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If you've ventured close to a department store over the last month and a half, you're doubtless painfully aware that peak Grinch season is upon us. All around, festive trimmings, low-quality underwear, and imitation drinkware featuring the leering image of that Seussian Christmas-hating figure are present. This could look like a recent craze, the Grinch industrial complex has existed for a long time, and the 2000-era cash-grab video game The Grinch is perhaps a supremely creepy specimens. Plus, it has an final sequence is the stuff of nightmares.

A Holiday Launch That Few Remembered

Marking the late 2000 arrival of Jim Carrey's iconic turn as the green-faced menace, The Grinch game became available for the PlayStation, Dreamcast, and Windows PC. Konami, the company behind it, is Konami, a famous developer not typically known for creating scandals. Fundamentally, the gameplay revolves around the Grinch losing the plans necessary to execute his festive crime and undertaking a family-friendly destruction tour around the Who village, snatching and smashing packages while searching for his precious plans. Y'know, typical Grinchery.

A Commercial and Critical Flop

Anyway, The Grinch failed to sell especially well (reportedly selling a mere 20,000 games) and appeared to receive scant praise. Critics at the time were not kind. One publication stated, "Even if a couple of The Grinch's challenges are entertaining, the others are boring, frustrating, or sometimes both". The average critical rating hovered around 5/10, which was considered the kiss of death even 25 years ago. This means, like many, you likely never witnessed the conclusion of this largely forgotten release which hardly any people bothered to play or liked. Fortunately, a curious online archivist is here to provide the missing pieces.

Much to his dismay, the Grinch begins to experience fond sentiments toward the holiday. While delivering a voice performance that hovers somewhere between pained and slurred, he laments, "I have love for you! And everyone! The Whos as well!" Then he proceeds to fly his sleigh down from his mountain peak to return the stolen items he stole, scattering them across Whoville's central plaza, and asks for forgiveness from all present.

The Truly Unsettling Finale

It's at this point events take a dark turn: "Come and sing with us!" exclaims a chipper Cindy Lou Who, with her pencil-thin arms undulate strangely, and her teeth clip through her blocky, polygonal nose. Subsequently, every crudely rendered youngsters of Whoville chant a grating tune with static mouths. The end… or is it?

An Unlocked Ending

Thanks to online discovery, it's come to light that destiny had even greater content for this discount Grinch: If you 100% the game, you gain an extra finale that contains a radical ride and a quick race event that takes place in the village.

Merry Christmas, Without the Grind

Clearly, no one in their right mind would want to fully complete The Grinch for PS1, however, it's a cool easter egg for the game's four dedicated players. And today, because of video sharing, it's unnecessary to endure any of the tedious gameplay to experience the fun. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!