ThanksKilling (2008) User Reviews

Gobble Gobble...

[alspeaketh · 4/10 · 30 October 2011]

This movie isn't a movie that anyone should take seriously, even for a second. If you try to take this movie seriously you'll immediately get on IMDb, give it a 1 star rating (provided that's being considerate) and write about how much of a waste of time it was, yada yada yada. These guys aren't professionals.

Yes, the acting sucks. The special effects suck. The plot sucks! It all freaking sucks. But seriously, just look at the cover, they made it blatantly obvious at the first glance. What ever your first impression is of what you're getting into, is probably right on.

If you're looking to kill some time. Sure, watch this movie. But like I said don't expect a grammy winning award for the acting or anything else really. It feels like a bunch of friends got together and made a funny story about thanksgiving and this was the result.

I've seen worse.

[13Funbags · 3/10 · 23 February 2019]

I must be stupid because I was expecting an actual horror movie. It's not horror or a thriller and it's barely a comedy. All the comedy is in the fact that nothing makes sense. They tried hard to make it as dumb as possible, thinking that was funny. It really wasn't. I only laughed at the song the nerd sings about the redneck. But if you're going to watch watch a movie about a killer turkey you can't have high standards. I'm definitely going to watch the sequel.

Gobble! Gobble! Somebody drank too much Wild Turkey, because this movie is really stupid.

[ironhorse_iv · 3/10 · 25 November 2015]

Following the wave of ill-advised food relation horror films such as 1978's Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, 2005's Gingerdead Man & others. ThanksKilling is one movie, you will not be giving thanks for! In my opinion, this movie directed by Jordan Downey is no feast to the eyes as the movie suffers from nearly poor-production. Made with a budget, less than 3000 U.S dollars, and filmed, in a couple of days, this shot-on-video flick was made by a group of friends in Ohio was marketing as, a "It's so bad, it's good', type of the film. The only problem with that, is that, unlike the other films in that field, the creators were too self-aware, that they were making a bad film. It's a lot easily to laugh at works from filmmakers like Tommy Wiseau & Claudio Fragasso, because of their naiveness. They actually, thought they were producing something good, and try their hardest to make the film, work. Since, these producers knew that they were producing crap, they really didn't give two f***, about their lazy production. It's really hard to laugh at, somebody whom that lazy, compare to somebody who took his work, a little more serious. I know that ThanksKilling is not meant to be taken serious; but honestly, how can an insane premise like a homicidal turkey axing off college kids during Thanksgiving break, turn out to be so unfunny? Somehow, this movie directed by Jordan Downey was able, to do that. They really failed to create a satirical spoof of the horror genre, due to the lack of clever comedy. There wasn't much to laugh at. The usual overused of clichéd unlikeable characters, over-the top absurd violence, and offensive & vulgar humor, makes this exaggerated caricature camp type film, more annoying than entertaining. For an exploitation film, nothing about it, was that attention-grabbing. Yes, it has nudity, gore, and drug-use, but it doesn't do anything new with these tropes. It's more tiresome, than anything else. The only reason to watch this film, is that the film tries to totally exploits the ridiculous gimmick premise that horror films somewhat employ, just to make a buck. Still, that reason alone, doesn't make the film any good. There are far superior films, like 2012's Cabin in the Woods or the Evil Dead series that use this concept a lot better. If you take away, the ridiculous concept, what do you have, left for this film; nothing. Yes, you got the bad acting, and even worst special effects, but you can't laugh at someone for being a bad actor or a bad sock puppet, when they're are intentionally acting poorly on purpose. Plus, it takes the fun out of complaining, when the really tacky & somewhat racism lines, pointless and offensive treatment of women, pet killing & bad violence, is all done on purpose, by trolls trying to troll you. Films within the Troma series, work a lot better, because the movie had some likability. This, not so much. I can care, less about the Jock, Johnny (Lance Predmore), ditzy Ali (Natasha Cordova), the fat redneck Billy (Aaron Ringhiser-Carlson), the nerd Darren (Ryan E. Francis), and the final smart & sensitive girl, Kristen (Lindsey Andersen). I wasn't even, a big fan of the Turkey puppet, Turkie (Voiced by Jordon Downey). I kinda wish, all the characters died. In addition of bad characters, the movie had way too much continuity errors. The film has several plots, subplots and character details whose inconsistencies are really jarring. I hate how issues, are casually dismissed and never revisited during the rest of the film, such as Billy's ancestors, being pilgrims. In addition, the audience never learns the details surrounding certain things like why Sheriff Roud (Chuck Lamb) having one of the books about the killer turkey legend lying around or how imagery food can blow your stomach open, or why there was a scene where the Sheriff dress up in a turkey suit to have a small chitchat with the creature. It's really puzzling that nobody can notice that the turkey is indeed a turkey. I guess, it's because the puppet looks like a vulture, more than a turkey. Anyways, they're little to care about this film, and it sucks. Its ruins the fun in finding unintentional humor in the film's poor dialogue and production. The film is followed by a 2012 sequel entitled ThanksKilling 3, which $100,000 budget was raised on the website Kickstarter. It's not worth exploring, more than that. Overall: Even with my rock-bottom expectations; this movie was still pretty horrible. I was deeply disappointed by this film. It's a turkey, alright, but it's too fowl to gobble up.

a BAD movie that is a parody of bad movies.

[planktonrules · 20 October 2012]

This ultra-super-duper-excessively cheap film is something you just need to see to appreciate. It starts a cheesy looking turkey puppet who goes on a murderous rampage--all during which he makes cheesy and occasionally funny comments. It also features the puppet having sex with a teen as well as one funny scene where he sits and has coffee with an off-duty cop and a song montage that made my brain hurt.

Considering that the folks who made "ThanksKilling" meant to make a bad film and had almost no budget whatsoever, it's a hard film to review. Yes, it is bad--but they knew they were making a bad movie when they made it and there is no attempt to make anything other than a very stupid film. So, if you do watch it, you should be the sort of person who likes terrible films AND you have a high tolerance for the vulgarity and deliberately gratuitous nudity. As for the nudity, I normally don't want it in films, but it was rather funny how they used it--as a way of making fun of the gratuitous nature of slasher films. As for the language, it's very, very crude and dumb...but again, that IS what they were looking for! This is NOT a film to show your mother or Father Jenkins (unless your mother or Father Jenkins are sociopathic murderers).

Impossible to really rate. See it and you'll see why. And, I really have no idea if I liked it or not!

"You just got stuffed!"

[gigan-92 · 4/10 · 23 January 2012]

D+

For this movie I will not delve into its cinematographer, its special effects, or its director, absolutely nothing. Why you ask, because all of the aforementioned things are completely wretched in this movie. The acting sucks ass, the writing is even worse, making the whole film feel like a third-grader's after school project. It is in all fairness one of the worst movies of all time. The only worthwhile aspect of the whole movie is quite obviously the turkey, voiced by Jordan Downey, the director. Its one liners are amusing, and for that alone I actually enjoyed a few scenes. I've seen so many obscure horror flicks and have watched the likes of killer crocodiles, killer alligators (there is a difference you know), komodo dragons, mutated mosquitoes, bees, bioengineered rattlesnake/cobra hybrid, anacondas, sharks, killer whales, eh, the list is endless, but the turkey manages to be noteworthy. It's kind of like a permanent scar that at first bugs you and then you just get use to it.

As a horror parody, the film is decently funny. The problem is every second the turkey isn't on screen it gives one a headache. To make things worse, as short as the film is, they actually draw out the character relationships. I guess the co-eds they hired to do it wanted more screen time. If you do dare to watch this, please, have a few beers before doing so to avoid putting the barrel of a shotgun in your mouth.

And oh yeah, kudos to Wanda Lust with the cuddly knockers in the opening scene. I mean geez the movie literally starts off with an extreme close-up of her nipple before the camera zooms out. She will never live this down.

white meat, dark meat, we all lose

[Quinoa1984 · 1/10 · 27 November 2010]

ThanksKilling isn't a movie, or at least one that I should've even had the displeasure to see. It's like the bulls*** created by a couple of teenagers with two six-packs and a busted turkey puppet they probably thought was a chicken at first. I would like to think that the director, Jordan Stewart, has never picked up a camera before, but he has, a short film called Craw Lake, and apparently attended a film school. I can only imagine what would've happened if he had come to the old Student Film Association that was at my old university where I went as an undergrad. He would've been laughed and/or berated off of the premises if he tried to pass this off as anything than a failed experiment.

The worst thing about this tripe is that it knows that it's bad but then tries to pass itself off as a horror comedy. The problem is, as one saw to a lessor extent with another killer food movie like The Ginger-Dead Man, you need to actually have clever jokes or have a wicked visual sensibility like a Peter Jackson in his early days. Downey and his collaborator Stewart don't have that. They have terrible hack-writing (and FIVE writers, guess they're preparing for Hollywood with that), bargain-basement acting, and even what they're supposedly professionals at- special fx- are weak at best; one shot of a dead guy with his intestines hanging out just looks like a bunch of sausage-turds hanging out - and the shot lingers for five freakin minutes!

I don't want to trash on filmmakers who are just trying to make it in with something that may be sub-par but maybe they'll be on their way some day, but... this guy isn't even in that ballpark. There's such a lack of talent that the mind boggles: this barely qualifies at a movie, clocking in at just a little over an hour (somewhat mercifully, though it could've even been *shorter* if they'd cut out a couple of very unnecessary things). It's one thing that we can't take it seriously, fine, whatever, one can have fun with a dumb horror comedy. But how does one have fun with something that is so smug and so in-your-face with its bad comedy and character-tropes. Even simple crap like lining up shots and eye-lines and the direction of where characters (or poultry) speak is off-kilter. The only good thing about this movie being in existence is that Eli Roth needs no worry over his proposed feature version of his Thanksgiving trailer from Grindhouse.

It's so bad that... I hopefully won't remember it tomorrow.

even 70 minutes isn't short enough.

[PIST-OFF · 1/10 · 5 February 2012]

in some movies brevity is the movie's saving grace. a film that would be terrible at 100 minutes is quite tolerable at 87 minutes. at a mere seventy minutes Thankskilling is brief but not quite mercifully so. The movie begins to recycle it's own out-of-date pop culture jokes somewhere along the thirty minute mark. This should tell you where it stands at 70. The acting is amateurish to the point of annoyance. The plot stupid and poorly thought out. The special effects are bad, but not bad in a good way. Those hoping for an Eli Roth style Thankgiving will be sorely let down. Generally a movie like this would throw in generous heaps of female nudity to make up for it's utterly slipshod nature. not so here. The silly horror Jack Frost does this same thing a million times better. Don't bother.

Gobble gobble, and you're dead!...

[paul_haakonsen · 4/10 · 8 July 2018]

Right, well when I found "ThanksKilling", it was with a certain amount of doubt that I picked it up and decided to give it a go. But there is that small voice at the far back of the mind that goes "go ahead, it might be surprisingly good" and that, more than often, does convince me to go for questionable movies.

"ThanksKilling" wasn't as bad as it could have been, so that was at least a step in the right direction. And I will say that the turkey made it worth watching the movie!

This was definitely a low budget horror in every aspect of the meaning, so don't get your hopes up for something grand here.

It was an interesting take on the storyline, predictable though. So it turned out that the plot and storyline was actually adequate for what it turned out to be.

"ThanksKilling" was weighed down by questionable acting performances though. Which was a shame, because that blasted killer turkey was such a blast to watch on the screen, and it definitely had potential.

If you manage to sit through "ThanksKilling" once, I doubt that you will do it a second time around, because the movie just doesn't have enough contents to support multiple viewings.

This movie is harder to turn off than the Jon Benet Ramsey case

[calyeager · 3/10 · 2 March 2021]

I didn't enjoy ThanksKilling with the rest of my friends when it first released in 2009, nor did I watch it when I first entered college a few years later. Aside knowing the titular (ha, ha) line first spoken by our Turkey antagonist, I went in totally blind. I expected a "bad movie" similar to that of The Room (2003): a film that is poor in quality but that doesn't know it. I was surprised to find that this movie knows exactly where it sits. Everything from Turkie's disguises to extra small, gravy flavored condoms pushed the boundary of absurdity in the film's comedy. On its more negative side, there is regrettable language and slurring from the screenwriting. I think ThanksKilling is a fun movie that I don't feel I need to see again for some time. I give ThanksKilling a 3/10 (which is a 7/10 on the bad movie scale).

Canon for camp fans?

[rcogswe1 · 6/10 · 10 August 2010]

This movie is only an hour and six minutes long and it is totally worth your time. That is, unless you take yourself and your film tastes too seriously. Every cent of the $50 spent making this film was brilliantly used. There is literally nothing serious about ThanksKilling and it was refreshing, to me at least, to see a movie made by a bunch of artists who are clearly having fun with their work. ThanksKilling has a whimsical yet macabre aesthetic similar to Zombieland, if you liked that, definitely hit up ThanksKilling. Also, I highly recommend this film to any fans of Tromaville and Lloyd Kauffman. That said, there are some legitimately clever lines and some real wit. The soundtrack is also incredible, with no exception to be made for the original music created by hip-hop artist Kajmir Royale. I love the leading man because he is super handsome and probably could have skated by on his looks in some more lucrative cubicle job but instead he is following his dreams and making B horror movies, to my great benefit. If you have an opportunity and are into this stuff definitely watch this movie, preferably with a few like-minded friends.

No lies

[LoverOfFilmsAndMusic · 4/10 · 28 November 2019]

The cover on Tubi says: low buget, comedy, horror and that's all the true. The acting is BEYOND terrible. The wardrobe is ALSO extremely low budget but what KEPT me watching was the cheesy comedy and my FAVORITE actor: the killer 🦃

The Best Holiday-themed Movie about a Homicidal Turkey Ever Made!

[filmfuture · 8/10 · 15 July 2010]

C'mon, anybody who complains that a movie called "Thankskilling" about a foul-mouthed (or is that fowl-mouthed?) supernatural turkey who goes on a murderous rampage is not a good movie missed the point. This movie is not supposed to be good. It's supposed to be as bad as it sounds, and thankfully, it is! "Thankskilling" is a movie made for horror fans, as it totally exploits the ridiculous genre conventions most horror films employ to a fault. All the usual suspects of overused clichéd characters are here (The Jock, The Hot Girl, The Sensitive Girl, The Funny Fat Guy, and The Nerd), but each one is exaggerated to the point of caricature, so the whole thing works really well instead of being tiresome. The five friends embark on an idyllic Thanksgiving weekend getaway, and of course, things don't go as planned.

This movie is offensive, vulgar, and most of all, absurd, but all the crazy random elements are woven together in a way that could be called (dare I say).... brilliant? The villain of "Thankskilling" is a trash-talking necromanced ancient undead turkey realized on screen through a really poor quality hand puppet, and yet the Turkey is one of the most refreshing villains I've seen in low budget horror in a long while. He's definitely original (in the very least), but also boasts some unforgettable one liners that will keep you smirking long after the end credits have faded away. The acting is intentionally wooden and at times over the top, but it all gels perfectly with the outlandish and sarcastic tone of the film. And yes, there were a few times that I actually had to cover my mouth 'cause I was watching it late at night and I laughed that loud.

So if you're in the mood for some fun horror fare with a touch of the absurd, "Thankskilling" will offer you a great time. Just be sure to check your political correctness at the door.

Rated 8 out of 10 for the Horror/comedy genre (not as a film overall)

You Just Got Stuffed

[sethklee-77687 · 7/10 · 23 November 2020]

This is genuinely hilarious. It's satire and it isn't meant to be taken seriously like many of the reviews are taking it. It's exactly what it sets out to be; whether or not the humor works is up to you. If a psycho killer turkey that offers to prostitute himself, disguises himself Leatherface style using someone's face, and eats a salad because he's vegetarian sounds interesting to you, go for it. It probably helps that I watched this with a group of friends at like 4 in the morning, which I would highly recommend if you're going to watch this.

7/10

Who Could Make a Killing Off This Turkey?

[thesar-2 · 1/10 · 24 November 2011]

Sadly, since the "creators" of ThanksKilling were self-aware, this turkey wasn't as funny/bad as, say, The Room, Birdemic or Troll 2.

I can see where this buck forty-budget of a horror-comedy was trying to be funny, and I'll admit 1 in 20 lines were a tad bit funny, but overall it wasn't. At least, intentionally. You see, there's this cursed turkey – I really won't get into the reasons, it's so dumb, it's actually boring – that starts gutting hapless youths and they carry on arguing or watching movies like they were auditioning for a stage version of Seinfeld.

Being fully aware myself, and definitely prepared by the person who recommended this and all the internet comments, I didn't hate the movie. Mercifully, it's just about an hour in length. Unfortunately, these absolute amateurs never really made it fun, the "Chucky"-like turkey killer doll was never funny and resorted to, ah hem, fowl language to make him more "evil," I guess.

I hear it's making its way around the net, and available through Netflix – YES, thanks, Netflix, ignore the hundreds of 4-5 star films and continue having us pay for these bird-turds. It's really not worth it. If you want a good laugh at unintentionally bad movies, stick with the classics: The Room, Birdemic or Troll 2.

Rating: 1 out of 5 Stars

Turkeytastic

[mrsaffleck-2 · 29 May 2017]

This is terrible Just so bad but I quite liked it. The first omg line is "your legs are harder to shut the the Jon Benet case" It only got better with the arrival of the killer Turkey. And what a turkey he is, a walking, talking killer evil turkey. The acting is pretty bad with all the stereotypes present. The jock guy, the slut, the last girl, the virgin and the backwoods stoner go camping in the woods could have been a working title. If you like bad movies and have a spare 90 minutes this could be the movie you afternoon nap to.

A True Turkey

[VonCouch · 2/10 · 29 March 2011]

Let me start by saying I love bad movies. I'm not as well versed as some, certainly more so than most, but nothing beats watching a laughably bad movie with the right group of friends. And this movie looked exactly like what I was hoping for in that. But even as a movie that's so bad it's good, it fails. It's just so bad it's bad.

The story is absurd, but I would expect nothing less. Apparently, the American Indians weren't cool with the pilgrims, so a medicine man put together some kind of curse to have an evil mutant turkey kill everyone. And of course, he comes back X years later to kill again. The main characters are the same 5 clichés that show up in every teen/slasher film: The whore, the virgin, the jock, the fat guy and the nerd. One by one, this turkey puppet tries to kill them off. Nobody in the film uses logic. The dialogue and acting are just horrific. And the one parental figure in the film has the most hilariously bad fake mustache I've ever seen this side of community theater.

I've read some reviews where they liked how it was obvious that nobody in the movie took themselves seriously. And yeah, that's fun for those who do the film to watch later. But what about the rest of us who weren't there at the shoot? There are actually some absurdly funny moments in it. But the whole film is just a chore to watch. All in all, skip this one. There are many better bad films out there.

So bad... it's bad.

[dead_horse21 · 2/10 · 10 October 2010]

Sometimes a movie is good. Sometimes a movie is bad. Sometimes a movie is so bad, it comes full circle and becomes good again. Sometimes a movie is so bad, that it comes full circle, goes past good, and right back to bad. And this is where "Thankskilling" resides.

It seems as though most of the reviews on this site have missed the point of this movie. It was quite obvious to me that the filmmakers we're very much aware that they were making a bad movie, and were on some level trying to create a satirical spoof of the horror genre. This is where they failed, not in the creation of a horror film, but in the creation of a clever comedy that pokes fun at horror films. Not only are the bad acting and improbable plots of the horror genre far too easy a target to pick on, but it's not like this is even the first movie to tread these waters (see the now quite dated, but once very mainstream "Sream" franchise).

But what's most infuriating, to any fan of watching bad horror movies, is that it's self- awareness of being a bad movie keeps you from ever truly being able to laugh AT it. I would much more highly recommend watching true classics of awfulness like "Troll 2", or "Silent Night, Deadly Night 2" which are a laugh-a-minute based simply on the naivety of the film- makers, who actually thought they were producing something tense and scary, when really what you get is a carnival of bad acting, and even worse special effects. You can't laugh at someone for being a bad actor, when they're are intentionally acting poorly, and you also can't commend them for it either. So what are you left with?

There are definitely enough bad movies made by accident on a regular basis that we don't need people to start making them on purpose. I really hope this trend doesn't take off, but I also felt the same way about reality television, so I guess who knows?

piece of crap

[blindrussian · 1/10 · 7 September 2010]

Oh boy were do i get started... i'm pretty sure that the intro was the most retarded i have ever seen, i mean it starts off with boobs? what the crap? the acting of the character Ali was horrendous the camera moved so much that i wanted to puke then the costumes were idiotic, a guy rips his shirt off then the next scene he has another shirt on top of it then the next its perfect? it was stupidly gory, he poked a dog and blood squirted everywhere then he was a hooker? also he skinned a characters fathers face and she thought it was a costume also the dad thought that the turkey was a friend in a costume oh and after their parents, and friends get gored alive, they act like nothing happened then the turkey gets shot into a dumpster, which you later figure out is radioactive, and you can see the trash can and there is nothing on it and in it there is a pop bottle and other trash, how the heck is that radioactive then they kill it exactly how it was supposed to and it didn't die!!! holy crap, now a sequel...in space???? that is retarded i can no longer say that was the worst movie i have ever see because this one was truly mental at the end of the movie my friend made a comment that he thinks that the writer must have been dropped on his head as a baby to think of this crap in the end i think that 3rd graders could do better if you want to truly learn the meaning of p.o.s. watch this movie although i have to admit that the turkey was pretty funny i also don't know if they meant it to be serious, i sure hope not

What a shame

[Samiam3 · 3/10 · 13 May 2010]

I remember a couple years ago, I brainstormed an idea for something like 'Attack of the killer poultry'. Has anybody ever put such an idea to film before? Not that I know of. It would have to be a comedy of course, something like Thankskilling, but unlike Thankskilling it would also have to be good.

Sometimes this movie feels like a Family Guy flashback, (you know the ones with talking animals, or the sesame street gang acting like gangsters). Thankskilling is so far over the top that, believe it or not, it's NOT funny. I laughed in a couple of places, but barely. Anyone who can make it past scene one of Thankskilling is one patient fella, but I strongly advice you not to see this movie.

If I thought it was a Univerisity production made by first or second year students, I may have cut Thankskilling some slack. Until I know for sure, I'm labelling this a piece of feathery rubbish. I could just as well call it a turkey, but someone has probably already done that. Who ever made this movie, was probably doing it to amuse themselves, not as an attempt to amuse an audience. That's not filmaking.

Suffering the Horror of Thankskilling

[NCHaskew · 1/10 · 19 December 2010]

Let me start off by saying that I do not see this article as a movie review: it is simply a warning. Whatever you do, DO NOT watch this movie. It is, in all seriousness, the worst film I have ever seen, and I don't expect it to lose that title any time soon. Don't get me wrong, I didn't go into this film thinking it would be Oscar-worthy by any means, and I can laugh at stupid comedy that pokes fun at horror movies. But this film misses both marks and is simply BAD.

Just how bad is this movie? Let me put it into perspective: it's about a killer turkey who goes on a homicidal rampage because a dog peed on his Indian burial...and it only gets worse from there.

The reasons for this being the atrocious mess that it is are many and obvious, and this article simply does not have enough words to outline them all. I'll touch on what ones I felt personally offended by as a movie critic.

1.) The acting is TERRIBLE. Everything is extremely underacted (an angered hick whisper-yells as he falls to his knees and mourns the turkey-murder of his dog, Blassy. That may have been the best acting in the film.)

2.) NO ONE seems to notice that the turkey is a TURKEY!!! This may be because of the fact that it's only a sock-puppet of a vulture, but still, at least have your cast ACT like it's a turkey. Some examples of their odd ignorance: a man pulls his car over because he thinks the turkey looks sexy...the turkey goes to an unimportant character using the disguise of those nose-mustache-glasses things, and this character thinks it's just a midget...this character turns out to be one of the main character's father. This is relevant because the turkey peels his face off and uses it as a mask...which somehow fools the kids. I don't know, maybe the shift from a 6-foot plump police officer to a 2-foot vulture sock puppet wearing a skin mask isn't as noticeable in person, but it was VERY noticeable on camera.

3.) The turkey's powers (yes, it DOES go there) are some of worst special effects that I've seen. When telling a story about the turkey (because it's a famous camp-side horror tale, don't you know?) it switches to a crap cartoon outline. One of the main characters is ravenously hungry and, surprise surprise, imagines a cartoon roasted turkey, which evaporates as he devours it in one bite. This cartoon turkey (which he ate in one bite) turns out to be THE turkey...with a shotgun...who blows his way out of his belly...all with that character being unaware of this until his stomach is blown out.

4.) Even the creators of this show can see how terrible it is, but they attempt to make up for it by switching to horror comedy. The only problem is, horror comedy requires wit...and clever jokes...both of which this film LACKS. Another sign that they understand its failure of a film is that, unlike the Friday the 13th series, they have decided to skip 6 or 7 even more horrid sequels and skip straight to the space-trash that will be Thankskilling 2. I dread the day that sequel shows up, much as I rue the day I watched this film...but moving on.

There are a multitude of other problems, and I shudder at all the possible things I could write down. But I hope that what I have revealed is enough to convince you that this is NOT a good movie. Trust me, I went into it thinking I could laugh at it's lack of quality...but I couldn't...it skips the laughable phase and goes straight to torturous. Save yourself, stick to movies that involved effort in production.

Unbelievably Bad, But Still Pretty Good

[gavin6942 · 7/10 · 20 November 2010]

Luckily this film is only about an hour long, because any more and it would get old really quickly. It is plain to see that as funny as the movie is, and as many good kills as it has, it did not have much steam to go any further.

I saw it on Netflix as a recommendation for a while and was like "oh, heck no" until one day when a friend of mine in Texas said it was a must-see. I gave it a chance, and was pleasantly surprised. The turkey (purportedly "the most demonic turkey in history") is so stupid, so vulgar, it is just hilarious. Hopefully that was the intent, because the acting is outrageously bad.

What could have made this film better? Probably everything. More nudity, better actors, a plot that makes sense (the 505 years thing did not add up right, as well as why it is apparently summer on Thanksgiving). But let us not try to make sense of nonsense. Let us just be thankful for the JonBenet Ramsey joke (which seems dated, but that adds to its charm).

Upon a second viewing, the film is just as stupid, but the stupidity came across as being even more intentional than I thought the first time. Someone here -- or maybe everyone -- has the mind of a genius, and they were given a video camera.

Apparently, they must have made a few dollars off of the movie, because as I type this (November 2012), there is now a sequel. Goodness, I am not sure if it could be any worse... or any better.

Ridiculous

[BandSAboutMovies · 4/10 · 24 November 2022]

This is without a doubt the dumbest - and therefore most awesome - Thanksgiving slasher I've seen. It starts with a topless pilgrim woman being murdered by a turkey. A turkey named Turkie who was reborn through necromacy by Feathercloud, a Native American shaman dishonored by pilgrim Chuck Langston. Now, every five-hundred and five years, Turkie rises to kill every white man he sees.

If you see a miniature totem pole, don't allow your dog to piss on it. That just releases undead talking and murder-loving turkeys from their dark sleep. I usually dislike movies that set out to be funny, but this is a movie that has a turkey wear Groucho glasses to sneak its way past someone who doesn't even noticed that they are speaking with a zombie ghost turkey.

Shot during the summer break between director Jordan Downey and writer Kevin Stewart's junior and senior year of college - Brad Schulz also wrote the script - the team went on to make The Head Hunter as well as an even wilder sequel.

This was to be called Death Turkey in countries that don't celebrate Thanksgiving. I love that title more than I can even write here.

A turkey uses a handgun. If you need more from film, you should really just be a grumpy old man.

Incredibly Funny!!!

[Pumpkin_Man · 10/10 · 1 September 2010]

I watched this with my friends a few hours ago, and we thought it was hilarious. I usually don't like low budget films, but this one had something special about it. It was so bad, so crazy, so weird, and so stupid, that it's actually a good movie to watch with your buds. My favorite character was by far The Killer Turkey because he is fowl-mouthed, had cheesy one-liners, and was so silly. During Thanksgiving break, some college friends are going home, but they end up out in the woods with a killer Turkey who wants to kill them. The Turkey was summoned by an ancient Indian curse, and the group need to find a library about 'Killer Turkeys' in order to figure out how to kill him. I highly recommend THANKSKILLING!!!

John Waters meets a killer turkey...

[rburton66 · 6/10 · 2 December 2009]

From the opening shot onward, there's a vile humor and manic energy in "ThanksKilling" comparable to John Waters' "Multiple Maniacs." It's obviously a slapdash effort with sloppy framing and a dire need for re-shoots in a handful of scenes, but there's still undeniable charm here. The self-referential scripting and sight gags feel unrefined, but successful camp requires some level of intelligence and this is as delightfully campy as killer turkey movies come. Despite casting that's not doing the film any favors, it ambles along undeterred from one one-liner to the next. That determination is admirable and thoroughly entertaining since the film's as able as it is eager to please.

55/100

To comment on this movie...I joined...

[peachs1984 · 1/10 · 26 November 2012]

Yes, I went into this willingly, KNOWING it would be a terrible movie. I just did not know it would be THE worst me and my sister have ever seen! I mean that in a good way, to a certain degree, as well. We make a goal to seek out terrible movies, because you get The best lines out of them. We watched ThanksKilling the night before Thanksgiving this year, and we just...we use the lines. The horrible, tacky lines, and laugh maniacally about it.

I'm sitting in my office now, laughing about the terrible lines. I LOVED the turkey's voice, he had the best lines ever and best voice to match it. I just have to know why people signed up to do this, because it kind of made my year. Well...maybe not that but, it has certainly left me with some good lines & laughs.