It's hard to be postmodern anymore. We've seen so many deconstructions, mockumentaries and films filled with self-aware dialogue that there's a bit of a "been there, done that" feel to many new projects that attempt this sort of material. That's not to say it's impossible to deliver something different and engaging, which affectionately comments on its source material, but it's a bit more challenging than it once was. This leads us to the release of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, which is indeed a very postmodern film. It's a movie that really only exists if one goes in with prior knowledge of films like Halloween and Friday the 13th, and the way in which they work.
Nathan Baesel stars as the title character, Leslie. In the small town where he's from, Leslie is a local legend; a boy who died a horrific murder and is said to still haunt the area. But Leslie isn't dead. In fact, he's quite healthy. And as it turns out, he's planning a return to his hometown for a night of murderous rampage. And he makes it clear who influenced him, with guys like Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees name-checked along the way.
Behind the Mask exists in a world where Freddy, Jason and the rest are very real, with their exploits well known -- the movie never really explains where and how Freddy's inarguably supernatural exploits work in this universe, but push that aside -- and Leslie wants to be just like them. He's allowed a grad school film crew to document his activities as he prepares for his big night, and most of the film is shot from the point of view of these cameras. The on-camera reporter and interviewer for the grad students is Taylor, whose initial intuitiveness begins to give way to some major doubts about the morality of what she's participating in.
Behind the Mask has a fun idea. True, it's impossible not to think of Scream when it comes to movies that deconstruct slasher films, but Behind the Mask is coming at the genre from a very different angle. The idea of following around a Michael Myers type guy before the events of a slasher movie, and seeing all the hard work that goes into preparing the perfect night of terror is amusing. And the movie takes this idea further thanks to its portrayal of Leslie. Rather than a raving lunatic or a mute psychopath, Leslie's just your normal, average, friendly guy… Who just happens to have a plan to hunt down and kill a group of teenagers, before facing his ultimate virginal adversary.
Baesel is very good as Leslie. Sometimes resembling director Bryan Singer, Baesel has the right sensibility to sell the offbeat charm Leslie has, and gets a lot of laughs along the way. Some of the best moments in the script, by Scott Glosserman and David J. Stieve, involve Leslie explaining to the camera all the work that goes into his upcoming terror spree, and how he must think through every possibility: from what windows his prey might try to jump out of, to the weapons they'll likely grab for. Baesel has just the right matter of fact delivery with these lines. In an especially hysterical moment, that all slasher movie fans will appreciate, Leslie explains how much cardio he has to do, in order to appear to effortlessly power walk after all of his running victims.
However, Stieve and Glosserman, the latter of whom also directed, aren't always as successful with the jokes, many of which fall flat along the way. Baesel's able to sell many moments, but overall, the film has a very uneven tone that makes for a lot of awkward moments. Several times you can see how the idea behind the joke is funny, but the joke itself just doesn't work.
As the film progresses, Glosserman and Stieve begin to add more of a sense of dread and actual horror to the proceedings. This is a hard sell, because the entire set up calls for the film to be pretty out there and over the top -- Taylor and her crew are documenting a man planning a mass murder, after all. To have Taylor then starting to think, "Hmm, maybe this isn't such a good idea after all…", doesn't have much dramatic weight after such a setup, and scenes in which Taylor sees the truly frightening side of Leslie aren't effective.
More damaging, Glosserman just isn't able to create the proper tension to make for a successful horror film. Here, the Scream comparisons become more difficult to ignore, because one of the many strengths of Kevin Williamson's script, was how it so deftly balanced the comedic elements with the horror scenes, and managed to feel genuine in both regards. Of course, Williamson had Wes Craven -- who knew a thing or two about creating suspense -- directing. Glosserman obviously has great affection for the work of Craven and his peers, but just isn't able to match the sensibilities behind it.
This is a movie about a slasher movie character, made by a slasher movie fan, for slasher movie fans. And it's hard not to smile several times along the way, such as when Robert Englund shows up in a role Halloween aficionados will quickly recognize. Those fans will be amused to a certain point by the film, which clearly was made with love for the genre. But Behind the Mask is also frustrating because it's a movie with lots of fun and clever ideas, that never quite delivers.
uk.movies.ign.com
I expected a lot more out of this movie, from other reviews that i have read, im a big horror fan, and this one can go in the trash can. i hope this review was helpful to you, im just saying if you like movies mainly about someone being taped doing absolutely nothing then you might like it.