Behind the Mask

Behind the Mask: The Rise and Fall of Leslie Vernon

Reviewed by BRYAN SCHUESSLER

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006) was a very enjoyable film and extremely unique. I really do not want to comment too much on it because I do not want to ruin it for anyone that has yet to see it! It plays out like a documentary on the lead character, Leslie Vernon (played by Nathan Baesel ), and his exploits.

He is a serial killer and a reporter is doing a piece on him, no pun intended. It is dialogue driven and has very interesting characters and it really amused me during the scenes of character development. The writers, Scott Glosserman and David J. Stieve, did an extraordinary job on the plot and each characters’ interactions throughout the film. Nathan Baesel was excellent as the lead character and Angela Goethals was right on par with Baesel’s performance. They played off of each other very nicely. I found myself laughing out-loud at quite a few scenes that were just subtle but very humorous.

Look for a quick cameo by Jason Voorhees actor/stuntman Kane Hodder in the beginning of the film and a fairly small role by the infamous Robert Englund, most notable as playing Freddie Krueger. (DUH!) This film is a comedy with some elements of the slasher film thrown in, but do not think that just because Robert Englund is in it that it is strictly horror. Fans of the horror genre will greatly appreciate how the horror film is disected and poked fun at.

Some talked about it being “over-hyped” and I guess if you are gonna take to heart every stupid critics’ reviews and let it ruin your experience, than that is your problem. I always dismiss what the critics say on any film because I am not that person and usually find something good in a film that others miss. SO COMPLETELY DISREGARD MY WHOLE REVIEW AND GO SEE THIS FILM AND SEE WHAT YOU THINK OF IT. There, was that clear enough????