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

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Scott Glosserman

Writers:

Scott Glosserman (writer)
David J. Stieve (writer)

Release Date:

14 September 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Jason, Freddy, Myers. We All Need Someone To Look Up To.

Plot:

The next great psycho horror slasher has given a documentary crew exclusive access to his life as he...

Plot Keywords:

Slasher | Psycho | Glen Echo | Mask | Hanged Boy

Awards:

5 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Nathan Baesel	...	Leslie Vernon
Angela Goethals	...	Taylor Gentry
Robert Englund	...	Doc Halloran
Scott Wilson	...	Eugene
Zelda Rubinstein	...	Mrs. Collinwood
Bridgett Newton	...	Jamie
Kate Lang Johnson	...	Kelly Curtis
Ben Pace	...	Doug Johnson
Britain Spellings	...	Todd Best
Hart Turner	...	Shane
Krissy Carlson	...	Lauren
Travis Zariwny	...	Dr. Meuller
Teo Gomez	...	Stoned Guy
Matt Bolt	...	Slightly More Stoned Guy
Jenafer Brown	...	Carrie - Virgin Girl

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence, language, some sexual content and brief drug use.

Runtime:

USA:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:MA | Germany:16 | Finland:K-18 (self applied) | Singapore:M18 | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

Banks, Oregon, USA

Company:

Glen Echo Entertainment

Trivia:

At the beginning Taylor is standing in front of the Red Rabbit Pub. This is reference to the Red Rabbit matchbook found by Dr. Loomis in Halloween (1978).

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Taylor Gentry is running into the apple orchard near the end of the film you can see the set lights at the top of the screen.

Quotes:

Leslie Vernon: Paradise lost? Found it!

Movie Connections:

References The Shining (1980)

Soundtrack:

Bound To Crash

It's okay to laugh

I saw this on the recommendation of a friend. I had never heard of it, but I was assured it was a good movie. Understanding the premise helps a lot, because this is a great movie and excellent concept. The beginning of the movie sets up the second half. In the first part, we see Leslie as human. He sometimes says creepy things, like when they begin to discuss his library of text books, mostly medical and anatomy. He makes a joke of this, saying these are necessary for the trade. He always refers to his need to kill as a profession and even has a mentor. Through them we see the world as if it were a game. The mockumentary parts are not only hilarious, we get to see the monsters side of things. The door that won't stay open? Probably rigged. Those ever-so-creepy newspaper articles the main character always seems to find at just the right moment? Those require more effort then the viewers might consider.

The second half of the movie is when we get to see Leslie in action. Because we have seen him as human in the first half, seeing him as a monster in the second isn't as scary as one might expect. It is not supposed to be. Leslie Vernon has become a person we know, who made us laugh, who keeps pet turtles. He is not some random resurrected guy with an axe to grind. He is a guy at work, albeit disgusting and immoral work, he is still a guy at work. Set up this way, it is a bit like watching two movies. The two parts play off each other very well.

This movie is darkly funny. No one wants to laugh as scary things happen, but when things work out just as Leslie predicts they will, even the "documentary" crew gets very enthusiastic.

Robert Englund (Freddy Kreuger) read this script and was impressed. being a big name in horror, he admittedly gets swamped with scripts. This movie interested him enough that he accepted the role. If you can't decide if you should watch it, remember that. And then rent it, with friends.

Everyone needs someone to look up to. Leslie realized he will never reach the fame of Mike (Meyers), Chuckie or Freddy, but he is trying.