then hide away turkey stuffed youngsters, gather around the television with a seasonal beer or two, and present the whole family with the hilarious riot that is ThanksKilling when it is released Tuesday November 17th!

DVD REVIEW

Since this copy was a screener, I am unable to complete the DVD review portion.