The Mean One (2022)

A comedic horror riff on the familiar tale of The Grinch, not actually named as The Grinch here for what I am going to assume are legal/copyright reasons, this contains a slim plot that plays out probably exactly as you think it will. And you get some rhyming couplets, of course.

Krystle Martin plays Cindy, a young woman who was traumatised as a child when she saw the titular mean one (played by David Howard Thornton) kill her parents. That was twenty years ago, but now the Christmas killer is back, and he is determined to claim more victims. Cindy becomes equally determined to stop him. Hardly anyone believes her version of events though, which makes it hard for her to get assistance from anyone.

Written by Finn Kobler, the good thing about The Mean One is a level of self-awareness and playfulness that manages to raise a smile on occasions (most obviously when people almost mention the word “grinch”). This might not seem like much, but it makes it better than a certain other horror film released in the last year that was based on properties now in the public domain. It’s just a shame that there’s little else here to enjoy, with poorly-written characters and a third act it becomes very hard to care about. The finale works though, as amusing as it is obvious. 

Director Steven LaMorte cannot come up with better ways to present the material, sadly, and what should have been a bright and gory slice of silliness is instead a murky and messy slog through mishandled set-pieces on the way to an ending that may or may not be enough to save it, depending on the amount of goodwill you are willing to give it.

Martin isn’t a terrible lead, although she also isn’t great, but it’s hard to imagine what she might have done with better direction. Thornton, already so well-known to horror fans for his portrayal of Art The Clown in recent years, works hard to overemphasize his character through an impressive make up job, but it’s hard not to wish that the film-makers had leaned into the potential humour of the material. It’s there, but only intermittently. Chase Mullins and Erik Baker are a couple of bland cops, and John Bigham is a highlight in the role of Doc Zeus. There are other people poised to have a very bad Christmas, but the five mentioned here are the only characters that feel rounded out enough to hold your interest for a while.

I didn’t mind this while it was on, but I was definitely expecting the worst (and the worst includes a number of films just made around the word “krampus”). I won’t rewatch it though, and I cannot recommend it, because if you’re after another festive horror then there always seems to be so many more to choose from. But I am sure many reading this will be curious enough to check it out anyway. That’s why these films get made.

4/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share