The Mean One – A Limited Parody Horror (Early Review)

Following in the footsteps of the upcoming Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey, The Mean One this time turns the Grinch into a serial killer. Although not referring to the green beast by name, it is clear that the film is alluding to him. This Grinch is here and ever so scary, murdering folk who are just trying to be merry. Cheesy, delightful, and ever so gory, the film is a brilliant parody in all its best… glory. Okay, that’s enough with the Dr. Seuss rhymes. Although it may be lacking depth, emotion or heart, it still offers an inherently fun watch that will certainly find a limited audience that should be obvious. At the end of the day, it’s a fun and entertaining, cheesy Christmas film but those searching for anything more than that won’t find it here.

After witnessing a terrifying green monster brutally murder her mother, Cindy returns (Martin) to the town of Newville in the hopes of facing her PTSD. However, returning to the Christmas-less town brings back more from her past than she imagined, forcing her to confront the green homicidal monster known as The Mean One (Thornton).

First and foremost, The Mean One is a parody and as soon as audiences buy into the premise, they are sure to have a better time. Targeting Hallmark Christmas films, to slashers, to even the brilliantly ridiculous Syfy channel movies, its ultimate target is the aforementioned Seuss character. Beyond the not-so-subtle parody targets, the film doesn’t offer much in the way of smarts or originality. Ultimately, the film is at its best when it fully commits to full-on parody mode which will certainly appeal to parody fans. However, those moments were few and far between.

In the end, The Mean One is well-aware of the kind of film it is and doesn’t try to be anything more than that as it harkens back to some brilliantly-bizarre B-movies, which as always makes it far more enjoyable to watch. Narratively, the film was surprisingly interesting, offering a unique, creative and dark take on the Dr. Seuss classic tale. That being said, the story doesn’t bring anything new to the table as it sticks fairly close to the source material. Meanwhile, the performances aren’t that endearing or memorable. Thornton as the Mean One bring much of his Art the Clown energy to the role while still making him feel like a completely different character. Similarly, the makeup work was inspired and admirable not to mention absolutely terrifying.

On a technical level, the camerawork, editing, and cinematography leave a lot to be desired. Bringing back shaky cam along with an abundance of needless CG blood, it becomes difficult to follow what is going on and determine the quality of the film’s kills. Editing-wise, it’s also hard to keep track of story as the film is stitched together in an incohesive way.

The Mean One is simply a great parody that delivers a bonkers yet entertaining watch featuring some fun humor, plenty of action, and a story that is surprisingly interesting and creative. However, its lack of depth and limited premise as well as several technical issues hold the film back. 

*still courtesy of Atlas Film Distribution*

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Olly Dyche

Journalist, Writer, Film Critic and Professional Nerd. You will probably find Olly at the cinema chomping down on some popcorn and taking in the glorious visuals of the latest theatrical release.