How does a slasher killer achieve his or her fame? What are the steps and rituals that must be adhered to? Why would they want to enter into a life of killing and being killed? And once you've been selected as their Final Girl, is there any way to break the cycle? These questions and more are raised and answered by this mockumentary. Taylor Gentry (Angela Goethals, Home Alone) and her two cameramen, Doug and Todd, have been allowed to document Leslie Vernon as he prepares to become a slasher killer. He already has his backstory prepared - he's based it on an urban legend of a boy who killed his family and was drowned by an angry mob.Vernon isn't even his real last name - it's Mancuso in a nod to Friday the 13th producer Frank Mancuso, Jr. He doesn't have any powers. But what he does have is a devotion to the methods, preparation and rituals needed to be a perfect killer.At first, the crew is totally behind Leslie, but as time goes on, the idea of luring teenagers to an abandoned house and killing them one by one seems morally wrong. They try to talk him out of it, but he will not be swayed. Kelly, his Final Girl, will define herself by facing him. However, she is anything but a virgin and has none of the qualities that make up this character archetype. And even more surprisingly, she quickly is killed.That's when Taylor realizes that she was the Final Girl all along and is as trapped by the plot as Leslie is. She is the last one alive and must kill him in the exact way he had planned, burning down a shed to stop him. However, throughout the film, we also learned that Leslie had been practicing playing dead and had flame-retardant gel all over his clothes. Is it a surprise when he sits up, very much alive on an autopsy table over the end credits?There are so many Easter Eggs in the film, from the car Sam Raimi uses in every one of his films to the Rabbit in Red Lounge, a Lament Configuration box, the song "Midnight, The Stars and You" from The Shining and the jump rope girls from A Nightmare on Elm Street. Genre vets Zelda Rubenstein and Kane Hodder turn up, as does Robert Englund as Doc Halloran, who is very much based on Dr. Loomis from Halloween. And Scott Wilson (The Ninth Configuration) plays Eugene, Leslie's mentor, who is really Billy from Black Christmas.It took me some time to get into this film. Leslie comes off like such a ridiculous Ryan Reynolds type at first and it seemed too goofy, but I'm glad I stuck with it, as it becomes a pretty enjoyable movie by the end.

Two viewings in one week and lots of contemplating later, I still can't decide what to think of – and how to rate – "Behind the Mask: the Rise of Leslie Vernon"... One thing is for certain, namely this definitely isn't my favorite kind of movie in any way. I don't like "mockumentaries" or "found footage" movies (with the exception of two or three titles) and I most certainly don't like wannabe clever movies that spoof the horror genre (and slashers in particular). They think of themselves as ingenious and witty, but in reality they are just pretentious and disrespectful towards all their colleagues in the film industry. The main reason why I postponed my viewing of "Behind the Mask" for nearly 10 years is because I read that this film was sort of like a crossover between "C'est Arrivé Près de chez Vous" ("Man Bites Dog") and Wes Craven's "Scream". To me "Man Bites Dog" is a sacred and unsurpassable classic, although I might be a little bit biased because I'm from Belgium and this is the only genuine cult monument we ever brought forward, but "Scream" is a vastly overrated and snobbish film. The comparisons are justified, though. Like in "Man Bites Dog", a psychopathic killer allows for a student film crew to follow him around and shoot a documentary about his evil activities, and like in "Scream", the screenplay clarifies several 'rules-of-the-game' as well as terms & trademarks and it magnifies the genre's biggest clichés and stereotypes. Normally I would really dislike both styles, but strangely enough I tolerated the narrative style of "Behind the Mask" and even gradually grew to appreciate it more and more. The story takes place in a world where notorious horror franchises, like the massacre at Camp Crystal Lake by Jason Vorhees and the Halloween murder sprees by Michael Myers, are supposedly real. Three young film students, led by the nervous and insecure Taylor Gentry, receive permission from an aspiring mass murderer to follow him around as he makes the preparations for the upcoming bloodbath; which is apparently something that maniac killers must do in order to be successful. The soon-to-be slasher icon thought about everything: he invented a tragic background story/urban legend, chose an abandoned farmhouse location for the killings to take place, carefully scouted a group of victims including the surviving "final girl" and drew out a detailed scenario with the exact chronological order and places for his victims to die. Leslie even receives an unexpected pleasant surprise when it turns out that he has an "ahab"; which is a good guy – like Sam Loomis - following him around. Taylor and her friends cheerfully register everything on camera, but then it's time for the actual murders to take place… Will they remain at Leslie's side and stomach his atrocities? Will the walk away with a troubled consciousness or will they try and prevent the massacre from happening now that they know the rules? As indicated before already, I seriously don't like horror film makers that depreciate the genre by pointing out all of its clichés and shortcomings. It made me hate Wes Craven and his films "Scream" and particularly "New Nightmare". But for some reason the horror background information and clarifications that we receive in "Behind the Mask" don't come across as pretentious or satirical at all. They are even very respectful and shine new light on traditional horror franchises. Don't you think for one second that Jason Vorhees or Michael Myers were impulsive and brainless lunatics that just wandered around swinging knives or machetes… They needed a detailed plan of action, sufficient time to hide the bodies at strategic places and a great physical condition in order to keep up with their running victims whilst they are walking! Most horror spoofs aren't funny and (unintentionally?) ridicule the genre, whereas writer/director Scott Glosserman's script doesn't even try to be funny and even makes you think a little deeper about horror franchises and/or characters you probably never thought about before. Also very meaningful is the character of Eugene, who in fact represents various random (and often nameless) movie maniacs that predate Michael Myers and basically remained "supportive" characters throughout the whole film. There are some truly great signs of intelligence, expertise and respect in "Behind the Mask" and the narrative style is also fairly unique since it switches from a mockumentary into a (more or less) genuine & old-fashioned slasher in the third act. Glosserman was even slick enough to inject a couple of refreshing and inventive plot twists during the expanded finale, and admirably debunks a couple of ancient clichés (what if the supposed virgin doesn't turn out to be a virgin at all?). Fact remains, unfortunately, that the first hour is very talkative, slightly hectic and even rather boring. Horror fanatics expecting a straightforward bloodbath, complete with sleazy images and nasty make-up effects, will definitely be turned down and might not even make it towards the more exhilarating last half hour. Good performances from protagonist Nathan Baesel and the rest of the fairly unknown cast and, hey, any movie that features the song "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads during the end credits receives an additional point from me.

Now this movie has quite a lot of tricks up it's sleeve. First of all it is darkly humored, second: it's scary scenes has layers more deeply disturbing and strangely moving. Third: It contains the kind of serial killer seen in films like "Silence of the lambs" and the novel "Red Dragon". Leslie is kind of a sad creation who wants to be somebody ( instead of a real nobody ....). Now the actor playing Leslie has a lot of interesting layers and he succeeds in making all of themcredible. Actually his last line sums of his whole magnificent performance but this is all really due to first of all the tight script and the firm direction and of cause his costars in particular the girl playing the journalist who is fascinated and disturbed by Leslie's actions. She has a superb moment when she realises that Leslie is smarter that she first realised... So, so, so: If you want the ordinary, dumb, effectsridden slasher, look somewhere else, but if you're looking for something truly original within the horror genre, something that will keep you guessing and on the edge of the seat for all the right reasons..THIS IS IT...ENYOY!

Now this movie has quite a lot of tricks up it's sleeve. First of all it is darkly humored, second: it's scary scenes has layers more deeply disturbing and strangely moving. Third: It contains the kind of serial killer seen in films like "Silence of the lambs" and the novel "Red Dragon". Leslie is kind of a sad creation who wants to be somebody ( instead of a real nobody ....). Now actor playing Leslie has a lot of interesting layers and he succeeds in making all of them credible. Actually his last line sums of his whole magnificent performance but this is all really due to first of all the tight script and the firm direction and of cause his costars in particular the girl playing the journalist who is fascinated and disturbed by Leslie's actions. She has a superb moment when she realises that Leslie is smarter that she first realised...So, so, so: If you want the ordinary, dumb, effectsridden slasher, look somewhere else, but if you're looking for something truly original within the horror genre, something that will keep you guessing and on the edge of the seat for all the right reasons..THIS IS IT...ENYOY!