As horror fans celebrate the debut of “Thanksgiving” hitting theaters this weekend, audiences are already wondering if director Eli Roth has plans to return for a “Thanksgiving 2.”
The Newton native revealed to the Globe that he hopes there’s an appetite for a second course of the Plymouth-set slasher flick, but its future depends on how fans receive the first film, which debuts in theaters Nov. 17.
“I would love to,” Roth said in a recent Zoom interview. “I had such a great time in that world. I have a lot more to say, but that’s up to the fans.”
According to Roth, pressure from fans is how the idea for “Thanksgiving” transformed into a real film after initially being created as just a fake trailer featured in “Grindhouse,” the 2007 double featured by Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Following years of fan questions, Roth finally created 2023′s “Thanksgiving,” which stars Patrick Dempsey, Nell Verlaque, Addison Rae, Rick Hoffman, and Gina Gershon.
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Aside from creating the most Massachusetts horror movie ever, Roth’s goal with “Thanksgiving” was to “fill the November movie gap,” as he hates having to wait months in between scary movie releases once Halloween is over.
“I remember being so depressed Nov. 1 when all those Christmas and family movies started,” Roth said. “I have to wait until January or February for another horror movie to come out.”
Roth just hopes that fans will give the new franchise and its masked villain John Carver a chance.
“If people come out and they go see the movie, I will dive back in and I will try to outdo myself with a sequel,” he said.
Matt Juul can be reached at matt.juul@globe.com.