The Mean One

The Mean One is a 2022 Christmas slasher film produced and directed by Steven LaMorte (Bury Me Twice, Never Leave Alive, Trials of Ember, and One Step Away). It was written by Flip (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Lion King 2, and Pocahontas 2) and Finn Kobler (All Hallows Eve 2, Trophy Wife, M Is For Masochist, and Food For Thought). The film is a horror adaptation of Dr. Seuss' 1957 children's book How the Grinch Stole Christmas! It grossed $612,260 in theaters during it's limited theatrical run. In 2000, in the sleepy mountain town of Newville, young Cindy You-Know-Who (played by: Saphina Chanadet from Veep) witnessed her mother (played by: Tina Van Berk) murdered by the Mean One (played by: David Howard Thornton from Terrifier, Terrifier 2, The Dark Offerings, Gotham, and Bupkis), a bloodthirsty green-skinned creature dressed in a red Santa suit.

Twenty years later, Cindy (played by: Krystle Martin from It's in the Streets, They live in the Grey, and 911: Lone Star) and her father Lou (played by: writer Flip Kobler from Silent and Forgotten, Bury Me Twice, and American Drive-In) return to the town at the suggestion of Cindy's therapist Doc Zeus (played by: John Bigham from Welcome to the Horror Show). When the brutal monster soon begins to terrorize the town and threatens to ruin the holidays, Cindy finds a new purpose in stopping and killing this Grinch. She has a mayor (played by: Amy Schumacher from Strange Events 1 and 2) trying to cover up everything at any cost plus two questionable sheriffs (played by: Erik Baker from The Verge and Chase Mullins from Driven) in her way. Can she finally put this nightmare to an end? Or Will it forever curse her life with pain and suffering????

The Mean One definitely grabbed my attention when it was first announced. You have a slasher version of the iconic Grinch and it's being played by David Howard Thornton who's mainly known as Art the Clown from the Terrifier franchise. You really have to go into The Mean One with an open mind. It's a very very very low budget production which is pretty damn obvious during it's running time. Sometimes, independent features can look more expensive than it's actual budget depending on the skill level in it's departments but that's not the case here. Everything felt kinda rushed here to be honest. I thought stunt woman Krystle Martin was a decent lead in this but she didn't have much help when it came to the supporting cast. I noticed a few of them were writers or a producer for the project which explains a lot. David Howard Thornton as The Grinch / The Mean One is the highlight when it comes to this holiday themed slasher. He's great under fx and creative costumes when it comes to these types of horror movies. It actually has some decent gore and kills in The Mean One. This one kinda reminds me of those late 90's direct to video flicks. I think if this was released around then, it would have been more appreciated and it definitely would have had a solid cult following. These days, it just kinda blends in with everything out there.

Studios are being creative these days using iconic children characters in horror films like Winnie the Pooh, The Grinch, Mary had a little Lamb, and The Banana Splits. I think if The Mean One had a slightly bigger budget and a better cast, it could have been one of the best horror flicks of the year but it fell short when it came to that. I still think it's a pretty unique spin on the classic character and it's something I never expected to be made. If you can get past the bad acting and it's cheap atmosphere then you will probably enjoy it for David Howard Thornton and it's gory scenes. It has some replay value to it especially when it comes to Christmas horror. I think it at least deserves to be watched once just to experience it. Personally, I'm glad it's in my collection.

"The Mean One" is a lackluster parody of Dr. Seuss's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" with a higher body count. Despite the presence of David Howard Thornton, known for his role as Art the Clown in "Terrifier 2," the movie fails to deliver on its central joke. The use of shaky camera scenes and dark lighting hides Thornton, and the movie's commitment to CGI blood splatters zaps the basic thrills of its scenes. The supporting characters are walking tropes, and the movie's emotional investment in Cindy You-know-Who is weak. Overall, the movie is a missed opportunity for a fun, bloody riff on a classic story.

Jim Carrey's Grinch meets Terrifier's Art w/o a budget.... this movie on paper had so much potential and had a studio backed it financially, maybe it would have had a chance! Hardly any on-screen kills worthwhile and that's probably because the budget wasn't there for impressive special effects. No money also means no actors. And above all else, there's no licensing deal on the character or all that comes with it. It just feels like a High School film project. I love Art the Clown and the Terrifier movies are terrific gorefest slasher flicks. The Mean One falls flat on almost every level. The coolest thing is the design of The Grin... "The Mean One." Even that isn't original as it's a blatant ripoff of Jim Carrey's classic interpretation.

In Newville, on Christmas night, the mother of the girl Cindy is murdered trying to save her daughter from a trespasser. Nancy describes the man as a green monster dressed in costume of Santa Claus. Twenty years later, Cindy (Krystle Martin), who was hospitalized due to her mental illness, returns to Newville with her father during the Christmas holidays as part of her recovery from the childhood trauma. On arrival, they are stopped by Deputy Burke (Chase Mullins) since Christmas ornaments are not allowed in town. They arrive at their house that is closed and start to decorate the house for Christmas. But during the night, the green monster kills her father at home. Nobody believes Nancy again but out of the blue, the local Doc Zeus (John Bigham) tells her that the Grinch, a.k.a. The Mean One, killed his wife Martha twelve years ago, and nobody has also believed in his words and since then, he is chasing the Mean One in Christmas to kill it. Nancy visits Sheriff Hooper (Erik Baker) again, but he does not pay attention to her. Now Cindy decides to team up with Doc to kill the Mean One.

"The Mean One" (2022) is a movie about The Grinch by Steven LaMorte. The gory plot has a promising beginning, but the development is not good with stupid situations. The conclusion is awful, with Cindy feeling sorrow and forgiving the Monster Killer. It is difficult to understand the intention of the writers with this corny conclusion. The cast is also very weak. My vote is four.

Title (Brazil): "O Malvado - Horror no Natal" ("The Mean One - Horror in Christmas")

So, this movie is a trip to say the least. Lots of cheap blood effects, many deaths, awkward acting, and some weird comedy mixed in with the horror aspect. The makeup is actually pretty good for such a small studio. The character of The Mean One is actually pretty good, and they don't add too much backstory, unlike some of the previous adaptations of the story. It's just "stealing lives, just like their Christmas" and not much more. This movie definitely doesn't fail at being entertaining for it's runtime (93 minutes). It might be pretty cheesy and poorly acted, but it is for sure a wild ride. Is it funny? Not really. Has it ruined my childhood? Probably. Despite all the negatives I've mentioned, it's actually fun to watch and I do recommend it to fans of the original story.