CARVE

This author possesses a gift for imagery and detail that has produced some tremendous moments within this current draft. The unrepentant gore is unusually visceral thanks to the skillful action description, and one need look no further than CARVE’s use of fingernails to see this story’s grisly potential. There is something quite beautiful about the conceptual notion of transforming Thanksgiving and the classically unintelligent image of a turkey into pure nightmare fuel, and the script’s brutally realistic violence and impressively well-detailed world are both unexpected.

Excerpt from Austin Film Festival

This is a near-model example of slasher film that displays a mastery of the craft. With its high concept, contained location, and the fact that it makes turkeys scary, it should have great commercial appeal. The best aspect is that it largely fulfills and elevates Eli Roth’s fake “Grindhouse” trailer for “Thanksgiving.” The writing is highly cinematic, with descriptions that are suitably short and visually evocative. The story is both funny and suspenseful, with twists and reversals at every turn. All the expected genre elements are here, including the well-named and truly terrifying villains. The characters react and behave believably throughout, and each one has clear personality traits that create hilarious conflicts with each other. Gerald, in particular, has a great Archie Bunker vibe that surprisingly never becomes irritating and manages to seem three-dimensional even despite being over the top. There’s very little to suggest in terms of improving the script for what it is. This seems quite marketable and ready for production as it is. The goal is more than met already and shows a promising talent. Well done.

Accolades