The Rise of Leslie Vernon is a clever dark comedy where the first half in particular really shines.
Synopsis
Leslie Vernon is obsessed with horror movie killers like Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Krueger and dreams of becoming just like them, so he invites a documentary filmmaker and her team to film him as he sets out to create his own terrifying reputation.
My Thoughts
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is quite a clever, dark comedy that parodies slasher films in a mockumentary style. It’s not exactly scary though, and nor is it meant to be, as it plays on the usual serial killer movie tropes in a witty manner.
The story is set in a world where famous movie killers are real, and Leslie Vernon wants to be the next big serial killer.
It’s certainly an interesting concept and interesting watch as you try and in jokes present in the film.
We get to see all the steps Leslie takes, and it’s really fun to watch how he recreates the clichés we’re so used to in horror movies, giving believable reasons for things that usually don’t make sense.
Leslie is surprisingly funny and charming in the film, despite being a bit psycho.
It’s also a frustrating film too. While it starts off really smart, and the mockumentary style works well, after a while, it sticks to some typical horror clichés itself too to get through.
I still like the movie though, mostly because of the strong first half, but I didn’t love the ending, as it is a bit predictable and not very creative.
Behind the Mask is still quite a unique film in its own style though and a clever parody of horror movie clichés, even if the film also falls into that trap itself too. It is well acted and all the personalities shine through from the characters.
Good Points
Clever concept: The mockumentary style is a fresh and creative way to approach a slasher film, and the first half in particular is really engaging.
Fantastic Humor: The movie is pretty funny, especially in how it deconstructs classic horror movie clichés.
Unique twist on killers: It’s set in a world where famous movie killers are real, which I found pretty interesting.
Bad Points
Predictable ending: The final act is fairly predictable and lacks the clever twists that the first half sets up.
Overuse of clichés: While it starts by mocking horror tropes, the film ends up actually relying on some of them.
Weak Second Half: The movie loses some steam in the second half and becomes a bit less inventive with everything.
Is It Worth Watching?
Yes.
If you appreciate some clever parodies and a pretty interesting concept, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is definitely worth watching.
It has some brilliant dark comedy, and the first half is especially fun and smart, and it plays with familiar horror tropes in an amusing way, making it great for fans who know the genre well.
It’s a creative and entertaining film, let down slightly by the 2nd half.
Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon on IMDB
Where To Watch
Director and Cast
Director – Scott Glosserman
Main Cast – Nathan Baesel, Angela Goethals, Scott Wilson, Zelda Rubenstein, Robert Englund
Found Footage Horror Movies 
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