Review of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006) by Liam U — 12 Oct 2011

Smug self-satisfaction is what one takes away from this glib, unfunny mockumentary that might have been fertile territory for Christopher Guest to lampoon, but the filmmakers misunderstand that just because you namedrop what your target that doesn't necessarily mean you are above it.

Nathan Baesal as Leslie is a preening Jim Carrey clone that projects absolutely no menace and is rarely humorous. When Leslie is instructing his interviewers on "industry terms" like a "survivor girl", we are vexed by the perceived " hipster smartness" of the film.

Once the film segues into a splatter flick, Leslie has already established himself as a camera-ready buffoon and none of what transpires is spine-tingling, it's just transparent and yawn-inducing.

One of the worst films I've seen during this October marathon.