About a year ago I had the chance to see a movie that just blew me away – Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. I was very impressed with the film on every level, but especially with the way that it managed to tweak the slasher film genre while actually being a complete homage to it. Behind the Mask is compared to Scream a lot because of the post-modern elements (for most of its running time it’s a fake documentary about a guy gearing up to become a serial killer in the tradition of Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Michael Meyers, who are all real in his world), but the movie it reminds me most of is Shaun of the Dead, at least in how it approaches the material with reverence and a snicker.
The film is finally opening this weekend – not as wide as I think it deserves, but it’ll still be playing in a number of theater across the country. If you’re a fan of slasher films, a fan of tongue in cheek genre deconstruction or just a fan of well-made low budget indie film, Behind the Mask is the weekend choice for you. Hell, just go for me because I really, really want McFarlane Toys to make a Leslie Vernon figure. And I’m not even a toy collector!
You can read my original review from 2006 right here. Click here to see what theaters this great film will be playing in – if it’s playing by you, get off your ass and enjoy it!