Pilgrim is a Thanksgiving horror film produced by Blumhouse as part of its Into the Dark anthology series where each film is based on a holiday. The 2019 film is a disturbing dark comedy about a blended family that invites pilgrim reenactors to live in their home over the Thanksgiving holiday. If you’re a horror fan, it’s sure to become one of your favorites for the holiday!
Pilgrim Synopsis
A stepmother with the goal of bonding with her family and impressing her friends hires pilgrim reenactors to create an authentic Thanksgiving experience. The rest of the family welcomes the pilgrims begrudgingly, with the oldest daughter’s reaction best described as “seriously sus.” Needless to say, her suspicions are warranted as the pilgrims become squatters who refuse to break character. And that’s just the beginning of the family’s Thanksgiving holiday.
Pilgrim cast
The cast includes (in order below): Reign Edwards, who you might recognize from Hell Fest; Peter Giles, a name Unhuman fans will know; and Elyse Levesque, who also appeared in the horror comedy Ready or Not.
Why you should check it out
Pilgrim is an underrated holiday horror classic — one I watch every Thanksgiving with my family. You’ll thrill over the movie’s creative kills and feel for its endearing characters. And there’s a chuckle or two to be had. Instead of focusing on the killers and their backstory, Pilgrim concentrates on the family and their reconnection that sparks as they come together to survive. All in all, it’s kills are just as creative as their jokes, and their execution (pun intended) of both are perfect.
Jump scares
If you’re looking for lots of jump scares, Pilgrim is not the flick. But the movie doesn’t need jump scares to be top-notch horror. While Pilgrim does have a couple cheap jump scares, it certainly doesn’t rely on these to convey the horror or as a prelude to the kills.
Best line of the movie
“Did we just murder, as a family?”
Where to watch
Pilgrim is available on Hulu.
Kill Count Analysis
If you haven’t seen Kill Count, now is a great time to start — keeping in mind it includes spoilers. Kill Count is a YouTube channel hosted by James A. Janisse, who counts the kills in horror movies. Janisse also ranks the kills by on a range of “Dull Machete” to “Golden Chainsaw.” Since the videos contain spoilers, we recommend watching Janisse in Kill Count after watching the movie.
More about Into the Dark horror anthology
There are two seasons of Into the Dark, with the last installment in 2021. Each movie in the horror anthology is based on a holiday. For instance, the movie “Pooka!” is Christmas horror, and “Culture Shock” a Fourth of July horror. All of the Into the Dark movies are available on Hulu.
Check out Sunshine City Scare, a new breed of horror convention coming to St. Petersburg
St. Petersburg will soon get its first-ever horror convention – Sunshine City Scare, set for May 13-14, 2023, at the Coliseum and surrounding areas. It’s a new breed of horror convention that broadens the definition of a traditional horror con by going beyond movie horror and adding anime horror, video game horror, and comic book horror. The event will feature 20 nationally-known guests, 50 hours of programming, and 5 contests with $2,000 in cash prizes that includes 2 cosplay contests, a TikTok Film Festival, a lip sync contest, and a fan art contest. Early bird tickets for the family-friendly event start at $25. And vendor booths are available.
Need help finding cons in Florida?
Florida Comic Cons is a news site that covers conventions and cosplayers in The Sunshine State. The Con Calendar is a curated calendar of comic, anime, horror, and other pop-culture conventions to keep you, the fandom, informed and apprised. The event listings include con info as well as helpful links for things like buying tickets and registering as a vendor.
