“The Mean One” is a slasher horror spoof of the classic Dr. Suess character The Grinch. In the 1957 children’s book “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!,” we watch as The Grinch does the unthinkable and tries to steal everyone Christmas from The Whoos.
We can add this film to the recent slew of terrifying reimaginings of iconic family-friendly characters. Things like Winnie the Pooh and another twisted Santa movie. At least in this case, The Grinch starts off as a villain. This iconic character has already been played and voiced by Boris Karloff, Hans Conried, Bob Holt, Anthony Asbury, Jim Carrey, Rik Mayall, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Matthew Morrison.
In “The Mean One,” David Howard Thornton will do the honors of bringing his take to the would-be holiday thief. Thornton may be better known to many as Art the Clown from the hit horror series “The Terrifier.” So it’s safe to say he can pull off a villain with murderous intent.
The film will be directed by Steven LaMorte. In the horror comedy adaptation, the green-skinned grump lives on a mountain high above the town of Newville. While he despises the holiday season he does still sport a Santa suit like his 50s predecessor. Cindy You-Know-Who (Krystle Martin) returns to town to seek closure after the death of her parents 20 Christmases earlier. Her parents died at the hands of The Mean One. Cindy soon comes face to face with a creature whose heart is 2 sizes too small.
“As a passionate fan of seasonal horror (and the TERRIFIER franchise), The Mean One is exactly the kind of film that lands on my personal ‘nice list,” XYZ Films’ Manager of Acquisitions and Development Alex Williams said. “This movie is a stunningly great time with a ferociously subversive turn from David Howard Thornton – and XYZ Films is so proud to be bringing this soon-to-be iconic Christmas slasher to audiences this holiday season.”
“The Mean One” will release for free everywhere in the U.S. on December 15th.