Review of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006) by Tim F — 05 Mar 2008

Scott Glosserman, the director, and Nathan Baesel, the Juilliard-trained star, have collaborated to create an amazing, thoughtful and (dare I say it) cerebral hack-and-slash movie. This is what Wes Craven was TRYING to do with SCREAM-- although I have to say Craven wound up making the very sort of film he thought he was ridiculing.

Here they slice and dice cinematic convention, as well as hapless victims, and when we think the film is about to end-- as a post-modern commentary-- it winds up becoming a very real, very serious horror movie.

One of the best films in this sub-genre since, I dunno, PSYCHO. Really. It is that good. Points to Baesel, Robert Englund as the Ahab of the piece, and (especially) to the great Angela Goethals as the journalist who just wants a good story, and ends up-- well, you'll just have to see for yourself.

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