John Waters would love ‘The Last Thanksgiving’ [Salem Horror Fest]

A review of the new horror film, at the Salem Horror Festival

Slasher movies that take place on specific holidays are a tried-and-true genre classic, stretching all the way back to Black Christmas and Halloween. Not so coincidentally, those are probably the two holidays that serve as the setting more than any other. Thanksgiving, on the other hand, is under-represented; give or take a Thanks-killing and a Hulu Into the Dark original or two, there aren’t many slashers set on Turkey Day.

Enter The Last Thanksgiving, Erick Lorinc’s new film premiering this month at the Salem Horror Fest, which aims to fill the Thanksgiving slasher void. The film is a love letter to classic low-budget Halloween ripoffs, a zany, madcap excuse for some crowd-pleasing splatter, some belly laughs, and some real leap-out-of-your-seat frights.

The heroine is Lisa-Marie (Samantha Ferrand), an unpleasant, bratty diner waitress who lives at home with her parents and is miserable about having to work on Thanksgiving. At first I was put off by the character and the performance, but within minutes it’s clear that the over-the-top abrasiveness of the character is fully intentional and, in fact, deeply hilarious. It’s a character and a performance that would make John Waters…