Naman Shrestha
With Eli Roth occupying the director’s chair, ‘Thanksgiving’ is a slasher thriller movie that is based on Roth’s eponymous mock trailer from ‘Grindhouse,’ making it the third feature film to be inspired by one of the mock trailers in the 2007 horror comedy movie. The narrative begins with the chaotic and tragic end to a Black Friday riot in the birthplace of Thanksgiving — the town of Plymouth — after which a mysterious masked killer “John Carver” begins to terrorize the inhabitants of the town.
As the killer starts taking various victims one after the other, it is soon revealed that instead of being random revenge killings, his pattern is part of a much more sinister and larger holiday plan. As the killer’s intention to create a Thanksgiving carving board out of his victims becomes clearer with each kill, will the residents of the town be able to uncover the identity of the killer and survive the holiday? The gory and graphic visuals are set against the backdrop of Plymouth, Massachusetts, making the audience wonder where ‘Thanksgiving’ was filmed.
Thanksgiving Filming Locations
‘Thanksgiving’ was filmed in Ontario and Massachusetts, especially in Toronto, Hamilton, Port Perry, Hanmer, Plymouth, and seemingly in Concord and Andover. According to reports, the production of the Eli Roth directorial got underway in March 2023 and wrapped up in over a month or so, in April 2023. Just three months prior to the release, the cast and crew conducted a few reshoots in the last week of August of the same year.
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto is one of the major shooting sites of ‘Thanksgiving.’ Nestled on the northwestern edge of Lake Ontario in the southeastern part of Great White North, it is the capital city of the province of Ontario. The cosmopolitan city is one of the leading destinations for film and TV productions not only in North America but across the world. What makes Toronto a thriving center for filmmaking is that it is home to several production studios; is packed with locations that have the potential to stand in for different destinations; boasts favorable weather year round; has highly efficient actors and technicians in abundance; and provides lucrative tax benefits, among other things.
Owing to the aforementioned factors, it is understandable why the production team of ‘Thanksgiving’ chose Toronto to tape the slasher film set around Thanksgiving. Over the years, the city has produced hundreds of movies and television shows; thus, earning the colloquialism “Hollywood North,” which it shares with the port city of Vancouver. Apart from ‘Thanksgiving,’ Toronto has doubled up as the filming site for several productions, such as ‘Chucky’ and ‘American Psycho.’
Hamilton, Ontario
For the purpose of filming, the cast and crew members of the Eli Roth directorial also moved to the port city of Hamilton on the western edge of Lake Ontario. A few places in Hamilton, particularly the Waterdown District High School at 215 Parkside Drive in Waterdown served as the locations for lensing a few sequences of ‘Thanksgiving.’ Around the time of filming, there were reports of sheriff cruisers and an American flag being spotted on the set. Widely renowned as the home of over 100 cascading waterfalls, Hamilton is known for its scenic beauty, vibrant culture, thriving art scene, rich history, pleasant weather, and enriching culinary experiences.
Other Locations in Ontario
Additional portions of ‘Thanksgiving’ were also recorded in other places across Ontario, including the community of Port Perry, which is situated in the township of Scugog. Specifically, the cast and crew members took over Queen Street in Port Perry and taped some key scenes. Moreover, Hanmer is yet another community that served as a filming site for the movie.
Massachusetts
Since the story is based in the town of Plymouth, it is only natural for the production team of ‘Thanksgiving’ to lens some sequences on location, including the establishing shots of the town. Besides that, it seems that the towns of Concord and Andover also hosted the production of the slasher film.
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