Imagine a world where all your favorite slasher films are real. "Behind the Mask" is a documentary-style movie in which this is true. A group of grad students are doing a film project on slasher villains, and land an interview with an up-and-coming slasher named Leslie Vernon (played by the incredibly charismatic Nathan Baesel) based in the small town of Glen Echo (the opening says Maryland, but there are references elsewhere of it being in Oregon). Leslie brings the film crew to his home, and explains the entire process to them, explaining how other slasher villains - Freddy, Jason, Chucky, Michael Myers, etc - have done it in the past.
This movie is brilliant. If you are a fan of slashers, you are all-in. It uses every cliche of slasher films, and explains WHY they're a cliche. These slashers set up every step along the way to force their victims where they want them. You are in bed with the villain the whole movie, and you know that from the start. Leslie is a dangerous man, but the danger is not steered towards us (the film crew), its geared towards his life goal - attaining his Survivor Girl. On the way he discovers he has his own "Ahab" - the embodiment of good - in Doc Halloran (played by the always-excellent Robert Englund), as he receives guidance from a former slasher played by Scott Wilson , and damn is he excellent! Way better than he was in "The Walking Dead"!
Once the preparations have been completed and the night of his attack is upon them, the film crew realizes that everything they heard for the last few days is the truth, and they're about to witness a mass murder. They have the choice: step aside like Leslie asks, or use all their knowledge to save the group of hormonal teenagers. This is where the movie switches format from the documentary to a slasher - we are no longer the film crew because we're not on Leslie's team anymore.
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| The first caption, top left: This is 100% correct. This movie reeks of Christopher Guest, though he never came near it. |
If you're a fan of the 70's and 80's slasher sub-genre ("Nightmare on Elm St", "Halloween", "Child's Play", c'mon, you know where I'm going here), this movie was made for you. Winks and nods aplenty. The explanation of why slashers do the things they do will hold you captivated until the slasher movie starts. And the slasher does not lose pace - it's like only watching the last half hour of any slasher film, but knowing everything the slasher is going to do. Check "Behind the Mask" out. If these other movies are your jam, you won't be upset. If you don't like slasher films, it's probably better to skip this one.
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