Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

[indianasmith]

I did a search and could not find a thread devoted to this film, which I watched last night.   I really enjoyed this rather quirky little horror film.  For those who have not seen it, a quick synopsis:

The film begins with a waitress, cleaning up after the diner closes.  She goes out back, dumps the trash, and is startled when the back door of the restaurant closes and traps her outside.  She thinks she sees someone standing in the bushes . . . but then he's gone, so  she runs around to the front and lets herself in.  Roll opening credits.
  The next sequence is a documentary-style narration by a young blonde newsbabe.  She talks about the famous murderers who have become icons of evil in the last 30 years or so . . . Michael Myers of Haddonfield, the Crystal Lake killings by Jason Voorhees, and the bizarre string of slayings connected with long-dead serial child murderer Freddy Kruger, who once lived in a quiet residential neighborhood on Elm Street.
  Then she reveals that a new icon of evil is about to emerge . . . that this small town where she is filming is about to be terrorized by a killer calling himself Leslie Vernon. And Mr. Vernon has agreed to let her and her film crew document him, launching his legend.

  For several days he shows her the group of teens he has chosen to butcher, and even lets them film his "set-up" murder of the town's elderly librarian.  He talks about the physical conditioning and training it takes to become a successful slasher.   He explains terms like "Survivor Girl" and why it is important to have one, and rejoices when his "Ahab", played by Robert Englund, shows up.  He discusses the phallic implications of defensive weaponry and how that weighs into the symbolism of good and evil.   He even introduces them to his friend and mentor, retired serial murderer "Gene."

 (Someone help me here; I think I recognize Gene from some older horror film, but I cannot place him!!!)

  Finally the night arives.  The props are all in place.  The teens decamp to the old Vernon place for the obligatory drinking and boinking.  Leslie has the booby traps all set and is ready to begin.  He kills the first two - a couple who has snuck upstairs to make out (of course, he must follow formula!).  But then his plan begins to go astray when the newsbabe gets cold feet and tries to warn the hapless teens that death is stalking them.

Or . . . . is that what Leslie wanted all along?

This movie is a neat little homage to the classics of 80's horror.  I found it funny, slick but not pretentious, with a few original twists along the way.  Leslie is a genuinely likable and engaging character when he is not chopping up teenagers, and Robert Englund is wonderful as his psychiatrist and nemesis.  My only complaint was the DVD I was watching; near the movie's climactic chase scene it began to freeze and skip badly.  I HATE when that happens.

Oh . . . . and one other thing.  Make sure you watch the credits to the very end . . .

[CheezeFlixz]

(Someone help me here; I think I recognize Gene from some older horror film, but I cannot place him!!!)

Dr. Temple in The Exorcist III

He was also in "In Cold Blood" and "Johnny Handsome" (Neither horror, but horrorish)

[Mr_Vindictive]

Behind The Mask is a fantastic film.  I picked it up on DVD the day it was released after hearing quite a few good things about it.  My only complaint about the film is the final third or so when it looses it's documentary feel and turns into more of a predictable slasher flick.  The finale is still much better than most modern slashers, but I felt it took more of a familiar path than the rest of the film and it suffered a bit for it.

Still it's one of the most inventive and fun horror films in years.  Highly recommended.

[BeyondTheGrave]

This was a good one. Even though the ending was sort of predictable it didn't ruin the experience.

[Mofo Rising]

One of the best movies of that year. My brother was obsessing about this one, so I bought it for him when I saw it for sale. I was really concerned at the beginning, since it didn't look so good. It quickly got a lot better.

I actually really enjoyed the ending. Worked like Gang Busters for me. Just a fantastic film, especially if you are more than familiar with slasher films.

[Mr_Vindictive]

Just a fantastic film, especially if you are more than familiar with slasher films.

It is truly a love letter to slasher flicks, which is why it works so well.  My wife didn't like the film but then again, she's not a big fan of slashers.  To those of us that are initiated in the films, there are little nods throughout the film that really make the film a fun watch numerous times. 

I read an interview with the writer/director in an issue of Fangoria a while back.  He said that he was a fan of the F13 and NOES films in the 80s but generally wasn't a hardcore slasher fan.  By watching the film, you'd never know it.