Horror Extreme Movie Catalog

It took me a while to get around to Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, even though I was interested in it since its DVD release. Upon finally viewing it, it's more than safe to say that Behind the Mask is pretty much everything Wes Craven's Scream series could and should have been. Nathan Baesel stars as the title character; a mild-mannered, seemingly good-natured guy who is really a would-be homicidal maniac. The catch here is he's allowing himself to be filmed by a young documentary crew (led by Angela Goethals) as he prepares for his night of slaughter to unfold. What follows are some serious surprises and plenty of odes to the slasher genre, which writer/director Scott Glosserman clearly loves. With some great cameos and small roles from genre stalwarts including Scott Wilson, Zelda Rubinstein, Kane Hodder, and Robert "Freddy Kruger" Englund; Behind the Mask ends up being an entertaining take on the slasher, even though it really isn't as clever as it thinks it is. All in all, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is an enjoyable ode to the slasher genre, and is definitely worth your time.

One evening I decided to pick out a Horror title at the store. The criteria was to pick something that I have never heard of. I picked up Behind the Mask. This resulted in finding one of my favorite movies of all time!

The movie starts as a Documentary about the next "Supernatural Serial Killer." They mention Jason, Freddy, and Michael Myers. Now...Leslie Vernon. This movie is truly made for the fans. They cover every cliche in the Slasher sub-genre. Leslie Vernon is so funny and charming. The documentary crew follows him as he sets up his own legend. They interview him about all of the tricks of the trade. It is wonderful dialogue and acting. You learn about how a supernatural serial killer makes it look like he is walking but somehow keeps up with his victims. They even talk about all of the symbolism that occurs as the lead girl becomes the heroin. Absolutely brilliant!

The movie actually changes tone drastically at a certain point. I will not spoil it for you though.

Like I said, the movie is for the fans. Someone accused this movie of being unoriginal and cliche. I must say "yes, it is." That is the point! They created a movie about the cliches in Slasher Films. Therefore it is original. Watch this movie and have fun! It is truly amazing if you watch it carefully, you find all sorts of throwbacks to Friday the 13th, Halloween, and Nightmare on Elm St.