8 horror movies about holiday gatherings gone wrong in honor of Thanksgiving

If tensions are on the rise this Thanksgiving then give everyone a chance to blow off some steam by watching a horror movie, or at least a psychological thriller.

While there aren't many Thanksgiving-inspired horror films, there are plenty that involve family or friendship gatherings going terribly wrong. For those who aren't planning to entertain children for the holiday and instead have a group of adults to entertain, you can't go wrong by shaking things up with something a little scary.

You're Next (2011)

You're Next doesn't take place on Thanksgiving, but it manifests a similar chaotic energy when a family who hates each other gathers to celebrate a wedding anniversary. Their night soon devolves into chaos when a group of crossbow-wielding attackers wearing animal masks break into the house and start killing off the dinner guests one by one.

The Invitation (2015)

A grieving father has no idea what he's walked into when he invites his new girlfriend to attend a dinner party hosted by his newly remarried ex-wife. After their son died, Will and Eden divorced, with Eden soon connecting with someone new she meets in a mysterious and cult-like support group known as "The Invitation." For fans of Speak No Evil.

Silent Night (2021)

Matthew Goode and Keira Knightley star in this darkly comedic apocalyptic thriller about a group of friends reuniting for their annual Christmas dinner that happens to be on the cusp of an apocalyptic environmental threat in the form of a poisonous gas slowly wiping out all living beings.

Coherence (2013)

The arrival of a rare comet turns a dinner party amongst friends into a surreal nightmare. Strange, mysterious, and unexpected, Coherence is a mind-bending psychological film that might be very fitting for a "Friendsgiving" gathering. You just might want to avoid looking up at the sky afterward.

Krampus (2015)

The next time your family's fighting gets so intense that you can't get a word in edgewise, consider using the demonic figure of folklore, Krampus, to stop them. In this 2015 film starring Toni Collette and Adam Scott, a 15-year-old boy's lack of festive cheer summons the ancient beast and his horde of evil creatures to punish his family.

The Visit (2015)

This 2015 M. Night Shyamalan movie sees two siblings stay with their grandparents for a five-day visit that turns into the stuff of nightmares. Throughout their stay, kids Becca and Tyler witness Nana and Pop Pop doing strange and unexplainable things at night, like crawling on all fours in the crawl space or trying to break into their room with a knife.

Thanksgiving (2023)

For those looking for a horror movie that actually takes place on or around Thanksgiving, you're in luck. Eli Roth's 2023 slasher comedy is destined to become an annual rewatch for many. A killer donning a John Carver mask starts terrorizing the residents of Plymouth, Massachusetts, one year after a Black Friday riot resulted in the deaths of many. You'll never look at turkey the same way again.

Ready or Not (2019)

A wedding day turns into a literal nightmare for Grace (Samara Weaving) when she learns that her new husband's family enjoys playing twisted games. Leaving the game of choice up to chance, Grace gets particularly unlucky with a round of hide and seek, but the twist is that these people aren't just looking to "seek" Grace, but they must actively kill her before sunrise to avoid the consequences of a familial curse.