Where Was Thanksgiving Filmed? 2023 Horror Movie’s Filming Locations Explained

Directed by Eli Roth, 2023’s Thanksgiving taps into the dark undercurrent of the titular holiday. In doing so, Roth creates a New England-based slasher film that feels true to its subject — even if Thanksgiving wasn’t exclusively filmed in locations like Plymouth, Massachusetts. The idea for the splatter-horror hit stemmed from Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s 2007 film Grindhouse, which features several fictitious movie trailers. Given Roth’s horror expertise, he was tapped to create one of the in-film trailers. Afterward, the Hostel director couldn’t shake the idea of turning Thanksgiving into a feature film all its own.

Appropriately set in Plymouth, Massachusetts — the very place the Mayflower pilgrims docked in 1620 — Thanksgiving initially chronicles a Black Friday sale gone terribly wrong. Post-Thanksgiving dinner, would-be customers flock to the local RightMart superstore. Eager to land deals on waffle irons and other big-ticket items, the crowd is enraged when Jessica Wright, whose father owns RightMart, lets her friends into the superstore early. The resulting stampede of frenzied shoppers causes multiple deaths, which encourages Thanksgiving‘s John Carver mask-wearing killer to seek revenge on Jessica and her friends the following year.

Thanksgiving Filmed Several Big Scenes In Canada’s Hamilton & Toronto, Ontario

Black Creek Pioneer Village Helps Bring Thanksgiving’s John Carver House To Life

Since a Black Friday riot in the birthplace of the titular holiday kicks off Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving, it’s easy to assume the filmmaker shot exclusively in Massachusetts. Initially, Roth had planned to film in Plymouth, Massachusetts, but the project fell through. When he eventually returned to Thanksgiving, Roth and his team traded “America’s hometown” for Ontario, Canada. In particular, Hamilton, Ontario makes a significant appearance in the slasher film. A port city on the western edge of Lake Ontario, Hamilton, Ontario is home to Waterdown District High School — a location that figures prominently into Thanksgiving (and, likely, Thanksgiving 2).

One of Thanksgiving‘s other major shooting sites is Toronto — a Canadian city that’s often referred to as “Hollywood North.” Much like Vancouver, Toronto is home to many Hollywood productions; in the past, horror films like Chucky have been shot on location in the Canadian city. The capital city of Ontario, Toronto, is nestled on the northwestern edge of Lake Ontario and boasts several production studios and soundstages. Additionally, the Black Creek Pioneer Village — a tourist attraction that re-creates an 1860s Canadian village — was evidently used to portray the film’s John Carver House location (via Alamy).

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Hanmer & Port Perry, Ontario Also Served As Thanksgiving Filming Locations

Canadian Stand-Ins For Small-Town Massachusetts

While it may not be New England, the greater Toronto area boasts plenty of great stand-ins. Thanksgiving writer Jeff Rendell visited Plymouth, Massachusetts while penning the screenplay. While there, Rendell learned about Cordage Park and the area’s haunting tunnel system. “We found [Ontario’s] Port Perry, which was a really nice double for Plymouth,” Roth told The Boston Globe. Situated in the township of Scugog, Port Perry’s Queen Street evokes the small-town New England feel that Roth was so eager to capture. Additionally, Thanksgiving‘s cast of characters also shot scenes in the small, nearby community of Hanmer.

Concord, Massachusetts Appears In Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving

The Historic Main Streets Of Concord & Andover Just Can’t Be Replicated

Reportedly, the Thanksgiving film crew did lense some establishing shots in Plymouth, Massachusetts. However, the on-site filming that took place at Plymouth’s Cordage Museum was ultimately cut from the horror flick. Still, Roth and his team didn’t exclude Massachusetts altogether. While even Thanksgiving‘s ending, which is partially set at the fictitious John Carver House, wasn’t shot in Massachusetts, the crew did film around Concord, Massachusetts’ historic town center and Main Street, as well as in nearby Andover, Massachusetts. The Bay State may not have been a crucial filming location, but Thanksgiving still serves up a quintessential New England feel.

Sources: Alamy, The Boston Globe