The Priest: Thanksgiving Massacre

Holiday horror does not get much more literal than this: a family at an isolated cabin for Thanksgiving, a location with a documented history of murder and cannibalism, and a Priest who declined to rest in peace. The film is entirely upfront about being a slasher built on a seasonal pun, arranging its victims around a table and letting the premise do the rest of the work. The mood is grimy and unpretentious, the kind of low-budget genre outing far more interested in the carnage than the character notes.

For viewers who make a tradition of holiday-themed horror and enjoy the cheap thrill of a themed body count. This is a beer-and-friends watch rather than a serious one, running a lean eighty-odd minutes and sensibly refusing to slow down. Set expectations at the level of the poster, invite people who will talk over it, and it does the job a Thanksgiving slasher is meant to do.