ThanksKilling

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.

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.

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)

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.

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