The Further
Eli Roth’s ‘Thanksgiving’ Board Game from ‘Stop the Killer’ Rewards You for Getting Killed! [Trailer]
First it was a fake trailer. And then it became a real movie. Now, Eli Roth’s throwback slasher hit Thanksgiving is getting an official board game adaptation from Stop the Killer!
In Thanksgiving: John Carver’s Carving Board Game from Stop the Killer Games, players start by attending an in-store Black Friday sale that gets way out of hand, with people dying in horrific ways in every aisle. But things go from bad to worse because a killer wearing a John Carver mask is also on the loose murdering the townsfolk in droves…
Unlike the movie, you are rewarded for dying… A LOT! The player who dies the most is revealed to be John Carver, triggering a final battle between the rest of the players and Carver!
Who will win? And more importantly, will they be thankful for their victory?
Exclusively watch the official trailer for Thanksgiving: John Carver’s Carving Board Game below, which was written by and directed by Nate Ragon. Nate tells us, “Working on this game has been the most fun so far with Stop the Killer Games, and doing the trailer was an added bonus! From day one I envisioned it to be a sort of throwback to the original Thanksgiving trailer from Grindhouse, and I think we definitely nailed that style.”
Based on Eli Roth’s movie, the official board game is designed by Roth and Jon Cohn, produced by Anthony Masi and Nate Ragon, with illustrations by Zachary Jackson Brown.
Eli Roth said in a statement to Bloody Disgusting, “When we started production on Thanksgiving, Jeff Rendell gave me the board game Silent Night, Deadly Night. I had it in my office during shooting, I thought it was so hilarious and perverse, we actually said, ‘What if we made a board game out of Thanksgiving?’ By complete coincidence, the team at Stop the Killer reached out to me after the film was released, and I said not only do I want to do it, I had specifically been thinking about all the things we could do if we were ever to make one.”
“I worked with the incredible team of game masters, writers, designers, and horror uber-fans to come up with something that was not only fun, but was playable multiple times with different ridiculous results,” Roth continues. “I dreamed of making a game that you could play after you watched the movie, or if you wanted to live in the world of the game and go deeper into the strange characters and twisted killings, you can go inside the film through the game. I wanted real participation not just in trying to win, but in audience creativity. If you’re good at coming up with great kills, you just might be able to survive John Carver’s Carving Board. I was deeply involved in every aspect of the game, and wanted something that could ruin any family Thanksgiving gathering.”
Game designer Jon Cohn adds, “Eli laid out three very clear mandates for the game: create the most offensive holiday game ever, make it easy enough for Grandma to learn, and make sure Grandma absolutely hates it. I’ve made a number of licensed games in my career, but this was the first time I had a chance to co-design a project alongside the actual creator. Eli has been an incredible collaborator on this game, he’s been dedicated every step of the way to push the experience into something tailor-made for anyone who is a fan of Thanksgiving. In every meeting, Eli has been incredibly supportive of the game’s direction, and is always ready with an idea to elevate the game to the next level. He even went as far as writing an entire deck of trivia cards specifically for players visiting McCarty’s Party (the only safe place in Plymouth)!
“During each round, one player assumes the role of John Carver, then acts as Judge, Jury, and Executioner as the rest of the players take their turns. Those players will be prompted to provide the most outrageous, gory, and gross answers possible, leaving it up to the current Carver player to choose who dies at any given moment. One of the hardest aspects of making games based on horror films is figuring out how to deal with the fact that there’s a murderer going around killing all of the characters you’re supposed to be playing as. Thanks to Eli’s mandate, I came up with an idea that’s sort of the opposite experience of most horror games. In Thanksgiving, you actually WANT to die… a lot!”
Stop the Killer Games’ Anthony Masi tells us, “Since starting this board game company in 2022, I’ve been able to help create games based on some of favorite horror movies, and most of them have been with our partner company, Fright Rags. With their help, we were able to fast-track the Thanksgiving game and completely design it and test it in record time, which will enable us to release it in November of this year. To get 10% off and 3 Limited Edition stickers, go to www.stopthekiller.com and use code NOLEFTOVERS!”
You can pre-order the Thanksgiving board game now, shipping November 2024!
“My name is John Carpenter. I direct horror movies.” One year after receiving his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, John Carpenter was on hand at the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony for actor Keith David yesterday, who of course worked with Carpenter on the legendary 1980s horror movies The Thing and They Live.
Keith David was honored with the 2,847th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on June 4 at 11:30 am PT. David received his star in the category of Motion Pictures. Joining emcee Ryan Bathe were Mayor Karen Bass, Lynn Whitfield, John Carpenter and John C. McGinley.
John Carpenter raved that Keith David is “an astonishing actor,” and both Carpenter’s speech and Keith David’s speech have made their way onto YouTube thanks to MaximoTV.
“I am trying to come up with a way to sum up Keith,” Carpenter told the crowd. “And I would say grace. That sums up the character of Keith David. My friend, I love you very much.”
“You deserve this,” Carpenter ended his quick speech.
“This for me has been an incredible year,” Keith David said during his own speech. “Today I turn 7-0. All my life I wanted to be an actor. I had a dream. And I got to pursue that dream. What you’re bearing witness to today is a man living his dream. Today is a great day. Filled with gratitude and blessings overflowing. But even on my not-so-great days, I’m still living my dream.”
You can watch the speeches from John Carpenter and Keith David below, along with the full live-streamed presentation of the ceremony honoring David with his Walk of Fame star.
From the official Hollywood Walk of Fame blog…
Keith David, born and raised in New York City, is a classically trained graduate of New York’s High School of Performing Arts and the Juilliard School. His work has earned him Screen Actors Guild and Tony Award nominations, as well as an NAACP Image Award and three Emmy Awards.
A frequent collaborator with documentarian Ken Burns, David has won three Emmys for his voiceover performances in Jackie Robinson, The War, and Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson. Keith also lent his narrational expertise to the documentaries Muhammad Ali and Leonardo da Vinci by Ken Burns, as well as the forthcoming Crime & Punishment in America.
Keith has enthralled viewers with his vocal talents in animated works such as The Princess and the Frog, Gargoyles, Hazbin Hotel, Rick and Morty, and the highly anticipated spinoff President Curtis. Keith appeared in the Oscar-winning film American Fiction, Nope, and classics such as Platoon, They Live, and The Thing. He is also known for his prolific work in films such as There’s Something About Mary, Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice, and the upcoming My New Friend Jim.
On the small screen, Keith co-stars in the FX series The Lowdown with Ethan Hawke, and completed five seasons starring as Bishop James Greenleaf in Greenleaf. He has also been featured in series such as Abbott Elementary and Community.
True to his reputation as an icon of stage and screen, Keith starred as Floyd Barton in Seven Guitars, was nominated for a Tony for his role as Chimney Man in Jelly’s Last Jam, and has toured with Too Marvelous for Words, playing the legendary Nat King Cole. Fulfilling a lifelong dream, Keith released a jazz album in February of 2026.
Keith’s philanthropic work includes supporting such charities as Inner City Youth Orchestra of L.A.. the Black Theatre Network, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Harvest Home L.A. and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).
“Keith David has brought unforgettable characters to life throughout his extraordinary career, and it feels especially fitting that his Hollywood Walk of Fame star sits beside Nat King Cole’s — an artist he once portrayed with such grace and reverence. It’s a beautiful full-circle moment honoring two legendary talents,” said Ana Martinez, Producer, Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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