‘The Mean One’ trailer shows a twisted take on The Grinch
This week, the first trailer for The Mean One, a horror parody of the Grinch, was released. Stephen LaMorte directed the film, working from Flip and Finn Kobler’s script, which will star Chase Mullins, John Bigham, Erik Baker, Flip Kobler and Amy Schumacher.
The synopsis reads: “The Mean One (Terrifier 2’s David Howard Thornton) is a hairy, green-skinned grump in a Santa suit, living on a mountain high above the town of Newville, despising the holiday season. Young Cindy You-Know-Who (Krystle Martin), whose parents were butchered by The Mean One twenty Christmases earlier, is returning to town to seek closure… but when the Mean One launches a new reign of terror that threatens to destroy Christmas, Cindy finds a bold new purpose – trapping and killing the monster.”
The Mean One is a twisted spin on the 1957 children’s book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr Seuss. In addition to the 1966 television special, the 2000 live-action feature-length film, and the 2018 computer-animated film, this is the fourth screen adaptation of the story.
A voice-over in the trailer references the original story, notably the 2000 live-action that starred Jim Carrey. However, it reveals that the previous film’s narrative isn’t “actually how it went down”.
The upcoming horror trailer showcases a blend of the Christmas genre and horror. A caricature of the Grinch, donned in a classic red Santa costume, slashes a knife in bloody kills as a Christmas tree sits in the back. Having survived a Grinch attack that killed her mother, Cindy attempts to rebuild her life; however, the Mean One tracks her down to finish what he started. We also see the town of Newville, a spin on the original Whoville, trying its best to combat the grizzly murders. Although, it’s clear from the trailer that this darker take on the character will rack up a body count in the town.
There’s also the twist of Cindy deciding to train and fight back against the Christmas killer, using whatever weapons she can, such as a huge candy cane light.
Alex Williams, the Manager of Acquisitions and Development at XYZ Films who helped produce the film, shared his insights on the project while talking to Yahoo. “This movie is a stunningly great time with a ferociously subversive turn from David Howard Thornton,” he stated. “XYZ Films is so proud to be bringing this soon-to-be iconic Christmas slasher to audiences this holiday season”.
The Mean One is scheduled to be released Friday, December 9th, 2022. Check out the trailer below.
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