Halloween Countdown Day 4: Behind the Mask

It’s Halloween, and Geoff is getting into the spirit by snuggling up on the couch and watching a scary movie every day until the trick-or-treaters arrive.

If you haven’t seen these movies, you should. You really, REALLY should. 

Miss any of the countdown? 

Day 1: My Bloody Valentine (1981)     Day 2: In the Mouth of Madness (1995)     Day 3: The Walking Dead / Dead Set

Day 4: Behind the Mask: 

The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Ever since The Blair Witch Project blasted into theaters in 1999, there have been no shortage of fake “found footage” horror films out there (movies like Rec, Paranormal Activity, Cloverfield, Diary of the Dead, and so many more) . 

Most of these types of films aren’t worth watching and the found footage subgenre itself has become almost too annoying for me to stomach, but every so often somebody like Leslie Vernon comes along and makes the whole thing worthwhile.

This is Leslie, and he's new face of terror.

The Plot in 140 characters: There is a lot more work that goes into a psychotic co-ed murder spree than you might have first realized. There is so much cardio involved.

The Actual Plot: Leslie Vernon is an aspiring serial killer who is planning his first big job: The murder of a group of co-eds at an old farm house.

He wants to be like his heroes Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees and when he is approached by a group of grad students wanting to make a documentary about his preparations leading up to the big day, Leslie agrees to give the crew the inside scoop on just how much work and effort goes into planning the perfect murder.  

And he is super excited about it.

Why I Love It: As I said, “found footage” horror films often annoy me. When I watch a movie like Diary of the Dead or Cloverfield I find myself unable to suspend my disbelief enough to really accept it.

I find myself shouting at the screen when I watch a movie like Paranormal Activity, because I usually find them just so implausible, or wondering why people are filming something in the first place. (In Cloverfield, for example, one of the characters is filming a going-away party and then just decides to keep shooting as he climbs one handed up a building to rescue a woman?) Pfft.

I guess I’m just weird to think that when monsters are chasing 
me the last thing I want to do is set up for a wide shot.

But Behind the Mask is different. It's smart and knows what its doing. And it plays with the formula, taking chances that just plain rock.

The film is really two movies in one: The first is a standard mockumentary where the majority of the film takes place. Leslie is a psycho-killer a la Michael Myers, and he’s showing a merry band of film students the finer points of preparing for a mass murder.

But every so often the film will cut away from the found footage style into a traditional slasher film, complete with spooky lighting, music, and all the slasher film ideas that Leslie clearly loves and appreciates so much.

Probably Behind the Mask’s best comparison would be the Scream series, but in many ways I prefer Leslie Vernon to Ghostface. Where Scream pokes fun at slasher films' stupid conventions, Behind the Mask embraces them, it is those same conventions that make the film work, because Leslie is able to turn them on their head and present old ideas in a new a refreshing way.

Where Scream just states the rules Leslie is able to have fun with them.

"Why don't you have a seat, Mr. Vernon.
Why don't you have a seat right over there."

But by far what makes the film work is Leslie Vernon himself. Played by Nathan Baesel, he’s a ruthless killer, but he is also the kind of guy you wouldn’t mind grabbing a beer with.

He’s an all-around fun guy, until he puts on his mask and becomes a silent predator. Through the charm and the laughs there is a definite sense of darkness about Leslie that makes him even more captivating to watch because you know sooner or later the Leslie Vernon time bomb is going to go off.

And when he does, watch out.

No, seriously. Watch out.

The film also has its share of cameos, including small roles for Robert Englund and the late Zelda Rubinstein in her final film performance.

"He's right behind me, isn't he?"

This film delivers in every way. It's almost a shame that it hasn't become a bigger hit. There are enough inside jokes to keep the horror fan in me smiling, and the film is believable enough to set it apart both as a slasher film and as a contemporary mockumentary.

By far the best moments in the film are the transitions from documentary to slasher film. It’s an idea that could have backfired, but the film is so convincing that it works. At the end of the film you realize that you would gladly have paid to watch either the slasher-film version, or the documentary.

Thankfully, in Behind the Mask, you get both.

TOMORROW: Ain't no sparkly vampires here. We're talking about the Let The Right One In American remake known as Let Me In.

Warning in advance: This is a remake. And it's WORTH watching.