Holiday-themed slashers have always been around, but they seem to be undergoing a resurgence within the last year. In 2023 alone, we got two holiday slashers back to back with Eli Roth‘s surprise smash hit, Thanksgiving, and the Justin Long-starring twist on a yuletide classic, It’s a Wonderful Knife. By the end of this month, the subgenre will be hitting a hat trick with an all-new satirical slasher in the form of Founders Day.
Directed by She Came From the Woods filmmaker Erik Bloomquist, Founders Day sees a seemingly innocent and ordinary town terrorized by a masked figure who takes the titular holiday just a bit too seriously. Donning a blood-red mask and a Revolutionary War-era wig, the motivations of this violent serial killer aren’t precisely known. Still, it’s abundantly clear that their heinous acts of slaughter are somehow connected to the town’s upcoming mayoral election.
To find out where and how you can see the red, white, and blue colors of mayhem and chaos, here is where you can watch Founders Day.
Founders Day
A small town is shaken by a series of ominous killings in the days leading up to a heated mayoral election.
- Release Date
- January 19, 2024
- Director
- Erik Bloomquist
- Cast
- Naomi Grace , Devin Druid , William Russ , Amy Hargreaves
- Runtime
- 106 minutes
- Writers
- Erik Bloomquist , Carson Bloomquist
When is the Release Date for ‘Founders Day’?
Technically speaking, Founders Day already took place on November 28th. Still, it’s better late than never for the Founders Day film, which will be slashing it’s way through theaters starting Friday, January 19th, 2024. This marks the film’s official theatrical release date following its festival run, where it screened at the Popcorn Frights Film Festival, FrightFest London, the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, and the San Sebastián Horror and Fantasy Film Festival.
Is ‘Founders Day’ in Theaters?
As per the murder-filled trailer, Founders Day will be wreaking patriotic pandemonium exclusively in theaters. The film will undoubtedly be getting a streaming and/or VOD release sometime within the next few months after the film’s theatrical run concludes.
Find Showtimes for ‘Founders Day’
To find out if Founders Day is playing in a theater near you, look at the links below to find out and buy your tickets in advance. Keep in mind that Founders Day is a limited theatrical release, so there’s a chance you may need to venture beyond your frequent movie theater to find a showing for the film.
Watch the Trailer for ‘Founders Day’
The first trailer for Founders Day was released by Mainframe Pictures on November 13th, just about a week before the actual Founders Day holiday. The trailer begins with a young woman closing up a movie theater, all while she’s clearly shaken by the recent killings in her small town. Turns out, she has every reason to be concerned, as the wigged killer is lurking in her derelict theater. The rest of the trailer shows that this new mascot for murder is going on a full-blown killing spree as this humble town prepares for the deadliest Founders Day of their entire lives.
What is ‘Founders Day’ About?
The official plot synopsis of Founders Day reads as follows:
“In this satirical political slasher, a small town is shaken by a series of ominous killings in the days leading up to a heated mayoral election. As accusations fly and the threat of a masked killer darkens every street corner, the residents must race to uncover the truth before fear consumes the town.”
Other Holiday Slashers Like ‘Founders Day’ You Can Watch Right Now
Halloween (1978)
Calling John Carpenter‘s Halloween a holiday slasher almost feels like cheating. Not only is it quite possibly the most influential horror film ever made, but it’s also widely credited as one of the first-ever entries into the slasher genre. Still, with its Halloween setting, this iconic masterpiece still qualifies in the holiday-slasher category. Here, horror movie legend Michael Myers (Tony Moran) escapes his insane asylum to punish promiscuous teenagers, one of them being a shy babysitter named Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis). Of course, the original 1978 would go on to inspire a massive franchise consisting of a grand total of 13 films, including three reboots. The quality of the films has occasionally been up and down, but the original Halloween film holds up to this day as one of the best and most important horror films ever made. Halloween is available to stream on Shudder.
Watch on Shudder
Thanksgiving (2023)
Hostel director Eli Roth made one of the most entertaining slashers of 2023 with Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving-themed horror movies are somewhat a rare find these days, and Roth’s film perfectly encapsulates all the best and worst aspects of the American holiday. Much like Founders Day, Thanksgiving also sees a small town become tormented by a killer obsessed with the titular holiday (and historical figure John Carver), as he prepares a Thanksgiving Day feast that is absolutely to die for. Though the identity of this historical killer is admittedly fairly obvious, Thanksgiving is still a bountiful treat that is filled to the brim with absurd comedy, thrilling scares, and over-the-top kills. Thanksgiving is available to rent or buy on Apple TV.
Watch on Apple TV
It’s a Wonderful Knife (2023)
From the writer of Freaky comes It’s a Wonderful Knife, which is much closer to the movie it’s satirizing than you may think. One Christmas season, tragedy strikes Winnie Carruthers (Jane Widdop) as a masked murderer known as “The Angel” kills her best friend. For the next year, Winnie is unable to move on and wishes she had never been born, leading her to wake up in an alternate timeline where she never existed, and The Angel runs rampant. With the help of a fellow outcast from the town, Bernie (Jess McLeod), Winnie will hopefully be able to find a way home and put this homicidal angel to rest once and for all. It’s a Wonderful Knife is available to stream on Shudder.
Watch on Shudder
