There is no ThanksKilling 2
ThanksKilling is a 2007 American horror comedy film directed and written by Jordan Downey, and co-written by Brad Schulz, Tony Wilson, Grant Yaffee, and Kevin Stewart. The film was followed by a sequel in 2012 called ThanksKilling 3
During Thanksgiving break, a homicidal turkey attacks college students.
Thankskilling is a low-budget horror comedy released in 2007 that has gained a cult following over the years. The plot revolves around a demonic turkey named Turkie who comes back to life after being hunted by the Pilgrims. He proceeds to murder a group of college students in gory ways during their Thanksgiving break.
The movie is intentionally ridiculous, with the villain Turkie cracking jokes and spouting profanity throughout the film. The turkey puppet used for Turkie is very cheap-looking, adding to the campy B-movie vibe. Most of the acting is over-the-top, including a scenery-chewing performance by General Lee Roy, who plays a crazy redneck named Billy.
Some of the more memorable death scenes include a topless woman being stuffed with stuffing, a man getting his face mashed into mashed potatoes, and another man getting a part of his head bitten off. The special effects are intentionally cheap and fake-looking.
Thankskilling gained attention for its outrageous premise, offensive humor, and abundance of gore effects. It was produced on a budget of only $3,500 by students at the University of Michigan. While it received very negative reviews, it has picked up a devoted cult following among horror comedy and B-movie fans over the years.
Here are some facts about the cult horror comedy Thankskilling:
- It was shot in 2007 by students at the University of Michigan on a budget of only $3,500.
- The film stars a demonic, wisecracking turkey puppet named Turkie as the villain.
- Thankskilling runs at just over 70 minutes long.
- The movie is intentionally campy and has very cheap production values, adding to its cult appeal.
- Most of the actors were amateurs or students at the time of filming.
- Memorable death scenes involve a woman getting stuffed with stuffing, a man’s face in mashed potatoes, and someone getting part of their head bitten off.
- Offensive and vulgar humor is used throughout the film, including profanity from the Turkie puppet.
- The film gained a cult following years after its release, developing into a “midnight movie.”
- Sequels were later released in 2010 and 2013 called Thankskilling 2 and Thankskilling 3 respectively.
- Director Jordan Downey has called it “the lowest budgeted film in history to have a sequel.”
- The movie’s poster parodies the famous promo image for the horror film Evil Dead.
In 2013, everyone’s favorite foul-mouthed homicidal turkey returned to the big screen in Thankskilling 3, the second sequel to the cult hit Thankskilling. For those unfamiliar with the Thankskilling franchise, it follows the exploits of Turkie, a demonic turkey who terrorizes groups of unsuspecting people on Thanksgiving.
This time around, Turkie is brought back to life once again, this time by a top-secret government experiment gone wrong. After the scientists lose control of him, Turkie goes on yet another killing rampage, hacking up everyone in his path. One of his victims includes a Seneca Crane-lookalike from The Hunger Games, which allows for plenty of mocking references aimed at the popular book/film series.
Like the previous installments, this sequel is intentionally ridiculous and over-the-top when it comes to its humor, gore, and low-budget production values. Some highlights include a rap battle between Turkie and a human-sized ham, and a scene involving the turkey shouting out famous movie lines before killing each victim.
While Thankskilling 3 received negative reviews, gross-out horror fans should enjoy its absurd brand of humor and impressive level of carnage considering the micro-budget. It may not be for everyone, but for those who like their holiday-themed horror flicks extra gory and offensive, you can’t go wrong with this twisted turkey of a trilogy. Gobble gobble!
