A viral horror sensation from last year will finally be widely available to enjoy from the comfort of home later this year. The folks at DeskPop Entertainment have acquired the VOD rights to a bloody Grinch parody titled The Mean One, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film is set to arrive via digital platforms in October, just in time for the Halloween season.
Directed by Steven LaMorte, the film gained notoriety last year when the trailer began making the rounds. It eventually garnered millions of views, largely thanks to the fact that a Christmas icon had been turned into a bloodthirsty murderer. David Howard Thornton, known best for his role as Art the Clown in the Terrifier films, plays the title character in this holiday slasher. LaMorte had this to say about it:
“We’re so excited to bring The Mean One to our amazing fans and audiences around the world with the team at DeskPop. Their specialty in working with genre films like ours make them the perfect partner for our unique brand of Christmas chaos!”
The film did get a limited theatrical release late last year to capitalize on the online buzz, but it took a while to secure a home video release. Undoubtedly, some of that had to do with the tricky nature of playing with an established property such as The Grinch. But this is becoming a popular subgenre to play in, largely thanks to the success of Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey earlier this year. As for the story at hand? The synopsis for The Mean One reads as follows:
“[The Mean One] focuses on Cindy You-Know-Who (Krystle Martin), whose parents were butchered by The Mean One twenty Christmases earlier, returning to town to seek closure. When the Mean One launches a new reign of terror that threatens to destroy Christmas, Cindy finds a bold new purpose, that of trapping and killing the monster.”
DeskPop VP Mat Levy had this to say about the forthcoming release:
“I am thrilled to bring one of the most talked about cinematic experiences of the year to audiences worldwide in time for both Halloween and Christmas. I assure you that your heart will grow three sizes for this film before getting pierced by a delicious candy cane spear.”
Look for The Mean One on VOD beginning October 3.
