BEHIND THE MASK: THE RISE OF LESLIE VERNON Blu-ray Review – Learn How The Slasher Sausage Is Made
Anthony Arrigo
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Starring Nathan Baesel, Angela Goethals, Robert Englund, Scott Wilson
Directed by Scott Glosserman
Distributed by Scream Factory
Back in 2006 or 2007, I attended the annual Fangoria’s Weekend of Horrors convention in sunny Burbank, CA (raise your hand if you miss that yearly tradition) and there was plenty of showroom chatter going on about a new slasher satire that was being heralded as a contemporary cult classic in the making, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006). If Christopher Guest decided to upend the slasher subgenre – and as proven by Scream (1996), there is a wealth of material there – the result would be this weird semi-mockumentary that delves deep into the psychology and lore of a wannabe-legendary mass murderer’s modus operandi. Even though this approach is nothing novel – a similar, superior film, Man Bites Dog (1992) came out of Belgium fifteen years earlier – Behind the Mask sought to peel back the traditional slasher mask for a peek at who lies beneath the surface.
Turns out, in this case, it’s an affable young man, Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel), claiming to be a resurrected boy who was tossed into a river by the local townspeople after butchering his family decades ago. Taylor (Angela Goethals) and her two cameramen, Doug (Ben Pace) and Todd (Britain Spellings), have decided to conduct an in-depth investigative piece on Vernon – learning who he is, his motivations, preparations, routines, and rituals. Vernon, for his part, is incredibly magnanimous and upfront about his “work”, gleefully divulging his “tricks of the trade” and helping the trio to understand why someone would want to welcome such infamy. Along the way the group meets Eugene (Scott Wilson), a killer known as “Billy” who has since retired to enjoy the comforts of a quiet home life with his wife; they also cross paths with Doc Halloran (Robert Englund), Leslie’s “Ahab”, a man committed to stopping Vernon’s evil ways.
Eventually the mockumentary slips away, giving rise to an actual slasher film complete with its own fun twist. Taylor and her cohorts have spent so much time bonding with Leslie they forget his goal is to ultimately kill a lot of people, and their consciences kick into overdrive once his Big Night arrives. The stage is set, with teens at a cabin in the woods throwing a party with all the expected accoutrements. Leslie has but to slip on his mask, creep into the home, and the slaughter can promptly begin. But Taylor, Doug, and Todd have alternative ideas for Leslie’s homecoming that don’t result in multiple homicides.
This most recent viewing of Behind the Mask marks my third or fourth time seeing the picture and, unfortunately, I still don’t like it. I have never liked it, not even a little. It’s an interesting concept with plenty of potential, but it’s always felt too contrived and, even worse, just not very funny. The shtick grows tiresome early on, leaving a rough 70-ish minutes to slog through. Baesel injects the picture with plenty of excitement and a bit of boyish charm, but I can’t ever buy him being in the same league as guys like “Mike” (Michael Myers) or “Fred” (Freddy Krueger) because he’s basically just a regular dude. And yes, I know one of the film’s central conceits is that Vernon, who is actually Nathan Mancuso, is nothing more than a delusional wannabe hoping to achieve some form of greatness but it’s all too tongue in cheek for my tastes. Humor is probably the most highly subjective art form out there, so what I find terrible others may (and clearly do, given the film’s following) find terrific.
Ten years earlier, Scream showed the correct way to lampoon slasher films, leaning into clichés and openly mocking the “process” while also building a solid story with a clever twist around the dark humor. Obviously Behind the Mask wasn’t operating with the same budget or talent but the film dips too deep into the comedy waters and it winds up feeling like old hat next to Wes Craven’s seminal work. Part of the issue is that slasher fans have been laughing at these tropes for years – the shadowy stalking, the final virgin girl, methods of dispatch, scary cabin in the woods, etc. This is a film that might play better to a more casual horror fan but, as someone who grew up on a steady diet of slasher films, Behind the Mask never feels as fresh as it wants or needs to be.
The third act is when the mockumentary drifts away and the tried-and-true slasher formula takes over. Director Scott Glosserman leaves a clever reveal for the finale but by that point the concept had expired to the point of being draggy, making these late-in-the-game revelations far less engrossing. The acting is strong across the board, and the addition of veterans like Englund, Wilson, and a fun cameo from Kane Hodder add some gravitas. Still, this is a movie that has never worked for me and clearly, over a decade later, it still just isn’t connecting. Fans will no doubt be excited to purchase Scream Factory’s newest Blu-ray edition – and they should be because the disc packs in so much material to fawn over.
Since the film was shot on 16mm, don’t expect this latest 1.85:1 1080p image to blow away the previous version released by Anchor Bay. This release has a stronger encode and more breathing room, but by and large the overall picture is of similar quality. Definition is never impressive, with even the best looking shots exhibiting some softer qualities. The film wasn’t shot to look beautiful and it handily achieves the handheld journalistic aesthetic being sought. Audio is available in English DTS-HD MA, with a 2.0 stereo or 5.1 surround sound track available. Sticking to its intended style, this is a film driven almost entirely by dialogue, with little scoring and almost nothing immersive about the surround speaker activity. The track has an average presence and it is clean and discernible throughout. Subtitles are available in English.
There are two audio commentary tracks – one with Co-Writer/Director Scott Glosserman, Moderated by Adam Green & Joe Lynch; the other with Actors Nathan Baesel, Angela Goethals, Britain Spellings, and Ben Pace.
Behind the Mask – Joys and Curses is a piece that dives into all things related to the film, covering pre-production, production, set stories, performances, legacy, and more.
Before the Mask – The Comic Book features an interview with Nathan Thomas Milliner, the artist who drew the post-film comic.
Making of Behind the Mask and Casting Behind the Mask are both legacy features that provide a glimpse into the filmmaking process.
A reel of deleted and extended scenes, running for nearly thirty minutes, is available with optional filmmaker commentary.
The film’s trailer finishes off the collection of extras.
Special Features:
- BRAND NEW 2K REMASTER of the film
- NEW Joys and Curses – interviews with actors Angela Goethals, Ben Pace and co-writer/co-producer David Stieve
- NEW Before the Mask: The Comic Book – an interview with comic book artist Nathan Thomas Milliner
- Audio commentary with co-writer/director Scott Glosserman, moderated by filmmakers Adam Green and Joe Lynch
- Audio commentary with Nathan Baesel, Angela Goethals, Britain Spelling and Ben Pace
- The Making of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon featurette
- The Casting of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon featurette
- Deleted and Extended Scenes
- Theatrical Trailer
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Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
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Special Features
Summary
Scream Factory offers up an attractive home video release, with loads of bonus features the previous Blu-ray was lacking, but even with all the bells & whistles and a fresh perspective… I still don’t like this movie.
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