Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon's Recent Activity - Spout

Film:Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:20:51 GMT

Title: Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
Year: 2007
Director: Scott Glosserman
Plot: Meet Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesal). He’s just like you and me, striving to make his life’s dream come true, but with one slight difference. Leslie’s dream is to become your worst nightmare. Jason, Freddy, Michael… we all need someone to look up to. Leslie is the self proclaimed “next great psycho killer” and he has given Taylor Gentry (Angela Goethals) and her local documentary crew exclusive access to his life as he plans his reign of terror over the sleepy town of Glen Echo. He takes the crew through his training process (cardio, cardio, cardio!), bloodbath strategy planning (know your exits before your victims do) and the little details that give an up and coming slasher that certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ (when selecting your mask do you go for sleek and sexy or rough but spooky?) Leslie introduces the crew to Eugene (Scott Wilson) a retired killer/ sausage enthusiast who sees a little of himself in the young man studying at his feet. All the while he deconstructs the conventions and archetypes of the horror genre (like how Taylor is a perfect “final girl” in the making) for the group with emphasis on how he’s going to change things for his generation. But practice DOES make perfect and, as Leslie coordinates a dry run with a group of unsuspecting teenagers lured to his cabin in the woods, Taylor and the crew become split on whether or not they should intervene on their horrific story. But, in this twisted tale of “man-knifes-dog”, intervention may just land them on the receiving end of the camera…and a knife. Also stars genre legends Robert England (A Nightmare On Elm Street) and Zelda Rubenstein (Poltergeist).
Times Tagged: 15
Number of Lists: 10
Number of blog posts: 4
Number of discussion threads: 5
SpoutRating: 3

Spout Post: Re: Favorite Horror Movies...

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:20:51 GMT

Post By: Dr_Gor
Post To: HORROR MOVIES 101
Post Date: 8/15/2009 5:20:51 PM
Body: [quote user="joem18b"] Couple of years ago I watched Behind the Mask and mentioned it here. I was listening to a movie podcast called Double Feature the other day and the two movies under discussion were Black Christmas and Behind the Mask. The idea was that Black Christmas was the first true slasher movie (not counting Psycho) and Behind the Mask was the last one, wrapping it all up. An interview with the writer of Behind the Mask was included. Just reminded me how much I liked the movie, which the podcasters claim is gaining cult status. I think I'll check it out again, to see if it holds up. [/quote] Thank you, Joe. I must confess that due to limitations in my current technological advancement ("caveman", remember?) I have been unable to watch several recent DVD releases... I have yet to see "Behind The Mask" or "American Psycho" ! Both of those movies are on my list... < GOR >

Spout Post: Re: Favorite Horror Movies...

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:32:08 GMT

Post By: joem18b
Post To: HORROR MOVIES 101
Post Date: 8/6/2009 1:32:08 PM
Body: Couple of years ago I watched Behind the Mask and mentioned it here. I was listening to a movie podcast called Double Feature the other day and the two movies under discussion were Black Christmas and Behind the Mask. The idea was that Black Christmas was the first true slasher movie (not counting Psycho) and Behind the Mask was the last one, wrapping it all up. An interview with the writer of Behind the Mask was included. Just reminded me how much I liked the movie, which the podcasters claim is gaining cult status. I think I'll check it out again, to see if it holds up.

Spout Post: BEHIND THE MASK: THE RISE OF LESLIE VERNON - Cultcuts review

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:22:03 GMT

Post By: digitalconquest
Post To: digitalconquest Blog
Post Date: 8/7/2008 12:22:03 PM
Body: It just doesn’t happen enough, but every once in awhile you come across a DVD release you aren’t too familiar with and when the final credits roll, you actually say out loud, “Brilliant.” This is the case with BEHIND THE MASK. A satirical take on the slasher genre while poking fun at the horror spun mockumentary that has permeated rental shelves since THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT. It also manages to succeed and blend in as a horror themed thriller while never losing any of its biting sense of dark humor. These are rare, but think of it as what SHAUN OF THE DEAD did for zombie cinema, this manages to do to the hack and slash so fondly hated and lovely remembered from the early 1980’s. Of course it doesn’t hurt with a supporting cast including Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger himself), Scott Wilson (IN COLD BLOOD, THE NINTH CONFIGURATION) and Zelda Rubinstein (POLTERGEIST). Taylor Gentry (Angela Goethals) and her two cameramen are making a low budget documentary on the life of an upcoming killer in training. Their focus is none other than Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel), a young man with the right past and modern proper training to become the next legend alongside the all too real killers Jason Voorhees and Michael Meyers. He also happens to have a mentor, a retired slasher legend who got away with it, Eugene (Scott Wilson). The crew spends countless hours following Vernon around watching him prepare for his first big slaughter and reminiscing with Eugene about his past and how things have changed from the good old days. All of this while eating dinner with Eugene’s wife as the crew films quietly in shock. They go over the plans, the protocol, the rules, yes, there are rules, otherwise you’re just some sort of whack job, not an artist with a craft. By the time the killing starts, you’ve graduated Legendary Killers 101. While the entire proceedings sound gimmicky, and it has a sort of kitsch to it, BEHIND THE MASK manages to pull in the viewer into its own strange world where movie legends are all real, but it is smart enough to play with the characters. None of the crew really believes they will be witness to any kind of carnage, and when they start to think it might become true, it is still so unbelievable to their characters, they seem more in awe with Vernon than frightened. That is, until it becomes all too real and they are finally confronted with Vernon’s instability and the violence begins. Director Scott Glosserman wisely shuts down the entire mockumentary style and runs with the twist that shocks behind the camera that is in front of the real one. Beyond that, we get an even better twist turning the final act into a well executed horror film that would stand well on its own. I wish I could say more, but half the fun of a slasher movie is not knowing if the killer lives on for a sequel, even if he was killed 8 times prior to the final cut. So you’ll just have to check it out for yourself and have the same fun time I had with this smart film that celebrates the genre while poking fun of it and never demeans its forefathers. Even references to Freddy Krueger while good old Robert Englund shows up himself as Doc Halloran, Leslie Vernon’s psychiatrist add to this odd cinematic world. With the pacing perfect, enough atmosphere and more than ample amounts of humor, a low budget indy film such as this can easily be destroyed by horrid acting. They say humor is tougher than serious acting, but I have always felt while that may be true, satire makes other styles of humor look easy in comparison. To be able to dramatic portray your humor without falling into tongue and cheek or slapstick mode isn’t an easy task. Everyone handles their roles perfectly letting the smart script work the humor while everyone plays it straight. Without it, this would have been a painful film to sit through. I’m glad to report otherwise. Anchor Bay/Starz Entertainment does another excellent job with this DVD release. The print is excellent with proper sound and colors. Extras include a commentary with Angela Goethals, Britain Spellings and Ben Pace. Also included are two featurettes, one the usual making of and the other focusing on the casting. Several deleted and extended scenes along with trailers and the original screenplay are also included. Even without the extras, BEHIND THE MASK is a cut above most modern slashers. It may be heralded as a comedy and compared to SCREAM, but don’t let that deter you from a brilliant satire that also works as a great horror film. It’s too good to be thought of as something that simple. BEHIND THE MASK: THE RISE OF LESLIE VERNON is highly recommended.

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

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:45:37 GMT

Post By: JJ79
Post To: JJ79 Blog
Post Date: 6/9/2008 12:45:37 PM
Body: Ethics. That's all I could think about from the very beginning of "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon." Why does journalism grad school student Taylor Gentry (Angela Goethals) not believe Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel) when he outlines in gruesome detail the way he intends to kill a group of high school kids? Why do her two cameramen not believe him? And, even if they didn't believe him, why does it take so bloody (no pun intended) long for them to put the words "journalism" and "ethics" together into a coherent thought? We're introduced to the world of Glen Echo, Maryland, by Gentry, a grad student looking to do a story on the mind of a serial killer. She mentions Freddy (Krueger), Michael (Myers) and Jason (Voorhies) in the build up to meeting Vernon. Clearly, in the movie's reality, these monsters really did exist. In the course of documenting Vernon, Taylor is taken through every nuance, every little step a serial killer may go through in the lead up to the big event. She even meets a man who has "retired" from the "business" who gives Leslie pointers. As with any other horror film, the final act is the payoff: in a small farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, a group of high school kids party. Until Vernon shows up... (Any first year journalism student has had to grapple with the morality of playing god, being the arbiter of when to stop filming the story and when to report it. The moment Taylor figures out this is "for real" comes wholly too late. I couldn't help but wonder why she didn't err on the side of caution and report Leslie to the police. The simple, in-movie answer is that there would have been no movie if she did.) We, as the audience, are meant to take certain leaps of faith with this movie. We're supposed to accept the fact Taylor can find Leslie Vernon, a boy who was supposedly thrown down a waterfall as a young child (we find out later this man isn't Vernon, but another person...a wholly unneeded plot element). We're supposed to accept the fact Leslie wants to be interviewed and documented. We're supposed to accept the fact Taylor never uses her brain to come to the conclusion that this man may just plan on carrying out the murders. We're supposed to accept the fact that Freddy, Jason, Michael, Chucky and a whole host of film serial killers are real. And, lastly but not last, we're supposed to accept the fact Taylor-despite having seen horror films-has no idea she is being set up as the virgin Leslie is after. All of those "facts" strain suspension of disbelief entirely too much. One or two leaps of faith I can understand. But when the central premise of the film is dependant on the audience going along with the distorted combination of reality and fiction they can't make sense of, the narrative falls apart. "The Rise of Leslie Vernon" is clearly trying to reinvent the horror genre, much like "Scream" did back in the 90s. Truthfully, it has more in common with "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" than any other genre film I can think of. This killer, like Freddy in that film, exists in "reality." The supporting characters-or the road kill, whichever term you prefer-all understand the conventions of horror movies. The red herring, the sanctity of virginity, the killer's childhood, the savior, the twist...Vernon actually runs step-by-step through all of these pieces. The audience follows along because we are versed in horror language. Even Taylor understands, but she's so wrapped up in SPOILER something (we're never sure what), that she can't see the obvious: she is the target. Since we, the audience, have seen horror movies for seemingly eons, the ending doesn't provide punch on any level. The confrontation, involving death, blood, running, dark spaces...it's boring. We know who's going to survive by virtue of "Halloween" or "Scream." Movies are not created in a vacuum, something "The Rise of Leslie Vernon" seemingly understands only to forget at the drop of a hat. In order to challenge the audience, to give them something new, the rules have to change. Just because "that's the way Freddy/Jason/Michael did it" is not an acceptable reason for the status quo to remain unchanged. That's the greatest failing of this film: it gives credit to the audience's intelligence and then snatches the credit away instead of giving us something we haven't seen before. Even the scene playing over the end credits is as obvious as a tag can get. Of course the body wheeled into the morgue is Leslie. Of course he didn't die when the building he was in went up in flames...even though his head was caught in an apple juice vice. Of course Taylor, in the final battle, doesn't adhere to the now-clichéd idea the killer ALWAYS come back, which is why you make damn sure he's dead. The cast of mostly unknowns ("Freddy" Robert Englund appears in a couple small scenes as the Dr. Loomis-inspired character Doc Halloran) performs reasonably well with the material they're given, though the role of Leslie is brought to life with particular zest by the charismatic Baesel. He doesn't have the look of a serial killer; he actually reminded me several times of "Superman Returns" director Bryan Singer-boyish, innocent, guy-next-door...not sadistically violent and demented. There are also several references to the pantheon of horror films in the background. Kane Hodder (Jason) turns up in a cameo on Elm Street; Zelda Rubinstein ("Poltergeist") plays a small role; the girls in white playing jump rope from the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" series turn up in the background; Leslie's serial killer friend Eugene has a replica of the Elm Street house in his home; and more I no doubt missed. Despite "Behind the Mask" unfolding by the numbers, it does provide pieces of serial killer mentality not showcased in other films. We've all wondered why the victim runs into the closet when the killer is hot on their heels. Apparently, according to Leslie, the closet is like the womb, a safe place, an off limits place. This feeds into the idea of phallic (male anatomy) versus yonic (female) imagery. The weapons the female will grab to attack her stalker are phallic; the closet, representing the womb, are yonic. (Which, in turns, all feeds into the theory that virgins are the only pure people, and thus, able to attack the killer.) "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon" is a low budget, blink-and-you'll-miss-it "horror" film that doesn't take the genre anywhere new. I could accept a run of the mill serial killer film if the participants weren't this stupid. The filmmakers want the audience to believe the characters exist in a reality close to ours, but they don't use any semblance of rationality or logic throughout the production. For that reason, "Behind the Mask" finds itself saddled with a 4 out of 10. Director Scott Glosserman, in his directorial debut, hits all the standard notes without effectively building up tension or audience goodwill. This is a new idea, one that could have succeeded if the genre was twisted on its ear. We've all seen this before.

Spout Post: Re:Hatchet

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 05:08:52 GMT

Post By: divinemsjunebug
Post To: HORROR MOVIES 101
Post Date: 3/10/2008 1:08:52 AM
Body: Yes, I saw the previews for Behind the Mask and put it on my Netflix Queue and it did have Robert Englund in it. It looks pretty good. I haven't heard of the Tripper, I'm going to have to check that out too. I agree, comedy and horror together are a great mix. The Gore in this movie was Extreme but it was the kind where I put my hands over my eyes and had to peek out and laugh. I loved how he killed the older woman tourist (okay I know that sounds sadistic when I say I LOVED how he killed the woman but I had never seen that in a movie before...YUK). [quote user="yojimbo73"]I enjoyed Hatchet as well. I'd gotten away from recent horror because of all the sadistic, torture crap that's been coming out the past few years, but movies like Hatchet, The Tripper and Behind the Mask have brought me back. I love some laughs with my splatter. If I remember correctly, old Robert Englund was in Behind the Mask as well. I haven't watched Hatchet's commentary yet, but I'd like to think it was purposely tongue in cheek, otherwise it comes up a little short. Either way it was a fun movie.[/quote]

Spout Post: Re:Hatchet

Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:56:21 GMT

Post By: yojimbo73
Post To: HORROR MOVIES 101
Post Date: 3/9/2008 8:56:21 PM
Body: I enjoyed Hatchet as well. I'd gotten away from recent horror because of all the sadistic, torture crap that's been coming out the past few years, but movies like Hatchet, The Tripper and Behind the Mask have brought me back. I love some laughs with my splatter. If I remember correctly, old Robert Englund was in Behind the Mask as well. I haven't watched Hatchet's commentary yet, but I'd like to think it was purposely tongue in cheek, otherwise it comes up a little short. Either way it was a fun movie.

Spout Post: Better Than Most

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:35:33 GMT

Post By: JakeStevens
Post To: JakeStevens Blog
Post Date: 11/19/2007 11:35:33 AM
Body: Behind The Mask initially had me with it's tongue-in-cheek humor and clever use of casting. It's the end that began to let me down, and then moment it switched from documentary-style to standard flick...I began to lose interest. True, it's similar to The Blair Witch Project, but where that film succeeded in keeping you believing until the end...this one makes no attempt at that. But I will admit it's one of the better "horror" films I've seen in a while.

Spout Post: Re: Favorite Horror Movies...

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 16:48:30 GMT

Post By: joem18b
Post To: HORROR MOVIES 101
Post Date: 7/5/2007 12:48:30 PM
Body: Watched Behind the Mask: the Rise of Leslie Vernon last night. It didn't disappoint. Best horror movie I've seen in a while. I'll be interested to hear what the horror experts in this group think.

Spout Post: Not JUST another horror satire

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 02:42:00 GMT

Post By: Demndiary
Post To: Demndiary Blog
Post Date: 3/31/2007 10:42:00 PM
Body: Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is a humorous take on slasher films. It makes fun of the genre in a deadpan format. The first previews I saw it struck me as a Blair Witch Project meets Scream. I think it has elements of both, but has its unique feel. The movie is driven by the performances of Leslie (Nathan Baesal) and Taylor (Angela Goethals). This is both good and bad. The good comes in Taylor stepping deeper and deeper into Leslie's world and taking joy in his steps. The bad comes from the jokes that take too long to get there. At times the documentary approach has the audience "getting it" before the characters force out the joke. This slows the film. The performace of Scott Wilson as Eugene is a standout in the film. He is the mentor, and father figure to Leslie. He is married and retired but his "teaching skills" are hilarious to watch. On the other hand, Robert Englund is underused in this picture. His part is small, but appropriate but begged for more. Overall Behind the Mask establishes its own mythology and slang (Ahab and Survivorgirl) and has fun along the way. It also, true to genre, leaves the door open for a sequel. It is not another Halloween, but a movie that Jamie Curtis would get a kick out of.

Spout Tag:comedy

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:38:24 GMT

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