Hidden Horror Gems: How to Stream the Most Brilliant Slasher Movie You’ve Never Seen
Sure, there’s no denying that Scream forever changed the horror genre. And in the years following the film’s seismic 1996 release, countless movies have attempted to follow suit and send up slasher tropes in a similarly memorable way. No film has done it better since, but there have nonetheless been a few valiant and noteworthy attempts to seamlessly follow slasher genre conventions while lampooning the very tropes at play.
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil and The Final Girls are two post-Scream meta slashers that successfully won over even the most jaded of horror fans. Both featured excellent writing and noticeable reverence for the genre they played in. Additionally, each of these titles leans a bit more heavily into comedy than horror; however, that approach works remarkably well in each case.
If you’ve already seen the recommendations mentioned above, don’t stress. We’ve got another one for you to check out that features self-referential scares mixed with clever comedy. And while there’s a good chance you’ve never seen it, it’s the very best in the game besides Scream. I’m talking about Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.
You’ve gotta read the synopsis for this one…
Nice, normal-looking Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel) has an obsession with movie-style slashers like Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Krueger. Leslie decides to follow in the footsteps of his heroes, and, ever the self-promoter, invites a documentary filmmaker (Angela Goethals) and her crew to follow him around as he constructs his own grisly legacy.
So … what now?
Though Behind the Mask lacks the name recognition of some of its more celebrated counterparts, it has still developed a dedicated cult following. Fans who’ve discovered the film have been clamoring for a sequel for years, something writer/director Scott Glosserman wishes he could accommodate. Sadly, the various attempts at a sequel have proved fruitless.
The Dread Central podcast Development Hell previously took an in-depth look at these ill-fated attempts at a sequel. The episode in question makes it clear that the picture has a loyal and dedicated fan base that views Behind the Mask as a standout effort that has never really received its due.
Speaking of the film’s die-hard loyalists, we’ve pulled together a couple of social media reactions below to illustrate exactly why you should make time for this witty effort. Don’t take our words for it.
See what the people have got to say:
Okay, so, how did you watch this priceless horror gem?
As you can likely see from those social media reactions, people really dig this witty offering. If the overwhelming support has you eager to watch the film, you can currently do so courtesy of Shudder.
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