Don't be a Grinch! Watch the trailer for parody-horror film The Mean One

2022 is shaping up to be a banner year for films which reframe holiday season icons in interesting, and often gorily mayhemic, ways. Violent Night (out Dec. 2) stars David Harbour as a baddie-slaying Santa Claus, while Christmas Bloody Christmas (out Dec. 9) features a murderous robot Father Christmas. And then there's the parody-horror film The Mean One (whose trailer you can see above), which finds Terrifer 2 villain David Howard Thornton playing a character with a, let us say, Grinch-y vibe.

In director Steven LaMorte's movie, Thornton portrays a hairy, green-skinned grump in a Santa suit who viciously despises the holiday season from a mountain high above the town of Newville. Young Cindy You-Know-Who (Krystle Martin), whose parents were butchered by The Mean One 20 Christmases earlier, is returning to town to seek closure... but when the Mean One launches a new reign of terror that threatens to destroy Christmas, Cindy finds a bold new purpose — trapping and killing the monster.

The Mean One was written by Flip and Finn Kobler and co-stars Chase Mullins, John Bigham, Erik Baker, and Amy Schumacher. A co-production between A Sleight of Hand Productions, Amy Rose Productions, and Kali Pictures, the film is produced by Schumacher, LaMorte, and Martine Melloul. Executive Producers are Jordan Rosner, Gato Scatena, and Zach Stampone.

Atlas Film Distribution is releasing The Mean One in cinemas Dec. 9. Exclusively watch the film's trailer above.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content:

• A morgue is haunted by ancient evil in trailer for The Offering
• Horror movie Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey to get big-screen release
• Terrifier 2 director reacts to reports that horror sequel is making people throw up and faint
• Why horror movies are killing it at the box office
• Barbarian star Justin Long has the worst meal ever in utterly disgusting NSFW deleted scene
• Tobin Bell to reprise role of the villainous Jigsaw in new Saw movie