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| “ | If only you'd have been stuck on the fence a second longer. | „ |
| ~ Newlon revealed to be John Carver as he locks Jessica in his office. |
| “ | Mitch wasn't the only one who lost someone that night. My wife left me and Amanda put me back together, I loved her. She was gonna leave Mitch, but then you and your friends took her from me, you took my family from me. So now instead of spending thanksgiving with Amanda, I am stuck here in this office, and now so are you. | „ |
| ~ Newlon reveals that Amanda was his pregnant girlfriend and his motivation to Jessica.
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| “ | Now that I have your attention, you're probably wondering why you're still alive and they were all killed. They were just greedy, but you, you're the VIPs. It wasn't enough to get in the store early, you had to taunt everyone outside to show them how special you were. Well once this video goes viral, everyone will know how special you are, too bad you won't be alive to see it. This will be the most famous thanksgiving dinner since 1621, and every year people will watch this video, and think of your greed and the people who died from it. Now, let's eat. | „ |
| ~ Newlon using a voice modulator, explaining his reason for capturing Jessica, her father and her friends while they are tied up.
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Sheriff Eric Newlon, also known as John Carver, is the main antagonist of the 2023 film Thanksgiving and its upcoming sequel Thanksgiving 2.
He was the sheriff of Plymouth, Massachusetts. When his pregnant girlfriend Amanda was unintentionally and violently scalped to death by two enraged shoppers with two shopping carts as he watched, Newlon was left heartbroken and depressed. A year later, he secretly plans his revenge by stealing a John Carver mask and axe, aiming to murder all those he blames for Amanda's death, even those caught in the crossfire. He's also the former friend-turned archenemy of Jessica Wright.
As Eric Newlon, he was portrayed by Patrick Dempsey, who also portrayed Dylan Gould in Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Aaron Spencer in Dexter: Original Sin. While disguised as John Carver, he was portrayed by Dempsey, Alex Armbruster, Geoff Meech, Thomas Lorber and Milo Manheim, and voiced by Adam MacDonald.
Personality[]
At first, Newlon was a nice, polite and friendly man, even when doing his job as the sheriff. However he was unprincipled as he willingly had an affair with Amanda, despite her being already married, in order to fill the void in his lonely life. Though this is rather hypocritical as he was about to enact the same pain to Amanda’s husband, Mitch, in losing a spouse, which he already experienced.
But after Amanda’s death, it drove him to the brink of insanity, now pretending to be good, but in reality, he is now a sadistic, vengeful and merciless killer willing to brutally murder others just to avenge the deaths of Amanda herself and their unborn child. However, he's shown not to be completely heartless as after he killed Manny, he fed Manny's cat Dewey and then pet the cat before leaving, indicating that he has a soft spot for animals.
However, he showed no mercy to those who begged him not to kill him, and behaved as if he never heard pleas before. This ultimately became his undoing as Jess showed him no mercy back.
Appearance[]
He is usually wearing a police uniform. As John Carver, Newlon wears a John Carver mask and hat to conceal his identity, as well as a black boiler suit and black gloves. During the parade, he disguises himself in a black and white striped clown costume. After kidnapping Jessica, Kathleen, Thomas and Scuba and taking them to the Carver house, the John Carver mask is heavily burned when he places it on top of the oven, and switches to a plain John Carver mask.
Biography[]
Some time before the Black Friday riot, Eric Newlon was the Sheriff of Plymouth and good friends with many of the people he would later terrorize and kill. He was once married, but he and his wife split up, leaving him heartbroken. He found love again with Amanda Collins, his friend Mitch Collins’ wife, and began an affair with her. By November 2022, Amanda was pregnant and planning to leave Mitch for Newlon.
"Thanksgiving"[]
On Thanksgiving 2022, Sheriff Newlon responded to a scene at the early Black Friday sale held at RightMart, owned by Thomas Wright. Tension in the crowd outside had exploded into a crowd crush and riot, leaving at least three dead and many more injured. Amanda was among those killed having being scalped after her hair got stuck in shopping cart wheels, and Newlon saw her corpse immediately after her death, including the corpses of Doug and another man as well as Bobby's broken arm. An anguished Newlon stopped the riot by firing his pistol into the air.
Over the next year Newlon seethed over his loss and resolved to take revenge. He planned to kill everyone he blamed for the riot and Amanda’s death, however tenuous their connection. Most obviously, he targeted Thomas Wright and his wife Kathleen, who he blamed for holding the sale. A group of teenage friends - Jessica Wright, Bobby Di Stasi, Evan Fletcher, Gaby, Yulia, and Claude "Scuba" Dybing - had snuck in through an employee entrance and been seen by the crowd outside, inadvertently sparking the riot, and were thus targeted. Newlon also targeted Lonnie and his girlfriend Amy, who had ignited the riot by pointing the teens out to the crowd, as well as a security guard named Manny who had run away and a particularly violent shopper named Lizzie as well another shopper named Lionel. He was inspired by the YouTube video of the riot taken by Evan, which clearly identified many of the people involved, and used it to target victims. Before Thanksgiving of 2023, he set up an elaborate dungeon in the basement of the Carver house, a local historical landmark, and decided to disguise himself with a John Carver costume - the costume was extremely popular around Thanksgiving, making it harder to track him down.
Sheriff Newlon, as John Carver, began his attacks a few days before Thanksgiving 2023. He vandalized the Carver house and stole its axe, ruining a commercial that Thomas Wright had planned there and rendering it a crime scene to make it more accessible. He then tagged Jessica Wright’s friends in an ominous Instagram post of a Thanksgiving table. That night, Carver attacked Lizzie, the most violent rioter, at the diner where she worked after closing. He slashed her hand with a knife, dunked her in a sink and froze her to a freezer door with the intent to kill her with his axe, but she tore herself free and fled to the parking lot. There, he ran her down with her own car, chasing her into a dumpster. He ran into the dumpster and brought its lid fast and heavily down on her, cutting her in half at the waist. Carver displayed her lower half on the RightMart façade and took the upper half back to his Thanksgiving table.
As sheriff, Newlon was in charge of investigating the murders he himself committed as Carver, granting him inside knowledge and the trust of his targets. Over the next few days he would use this to his advantage, using his position to manipulate his intended victims. The next night, Carver attacked Manny, the security guard who had fled from the rioters. He broke into Manny’s home, gutting him with an electric knife and decapitating him with a garrotte. Before leaving, he fed Manny's cat: Dewey and then left. He took the head and set it at his table, taking a photo of it and tagging Jess in it on Instagram the next morning. To help with the investigation, Jess gave Newlon security footage from the riot, which her stepmother Kathleen had tried to hide. Unknown to her, Newlon used this to identify the other victims he wanted.
Carver carried out several attacks on November 22, the day before Thanksgiving. First he ambushed Lonnie, who had started the riot, and his girlfriend Amy at their high school, snapping the teen’s neck and stabbing Amy while she was bouncing on the trampoline before taking both their bodies from the scene. Some time later, he kidnapped Evan and Gabby from their high school after hours, then used Gabby’s phone to lure Jess to him. He attacked and pursued Jess with his axe, but she was able to escape to the police outside. After this, Yulia’s father decided to take her to Florida for her safety.
To prevent her escape, Carver broke into her house that night, where he first tranquilized the deputy guarding them, then Yulia’s father. He then attacked Yulia while she was on a video call with Jess and Scuba, gouging out her eardrums with corn holders. When Jess and Scuba arrived at Yulia’s house, they found Carver holding a knife to her throat. He showed them a live feed of a captive Evan and Gabby before throwing Yulia onto a circular saw and fleeing as she was disemboweled.
On Thanksgiving Day, Carver carried out the final stages of his revenge plan. Knowing that police were searching for an attacker in a John Carver costume, he briefly changed into a monster clown costume. He used this disguise to attack the Thanksgiving parade, decapitating Lionel, who was dressed as the parade’s turkey and had taken part in the riot a year ago. Carver then threw smoke grenades into the parade, with the smoke and panic from the decapitation causing car crashes that killed at least one other person. As Thomas, Kathleen, Jess, and Scuba fled to an empty police car, Carver followed them in and tranquilized them all before driving away through the chaos to the Carver house.
After tying up Thomas, Jess, Evan, and Scuba, Carver then took a semi conscious Kathleen and laid her on a serving plater before proceeding to baste and season her like a turkey. While Carver began to preheat the oven, Kathleen made an attempt to escape the house but failed after Carver impaled her with a pitchfork and dragged her back inside. He then placed Kathleen in the oven and stabbed her with a food thermometer as she died in the oven.
Carver then began a livestream as his remaining victims woke up where he used a voice changer to hide his identity. He proceeds to stab Amy's corpse with a corkscrew as he filled a wine glass with her blood which he placed on the table before presenting the "Turkey" at the table revealing Kathleen's headless corpse in the position of a turkey much to Thomas and Jess's horror. He then demanded that everyone give their thanks to which Evan refused, Carver then held him down in front of the camera stating that he had inspired him due to his video before taking a meat tenderizer and hitting Evan on the head multiple times killing him.
He then turned his attention to Thomas and states that as the V.I.P of the table he should get the first serving as Carver then began to serve Thomas a slice of Kathleen's thigh causing him to throw up, while distracted Jess (using a hidden blade in her ring) frees herself and Scuba and flee as Carver gives chase with his axe. After incapacitating Scuba, Carver went after Jess who manages to escape from the area.
Newlon then decides to go with his backup plan of framing Jess's ex Bobby, after kidnapping him and dressing him up as the Carver, he attempted to kill him but was knocked out after Bobby hits him with a tire iron, Jess then wakes Newlon up who states that Bobby is the Carver (After seeing him remove the mask Newlon put on him) Newlon then rushes into the warehouse where Bobby was last seen and shoots at him but misses as the police arrive.
Newlon demands Jess stay to take her statement of the events and she notices his dirt stained boots similar to the Carver's. Putting the pieces together, she realized that Newlon was the killer the whole time, causing him to taunt Jess by saying she should look on the surprise on her face" and then reveals his motivation to her, why he was killing her friends and the other people at the Rightmart, as it was because of the customers for getting Amanda killed, revealing they had an affair as she was pregnant with their unborn child. Just as he's about to now kill Jess, she reveals that she has been live-streaming his confession the whole time, which allowed the whole world to realize that he was the killer, causing widespread shock and outrage online. As he silently realized in horror that he had inadvertently revealed his identity as John Carver to the public, Jess coldly taunts him back by echoing the same words he had told her, saying how he should see the look of surprise on "his face". Enraged by the exposure and now knowing that his plans have been ruined, Newlon attempts to kill Jess for foiling his plans and for ruining his life but is stopped by Bobby who intervenes by violently throwing a hammer at his head, briefly knocking him out.
Newlon then regains consciousness quickly he chases them trough the warehouse as he furiously states that there will be no leftovers this thanksgiving as he fully intends to kill anybody in his way. As Jess and Bobby attempt to escape in a tow truck, but Newlon stops them by tying the truck's cable. As he walks over to Jess with his axe, she uses her mother's bracelet as ammunition for a blunderbuss. Newlon shows no fear of her pointing a gun, but realizes she was actually aiming at the gigantic turkey parade float that is attached to a flammable gas tank she had filled during the chase. Yelling out to Newton that he was "right" of not leaving behind any leftovers, she shoots at the balloon, and the air, fire and gas all react at once just as Bobby managed to break his car free and drive away. The explosion immediately engulfs Newlon and disintegrates him, as he screams in agony and echoes into the night before going silent.
Following Newlon's defeat and presumed death, the authorities, who had now launched a manhunt against him, had failed to find his body, leaving it unknown as to whether it was burned heavily into ashes or that he could be still out there plotting revenge on Jessica and Bobby, but won’t be bothering Jess for a long time. However, at the end of the film, Jessica still has nightmares about a flaming Newlon attacking her in the closet.
"Thanksgiving 2"[]
As it was confirmed that a sequel is in production, it is safe to say that Newlon will be back for revenge, and will kill other innocent people who had nothing to do with him just to get back at Jessica.
List of Victims[]
John Carver directly killed eight people, all of whom he specifically targeted for revenge, and indirectly killed at least one other person in the chaos he caused at the Thanksgiving parade.
- Lizzie McMullan - Face frozen off, fingers broken and cut in half with a dumpster lid. Killed for scalping Amanda, killing her and her unborn baby, & trampling Doug to death.
- Manny - Stabbed in the abdomen and decapitated. Killed for running away despite being a security guard.
- Lonnie - Head twisted backwards. Killed for inciting the riot, & trampling Doug to death.
- Amy - Stabbed repeatedly with a knife through a trampoline and left to freeze to death in a fridge. Killed for being present in the riot.
- Yulia - Gutted with a rotary saw. Killed for being present in the riot.
- Lionel - Decapitated with an axe. Killed for scalping Amanda, killing her and her unborn baby, & trampling Doug to death.
- Unnamed man - Impaled through the head by a Mayflower float in a car accident Carver indirectly caused. Did not intend to kill him.
- Kathleen Wright - Cooked alive in an oven. Killed for being the wife of the store's manager and hiding the true events of the riot.
- Evan Fletcher - Skull crushed with a meat tenderizer. Killed for recording the riot and mocking the deaths of Doug, Amanda and the unnamed shopper who had his throat slit against broken glass.
Quotes[]
| “ | Gather around. Gather around the table everyone. Dinner is served. | „ |
| ~ Newlon revealing to Jessica and her father and friends Kathleen's cooked headless corpse. |
| “ | STOP!!! | „ |
| ~ Newlon putting an end to the horrific Black Friday riot, after seeing Amanda, along with Doug and another man, dead and Bobby’s broken arm. |
| “ | Newlon: It's like fumbling on the one-yard line. it's almost funny if you really think about it. You should see the look of surprise on your face. Jessica: What about Bobby? Newlon: Bobby? I had him drugged, dressed up, ready to be shot, putting an end to the mystery of John Carver's identity. But when I opened the trunk, he popped me with a tire iron. Thankfully, you pointed me in the right direction, again. Jessica: You've been using me this whole time? Newlon: When I said, I couldn't do this without your help, I really meant it. |
„ |
| ~ Newlon revealing his true nature to Jessica. |
| “ | You f**king b**ch. | „ |
| ~ Newlon quietly becoming enraged after Jessica finally exposed him as John Carver on livestream thus his plans and reputation ruined. |
| “ | Sorry, Jessica! This year there will be... NO LEFTOVERS!!!! | „ |
| ~ Newlon's villainous breakdown while preparing to find and kill Jessica. |
| “ | When I told your Stepmother, She would make an excellent dinner, That... was not... a LIE! | „ |
| ~ Newlon mocking Jessica shortly before being blown up. |
| “ | JESSICAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | „ |
| ~ Newlon's last words before his presumed death. |
Gallery[]
.png "John Carver (Thanksgiving).png (914 KB)")
Trivia[]
- Manny running from the riots is loosely inspired by Scot Peterson being sued for avoiding the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida.
- Newlon's livestreamed torture of his captives appears to be a highly romanticized derivative of the crimes of Gary Heidnik, a serial killer and rapist of black and Latina women and girls who were all tortured in his basement, including by force-feeding them remains of whoever he murdered.
- Although he was engulfed in the flames, Newlon was never confirmed dead.
- He used a tranquilizer gun on several people, including Yulia's father and their police protection. This is likely because they were not present in the riot and not involved in Amanda and her unborn baby's deaths.
- It is likely now Mitch has forgiven Thomas Wright and his family after finding out Newlon had been in a relationship with Amanda and he never knew about it.
- The original fake trailer version of Thanksgiving, in the movie Grindhouse (2007) has the Sheriff and the Pilgrim as separate characters, while in the film they are the same individuals.
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 Villains
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Planet Terror Machete Machete Kills Hobo with a Shotgun See Also | ||
Eric Newlon on the Near Pure Evil Wiki