Coming Soon: The Mean One (2022)

XYZ Films is proud to announce its acquisition of director Steven LaMorte’s outrageous slasher parody, THE MEAN ONE. The distributor will release the film for free everywhere in the U.S. on December 15th, gifting the film to all horror fans this holiday season.

In the audacious new parody, The Mean One (David Howard Thornton) is a hairy, green-skinned grump in a Santa suit, living on a mountain high above the town of Newville, despising the holiday season. Young Cindy You-Know-Who (Krystle Martin), whose parents were butchered by The Mean One twenty Christmases earlier, is returning to town to seek closure… but is about to discover this fiend with a heart two sizes too small is still quite eager to carve the roast beast.

In THE MEAN ONE, David Howard Thornton — currently in 800+ cinemas as TERRIFIER 2‘s Art the Clown — further cements his presence in horror history with this newly-iconic slasher villain.

Holiday aficionados who think they know The Mean One are in for a very big surprise.

Directed by LaMorte with a script by Flip and Finn Kobler, THE MEAN ONE stars David Howard Thornton, Krystle Martin, Chase Mullins, John Bigham, Erik Baker, Flip Kobler, and Amy Schumacher. A co-production between A Sleight of Hand Productions, Amy Rose Productions, and Kali Pictures, the feature is Produced by Schumacher, LaMorte, and Martine Melloul. Executive Producers are Jordan Rosner, Gato Scatena, and Zach Stampone.

XYZ Films’ Manager of Acquisitions and Development Alex Williams notes:

“As a passionate fan of seasonal horror (and the TERRIFIER franchise), THE MEAN ONE is exactly the kind of film that lands on my personal “nice list.” This movie is a stunningly great time with a ferociously subversive turn from David Howard Thornton — and XYZ Films is so proud to be bringing this soon-to-be iconic Christmas slasher to audiences this holiday season.”

 About XYZ Films

XYZ Films is an independent studio whose mission is to empower visionary storytellers from every corner of the planet. XYZ was founded in 2008 by Nate Bolotin, Nick Spicer, and Aram Tertzakian and has expanded in recent years into documentary films, talent management, and distribution. Some of the company’s classic titles include THE RAID franchise, 2017 Sundance winner I DON’T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE, and Panos Cosmatos’ psychedelic revenge thriller MANDY.

XYZ’s current projects include THE BLACK KAISER with Mads Mikkelsen; HOUNDS OF WAR starring Frank Grillo, Robert Patrick, and Rhona Mitra; and the Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead film SOMETHING IN THE DIRT, which premiered at Sundance 2022. Its current slate also includes Nic Cassavetes’ GOD IS A BULLET starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Maika Monroe, and Jamie Foxx; NOCEBO directed by Lorcan Finnegan with Eva Green and Mark Strong; and ACCUSED from BAFTA-nominated BOILING POINT director Phillip Barantini.

XYZ is in post-production on the Netflix Original HAVOC, directed by Gareth Evans and starring Tom Hardy and Forrest Whitaker.