As one iconic children's character is getting a genre twist on screen, The Grinch is now becoming a slasher with the new horror movie The Mean One. First created by Dr. Seuss in the 1957 book How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, the cranky, Christmas-hating character has been seen on screen in a variety of adaptations through the years, ranging from the iconic 1966 animated special in which he was voiced by Boris Karloff to the fan-favorite live-action movie led by Jim Carrey. Most recently, Benedict Cumberbatch voiced Seuss' beloved character in the 2018 animated film The Grinch, which received largely mixed reviews, but was a box office smash.
Directed by Steven LaMorte, The Mean One brings a parodical approach to The Grinch as it is set in the mountain town of Newville and revolves around the titular character as he sits above the town despising the holiday season. The Mean One will set his sights on Cindy You-Know-Who, who has returned to the town for closure after he butchered her parents 20 years ago, setting the table for a brutal revenge plot. As the string of holiday seasons kick off, audiences are getting a glimpse at a fun blend of multiple genres with a unique take on a beloved character.
Bloody Disgusting has revealed that XYZ Films has acquired the rights to the horror-comedy The Mean One. The film, which is said to be releasing for free everywhere on December 15, is described as a slasher parody of Seuss' children's book. XYZ Films’ Manager of Acquisitions and Development Alex Williams wrote of the acquisition in the following statement:
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.” 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.
Can The Mean One Top Winnie-The-Pooh: Blood & Honey?
The reveal of The Mean One comes as horror genre fans are currently gearing up for the release of Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood & Honey, the similar slasher twist of the iconic A.A. Milne character and his sidekick Piglet as they attack Christopher Robin and his new wife for abandoning them while he went to college. The film, which was produced because the rights to the character fell into the public domain, has received an understandably divisive response, with some praising the interesting twist on a beloved character, while others have slammed it for the violent reimagining of Pooh and Piglet. With The Mean One now joining the ranks of horror films offering different approaches to childhood characters, it will be interesting to see how it fares in comparison to Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood & Honey.
Given the latter film has yet to receive a release date, The Mean One could ultimately set the bar for this new horror subgenre should Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood & Honey not come out until 2023. With the Christmas season already proving to be ample territory for the horror genre with the likes of Black Christmas, Krampus and many others, this new take on The Grinch could go down as a cult favorite for the month of December is audiences click with it. Only time will tell when The Mean One releases for free on December 15.
Source: Bloody Disgusting