Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Hoping for an exclusive look at serial killers, a film crew follows a fanatical killer as he prepares to slaughter a group of small-town teens before getting caught up in their ethics and try to stop his rampage.

This was an utterly enjoyable slasher effort. One of the more impressive aspects of this one is the fact that there's plenty of utterly clever send-ups of what's at stake in a slasher film that aren't all that obvious which gets spelled out here. From the pointing out the clique that gets targeted to all the pre-attack tormenting that takes place around the town, training and working out for the chase as well as the behind-the-scenes planning for the whole event at the location and how to plan out a typical slasher-film style battle is all unique and quite original in concept and execution. Both of those areas are explored fully in here as the attempt to explain the thinking behind what is obviously a heat-of-the-moment type of situation that doesn't really inspire a lot of thinking when it really comes down to it makes for a rather engaging series of events throughout here as he goes about his plans. The actual execution of the plan, both in the early attack scene at the library as well as the ambushes at the diner make for some rather great stuff, while the big moment here is the actual final stalking of the group in the house as the crew attempts to help them deconstruct the evening before it happens as they try to stop him from going after the group and killing them which is all done in fine fashion with a lot to like here throughout this with a lot of explosive stalking, fantastic action and plenty of wonderful deconstructions of the slasher film norms that allows for a frenetic sequence that's tense, chilling and quite fun. While some of the stuff doesn't work here, namely the fact that this is supposed to be funny when it clearly isn't as the comedy instead comes from the absurdity of the situation rather than anything really done in the film itself so it can get rather annoying thinking this is funny when it really isn't, and as well the fact that the majority of the gore comes off-screen does get old a little fast. Otherwise, this was a rather impressive and enjoyable outing.

Rated R: Language, Violence, Brief Nudity, a mild sex scene and drug use.

Fmovies: I saw this at the Fantasia Film Festival. I have to admit the first act has some really funny moment, and the actor who portrays Leslie Vernon is great. That being said, the second part turns into a full-blown slasher. The break is WAY too rough to really make it believable, plus the slasher part does not deliver the suspense nor the action, nor the gore we would expect from that kind of movie, which makes it quite monotonous and basically, dull. The director did an okay job, alternating between hand-held video cameras for the documentary parts and stable HD cams for the slasher parts. The guys does have a respect for the genre, but that won't necessarily make the movie good. The cast is pretty solid, especially the guy who plays Leslie Vernon like I said earlier.

So the ''mockumentary'' part is pretty funny, but the ending is terrible. Watchable, but not amazing.

A clever mock-umentary style horror movie about a film crew following around a "slasher movie" type serial killer.

Sure, it dragged at parts, and not everyone was the best actor, but it was different, and it was fun.

It shines a new light on the slasher movie genre. Unlike others, this one offers you a different vantage point.... you are tagging along with the killer. You go though his choices of weapons, the planning, you meet his mentor, and watch as they trade "industry tips & secrets"

Like it or don't, it stands alone from other slasher movies. Some people just won't like the view from..... Behind the Mask!

mwaahaha

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon fmovies. I must say this film was great. I'm not typically one to watch movies that are both Comedy and Horror. But this was definitely a standout film in the Comedy Horror genre. I would recommend Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon to horror film buffs especially. Being a horror movie buff myself, I found that this flick really put the classic slasher films to good use. They formed a sort of method to the slasher's madness and I have to say I loved that. I also appreciated the slight twist at the ending. I would love to see another film like this to be created. It is definitely worth the watch. Although if you are prone to motion sickness, it may be triggered by the moments where a hand-held camera is used. Other than that, I highly recommend the movie!

This film rocks sports fans. Its Man bites dog meets Halloween. Brilliant performances, great direction, very funny, inspired film making! Nathan Baesel was especially entertaining as the "Michael Mires" style character, keep an eye out for him in the future. And with appearances from Robert Englund, Scott Wilson, and Kane Hodder makes this an absolute must for any old school slasher fan. the only reason it did not get a 10 from me was the gore, it didn't need it but some hard core, well done Peter Jackson (braindead) style gore would have made this film one of the all time greats and been the proverbial icing on the cake. if you're a Rami, Jacksoon, Carpenter, Craven etc. fan then you MUST SEE THIS FILM!

Leslie Vernon, a highly-enthusiastic wannabe "supernatural" serial killer, along the lines of Halloween's Michael Meyers or Friday the 13th's Jason, invites a film crew along to document his initial spree this original horror comedy that allows you to see a killing spree from the point of view of the killer. The film crew soon finds itself rooting for the likable Leslie, well-played by Nathan Baesel, who has planned his spree to the last detail. The crew slowly moves from documenting the events to aiding and abetting them, but it has second thoughts as the reality of the events overwhelm them. They discover too late that Leslie isn't exactly who he claims to be, and he has worked out everything, including their last minute hesitations, into his meticulous plan.

The documentary approach gives the filmmakers enough distance from the events to successfully spoof the conventions of slasher genre. However, the filmmakers managed to restore genuine tension by limiting that distance by making the witnesses, the filmmakers, into participants. That's why this film succeeded where other spoofs and "found footage" failed. It delivers both narrative perspective and intimacy.

Well done.