There’s another Grinch film on the way, but in this adaptation, the green ghoul’s heart probably won’t grow three sizes. XYZ Films has announced a horror version of the beloved Dr. Seuss character called The Mean One, with David Howard Thornton (Terrifier 2) set to play the titular character.
Directed by Steven LaMorte from a script by Flip and Finn Kobler, The Mean One parodies The Grinch by tweaking many of the story’s key details. Rather than Whoville, the creature lives on a mountain overlooking the town of Frazier Park. Young Cindy You-Know-Who (Krystle Martin) is orphaned after the Grinch kills her parents, and 20 Christmases later, she returns to Frazier Park in search of closure only to learn that the monster’s bloodlust hasn’t faded.
The Mean One will debut in select theaters beginning December 9th. Chase Mullins, John Bigham, Erik Baker, Flip Kobler, and Amy Schumacher round out the cast, while Jordan Rosner, Gato Scatena, and Zach Stampone executive produce.
Jim Carrey and Taylor Momsen famously starred in 2000’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas, while in 2018, the Dr. Seuss story got the animation treatment with The Grinch. The Christmas-hating creature isn’t the only kid’s story to get a horror adaptation in recent years: Winnie the Pooh was recently turned into a slasher film called Blood and Honey, while a horror film version of Bambi is currently in the works.
