HERE'S TO HALLOWEEN: Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

As most genre fans know, it is not just any horror movie that fits the Halloween season. For those of us who enjoy horror year round we look for something different come this time of year. Certain movies have an atmosphere and tone to them that put you in the right mindset for these spooky times. Most people like to turn to Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Jason Voorhees come this time of year for their Halloween scares and that's why the film I am going to write about below has an odd relationship with these characters. I only just saw this film about a week ago and instantly fell in love, it is totally unique and like nothing I have ever seen before in horror or any other genre. If you have the new horror streaming service "Shudder" than you can go stream the movie right now, otherwise I suggest giving it a rent on VOD, you won't regret it.

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

Horror, Comedy, Thriller

Directed By: Scott Glosserman

We have seen meta horror and we have seen mockumentary horror but you would be hard pressed to find one that blends the two like Scott Glosserman does with his film Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. Jumping between documentary style and traditional filmmaking this movie bends the genre into something completely new all while playing tribute to the classic slashers we all know and love. The film is intelligent, funny, and full of good scares and throwbacks to classic horror tropes and cliches all coming together to create something wildly original.

When a man reaches out to a group of small time documentarians claiming to be the long deceased Leslie Vernon and that he is about to enact his revenge on the small town of people who led him to his death, they jump on the opportunity to document this man's delusions. At first they don't believe the guy for a second and approach it as some kind of elaborate hoax, but when things start getting seriously heavy they have to decide if they are there to document or if they are there to prevent. Vernon takes them through his process step by step to show them how he plans to be the next "Fred Krueger" or "Mikey Myers" (as they all exist in this reality) and go down as one of the "greats".

The film literally takes you behind the mask of the movie slasher to show you how they become who they are. Leslie seems like a normal enough guy when they first meet him and are only put off by how nonchalantly he talks about mass murder. He lays out his plan for them in simple terms, quite literally deconstructing how to make a by-the-books slasher movie and what kind of thought process goes into the set up. Seriously, if you have ever thought of making a slasher movie this one basically gives you the outline of how to do so.

Aside from giving you a sort of meta approach to the slasher genre this movie also blends different styles of filmmaking to really set you in the world. When talking to Leslie and hearing his plan the scenes are shot like a documentary with interviews and handheld cameras, but when they go to show the actual enactment of his next phase the film cuts to a cinematic scene shot like a true slasher film. This technique works to make the audience understand that this film exists in a universe with all of the other great killers like freddy, Jason, and Michael and that killing these kids is more than just senseless murder to them.

The movie sucks you in right from the opening scene and will keep you glued to the screen until the very end as it finds a way to breathe some new life into the tired slasher sub-genre. Glosserman took a ton of risks with the film and they all paid off, this is easily one of the most inventive and clever horror films I have seen of the modern century and a must watch for all genre fans. Leslie Vernon pays tribute to everything we love about the past while improving on their mistakes and elevating this film to something entirely its own. If you are looking for a departure from your everyday horror then check this movie out first chance you get, it is streaming on Shudder and is available on major VOD platforms.

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!