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Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2007)
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Reviews Counted:34
Fresh:25
Rotten:9
Average Rating:6.9/10
Consensus: A smart mockumentary that presents a gory, funny, and obviously affectionate skewering of the slasher genre.
Rated: R [See Full Rating] for horror violence, language, some sexual content and brief drug use.
Runtime: 1 hr 32 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
Theatrical Release:Mar 16, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: Though the slasher film parody has become well-trodden ground since the birth of the teenage body count genre in the late 1970s, screenwriters Scott Glosserman and David J. Stieve--who are clearly... Though the slasher film parody has become well-trodden ground since the birth of the teenage body count genre in the late 1970s, screenwriters Scott Glosserman and David J. Stieve--who are clearly fans of the genre--find some new blood to let out of the serial killer comedy in BEHIND THE MASK: THE RISE OF LESLIE VERNON. The film adds elements of THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999) and HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER (1986), and centers on a grad student named Taylor (Angela Goethals). Taylor is making a documentary about Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesal), a killer-in-the-making who has a dark legend surrounding him in his small Maryland hometown. Leslie's plan incorporates all the necessary factors to put him in the same situations that allowed his heroes Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, and Michael Myers to continue killing through sequel after sequel, right down to singling out the virginal heroine who will be the one to stop him after he knocks off her promiscuous friends. Unfortunately, Taylor has a larger role in Leslie's plans than she knows, but when she finally realizes that she can't just sit back and film his killing spree, it may be too late to stop him. The first half of BEHIND THE MASK is the funny part. Baesal, whose dry delivery often resembles Will Ferrell's, makes us forget that Leslie's planning to do some horrible things. But when the killing actually starts, the film becomes a bona fide slasher itself---and is often as good as the classics that it good-naturedly apes. Robert "Freddy Krueger" Englund lends some cred in a sharp supporting role, as does Scott Wilson, best known for his portrayal of a real killer in Richard Brooks's IN COLD BLOOD. [More]
Starring: Nathan Baesel, Robert Englund, Zelda Rubinstein, Scott Wilson
Starring: Nathan Baesel, Robert Englund, Zelda Rubinstein, Scott Wilson, Angela Goethals, Scott Glosserman, Kate Lang Johnson, Britain Spelling, Bridget Newton, Ben Pace
Director: Scott Glosserman
Director: Scott Glosserman
Screenwriter: Scott Glosserman, David J. Stieve
Producer: Scott Glosserman, David J. Stieve
Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment
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Reviews for Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
A rather funny "Scream"-like cross between a mockumentary and a direct-to-video slasher movie, "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon" is custom-made for horror fans, but it isn't remotely scary and people that aren't already steeped in the lore of t
Other than displaying a textbook awareness of its ancestors, Behind the Mask offers next to nothing
While kudos and curtseys belong to the filmmakers and the whole cast, the real standout is Nathan Baesel as the title character.
Behind the Mask isn't a bad movie, but it is a decidedly minor one, a short pumped up to feature length that impales itself on its own hook: After you've explained all the tricks, it's impossible to have your act perceived as genuine magic.
Unfortunately, we've seen this jolly inventory of slasher-flick clichés before, in other parodies dating back to "Scream." And with not much new to contribute, "Behind the Mask" starts running out of narrative momentum about two-thirds of the way through.
A deconstructionist horror comedy that owes a debt to Scream and the 1992 Belgian film Man Bites Dog, Mask nevertheless has enough pitch-perfect wit to lay claim to its own patch of postmodern, movie-loving snarkiness.
Lacks the bitter resonance of its obvious predecessor, Belgian filmmaker Remy Belvaux's 1992 Man Bites Dog.
About two-thirds in, the movie shifts gears disastrously. Made me want to haul someone into the cutting room for revenge.
The wait is over. Endlessly imaginative, rigorously crafted, and extremely frightening, Behind the Mask is as good as horror gets.
The script's laughs are too widely spaced. Even before the plot takes a third-act turn into the land of kill-by-the-numbers slasher movies, the jokes drip when they should be gushing.
If Scott Glosserman's witty slasher spoof had celebrities, it would probably be a success like Scream or Scary Movie. As an indie, it's more apt to be a cult fave. Either way, it's a must for those who like thrills laced with humor.
There is a lot of cleverness at work here, especially when the movie switches from the Blair Witch-style shaky camera to more accomplished and atmospheric low-budget lensing.
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