Scare-A-Thon Totals to Date:
Total Movies Watched: 10
Total First Time Views: 3
Amount raised for AMAZON WATCH: $721.70
Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006) d. Scott Glosserman (USA) (92 min) (2nd viewing)
After making a splash at the South by Southwest Film Festival, this spiffy little indie slasher/mockumentary continued to make the festival rounds, creating a healthy amount of buzz and garnering numerous awards. A combo of The Blair Witch Project, Man Bites Dog and a Christopher Guest flick, writer/director Glosserman’s debut feature follows a documentary film crew (Angela Goethals, Ben Pace, Britain Spellings) as they attempt to get up close and personal with wannabe slasher icon Leslie Vernon (assayed with Jim Carrey-like glee by Nathan Baesel) as he prepares for his first big mass murder, the one that will put him on the map.
Along the way, Glosserman and co-writer David J. Stieve deconstruct the tropes and clichés of the slasher film genre (more slickly, some might argue, than Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson did in the Scream franchise). Particularly enjoyable is the coining of the “Ahab” term to designate the obsessed authority figure on the trail of any good homicidal maniac, in this case a certain Doc Halloran, played without a wink by genre superstar Robert Englund. (Kane Hodder and Zelda Rubenstein also show up in cameos, just to sweeten the pot.)
The change-of-perspective third act has earned as many detractors as supporters over the years, but considering the psuedo-doc format is close to running on fumes by that point, the switch-up kicks things up a notch in terms of unpredictability and verve.
While it might not be for all tastes, BtM is certainly worth a shot for fans looking for a smart and clever slasher flick with a twist.
BONUS FEATURES:
NEW HD Master from the 2K Intermediate
Audio Commentary with co-writer/director Scott Glosserman, moderated by filmmakers Adam Green and Joe Lynch
Audio Commentary with actors Nathan Baesel, Angela Goethals, Britain Spellings, and Ben Pace
NEW "Joys and Curses" – Interviews with actors Angela Goethals, Ben Pace, and co-writer/co-producer David Stieve (29 min)
NEW Before The Mask: The Comic Book – Interview with comic book artist Nathan Thomas Milliner (6 min)
The Making of Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon Featurette (32 min)
The Casting of Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon Featurette (6 min)
Deleted and Extended Scenes (30 min)
Theatrical Trailer
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is available now on Blu-ray from Shout! Factory and can be ordered HERE:
https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon-collector-s-edition?product_id=6622
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