My quick rating – 4.5/10. Derelicts takes the classic Thanksgiving-gone-wrong setup and throws it into a blender with grindhouse grime, pitch-black humor, and a family so dysfunctional you start wondering whether the homicidal vagrants invading their home might actually be the more stable option. Brett Glassberg kicks things off with a hilariously crass opener that immediately sets the tone – this is a movie that wants you uncomfortable and amused at the same time, and it succeeds right away. The family’s dynamics are established quickly: everyone hates each other, everyone is miserable, and dinner hasn’t even been served yet. Honestly, the invaders crashing their night might be the first interesting thing to happen to them in years.
The villains themselves are surprisingly effective thanks to a cast that leans hard into the menace. Their introduction, kidnapping party guests, and letting GPS do the rest is exactly the kind of chaotic logic this film thrives on. Once the home invasion begins, Derelicts becomes a brutal, sometimes absurd psychological takedown of its suburban targets. The movie has a 70s grindhouse look and feel, complete with a hilariously fake storm filter that I couldn’t stop laughing at. And yes, this film earns the award for Most Creative Use of a Penis Pump in Horror. Didn’t know that category existed? It does now.
The practical gore is handled cleverly, using angles and cuts to stretch the budget without feeling cheap. Among the pack of maniacs, Bo (Kara Mellyn) easily steals the entire movie. She’s unhinged in a way that feels both theatrical and terrifying, and every scene she’s in gets an immediate energy spike. The plot is more of a loose framework than a fully formed narrative since most of the film is simply watching this miserable family get psychologically dismantled room by room.
A mid-invasion discovery on Gregg’s (David Lee Hess) phone reveals he’s juggling a mistress, so naturally, Morgan (Marcela Pineda) is invited to join the festivities. Because if your Thanksgiving isn’t already a nightmare, why not add adultery to the menu? This all nudges his wife Constance (Kelly Dealyn) right over the edge, and truthfully she was already wobbling there long before anyone broke into the house. The tonal influence of Rob Zombie’s Firefly trilogy is unmistakable; this feels like a dollar-store, DIY cousin of The Devil’s Rejects – but Glassberg clearly understands what makes that brand of chaos fun.
The ending, while serviceable, stumbles into one of horror’s oldest sins: characters achieving the upper hand and then… just standing around. When you’re holding the larger weapons and your enemies are basically two seconds from killing each other, maybe don’t admire the scenery. Still, what’s a horror movie without a few idiot moves and some armchair second-guessing?
Derelicts won’t become your annual Thanksgiving horror tradition, but fans of home-invasion flicks and grindhouse-style nastiness might enjoy giving it a spin at least once.
