Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

While writer/director Scott Glosserman does not take the kooky-character ensemble-cast Christopher Guest approach to the mockumentary film, nor the kitchen-sink love-letter manner which Edgar Wright so joyously employs, he does a lot with a little — this low-budget fright flick is witty, entertaining, funny, and yes, scary in the all the right places.

Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel) is a young, uncaught killer with aspirations of becoming the next Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger (who are real, for all intents and purposes here). Along for the crimson ride is a small documentary film crew, headed up by eager college journalist Taylor Gentry (Angela Goethals), and they're poised to catch every cut and kill on film. As the detail-obsessed slayer lays his traps and chooses his victims, he gives quippy interviews to Taylor, shares the secrets of his terrible trade, and even introduces his sage, sadistic gore-guru (Scott Wilson) who in turn offers up a few soundbites about the business of serial-slashing.

Behind the Mask is a real gem in the usual costume-jewelry junk pile of "horror/comedies" in that it is able to make fun of the clichés (as well as geek out, without alienating a less-than-knowing audience), while proving that these clichés became such for a good reason: they work. For the first hour, the movie is a straight-on mockumentary, then it takes a turn and becomes a classic stab-and-slab old-school horror movie.

While kudos and curtseys belong to the filmmakers and the whole cast, the real standout is Baesel as the title character. The actor hasn't done a lot of high-profile projects yet (however he is memorable as Deputy Sirk in the short-lived TV series Invasion) — and I do think "yet" is the operative word — but if the manner in which he carries Behind the Mask is any indication of his talent and screen presence, then I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of him in the future. He plays this all-out, could-be cardboard cutout, cinematic sicko with a mix of puppy-dog eagerness, raw bravado, sweet humility, wry humor and wholly believable malevolence. Vernon is a character fraught with contradictions, so any actor who can pull off each aspect in anything close to a genuine manner is definitely one who is gifted — in fact, Baesel is quite reminiscent of Anthony Perkins in Psycho: polite and understated, yet speaking volumes while quietly sharpening his knife.

Cameos by Robert Englund (channeling Donald Pleasance) and Zelda Rubinstein (as the know-it-all librarian) are fun, and while the movie doesn't quite jell when all is said and done, it's still well worth a look for any fan of the genre.

Additional Release Material

Audio commentary by Nathan Baesel; Angela Goethals; Brian Spellings, and Ben Pace

Deleted Scenes

Extended Scenes

Featurettes: The Making Of BEHIND THE MASK: THE RISE OF LESLIE VERNON; and The Casting of BEHIND THE MASK

Anchor Bay Movie Trailers

DVD-ROM, with the film script

= = =

Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson