Eli Roth's Thanksgiving Gives Addison Rae A Lead Role

15 years after Eli Roth's fake trailer "Thanksgiving" debuted as a part of Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino's "Grindhouse," the slasher is finally coming to feature film fruition. The film is in talks to have Patrick "McDreamy" Dempsey to star in an undisclosed role, but thanks to a recent report from Deadline, the "Disenchanted" star won't be alone for long. TikTok star and the leading lady of "He's All That," Addison Rae, has been tapped to join the cast in a leading role.

The original "Thanksgiving" trailer was shot like a throwback slasher about a killer who made his own carving board out of victims in a small New England town that celebrates the holiday with a little bit too much enthusiasm. There's no telling where Dempsey or Rae will fit into the fold, but considering she snagged a multi-million dollar deal with Netflix, it's doubtful Rae's presence will be small. Will she be a final girl? A screaming victim? What hell hath Eli Roth wrought?

Look, it's really easy to dunk on influencer types like Addison Rae, but after watching "He's All That," a film that we lovingly described as "an algorithm trying to disguise itself as a high school rom-com," it's clear she knows how to bring the big performances usually seen in an Eli Roth movie. I don't think anyone on the planet has ever described a Roth film like "Hostel" or "The Green Inferno" as "restrained," which makes Rae a perfect candidate. Honestly, if Roth brings the same kind of energy he had for "Knock Knock," this casting is downright inspired.

The horror sphere has been dominated by trauma vehicles as of late, but after the successes of films like "Malignant," "M3GAN," and now "Cocaine Bear," there's been a well-welcomed swing into "fun horror" films again. Roth's slasher films, while certainly not for everyone, have always had plenty of goofy popcorn moments. Take "Cabin Fever" for example, a film that made shaving your legs a terrifying experience. Honestly, having a TikTok star like Addison Rae in a slasher film is pretty perfect.

There's also then the thought that her participation might help birth a new legion of horror fans. Not to pass judgment on anyone, but I don't perceive there to be a lot of overlap on the Venn diagram of "horror fans" and "Addison Rae's followers." Perhaps her casting will inspire folks who would otherwise never step foot in the theater for a slasher film to step a bit outside of their comfort zone.

"Thanksgiving" is expected to begin shooting in March 2023 in Toronto.