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For the past several months, three films have had their names connected with bringing independent horror to the masses. These reportedly “groundbreaking” films and filmmakers are supposedly going to disassemble the sad state of modern horror that seems to revolve around the now gluttonous “Saw” franchise. Hopefully, the forthcoming “Black Sheep” and “Hatchet” will be able to do it alone, because “Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon” isn’t up to the task. How can anyone expect much of a film that simply treads over ground broken more than a decade ago?
Much like the popular Christopher Guest comedies, “Behind the Mask” is a fake documentary that
puts a comedic spin on it’s topic. But there are two main differences between “Mask” and one of Guest’s hilarious films like “Best in Show.” The first is that “Behind the Mask” takes place in a reality where horror franchise icons like Jason Voorhees, Freddy Kruger, and Michael Myers actually exist. Their crimes that occurred at Crystal Lake, on Elm Street, or in the town of Haddonfield weren’t the fabric of cinematic legend but real life tragedies. And two, no matter how hard it tries, “Behind the Mask”, just isn’t funny. Either way, Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel), a new slasher icon, is ready to stake out a name for himself, and in an effort to boost his popularity, he’s gotten himself a film crew to document his bloody arrival.
“Behind the Mask” is a completely underwhelming experience for genre fans with a few all-night horror marathons under their belts. The film wastes no time in showcasing its naïveté and exposes its annoyingly clumsy nature within the first few minutes. The filmmakers put little effort into making you believe that slashers like Leatherface and the rest actually exist. Rather than build any actual tension or create plot-propelling moments about this rather unique take on horror history, director Scott Glosserman takes the easy route. He simply shoots footage of Kane Hodder (one of the many men to don Jason’s trademark hockey mask) taking out the garbage on a suburban street that is supposedly named Elm. This inability to create a real atmosphere where even a droplet of fear can exist is extended the first time you meet the lanky killer himself.
All of the aforementioned killers are either hulking brutes that could swing you by your leg into the house across the street (Jason, Myers), disfigured butchers (Freddy) or both (Leatherface). Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel), on the other hand, is a wiry, pleasant-looking, funny guy who looks more like a young Jim Carrey than a psycho killer. It’s a long time until you actually see Vernon in costume and that alone makes the mere idea of this goofy guy being a hard-core killer one of the many unintentionally funny traits of “Behind the Mask.”
The film becomes even harder to swallow when Leslie and the crew have dinner with one of Vernon’s “co-workers.” Eugene (Scott Wilson) is a retired slasher who has taken Leslie under his wing as a mentor of sorts. While the film is chock-full of many silly moments that will have most dedicated horror fans groaning with displeasure, the scenes with Doug and his wife Jamie are the hardest to swallow. Killers from horror movies work under a blanket of anonymity, their seclusion from the public one of their defining traits. So having them discuss their “trade” in front of a camera securing their image and recollections for all eternity takes viewers completely out of the film, and sadly “Behind the Mask” refuses ever to invite them back in.
The one compelling aspect of “Behind the Mask” is the unexpected change that happens to the picture whenever Leslie goes on the hunt. While Leslie is conversing with the documentary crew, the quality matches that of your average handheld guerilla documentary (think “Man Bites Dog”). But, when Leslie slips on his stupid-looking mask, the film incorporates a standard horror film score, and the picture quality matches that of any other theatrically released film. It’s a nifty trick and helps the film significantly, but in the end it can’t help the shallow story.
“Behind the Mask” fails in mere concept, because the idea of not one but multiple slashers showcasing their talents to an audience is simply ludicrous; it would be the same as a magician giving away all of his trade secrets. The film would have been more believable and entertaining if it were about a film crew trying to track Leslie down and inevitably becoming the victims themselves. “Behind the Mask” is simply an unsuccessful attempt at harnessing the magic of a Christopher Guest film and channeling it into a horror theme.
I was hoping for a film that would render the “Scream” franchise irrelevant, but instead the film just borrows almost directly from it rather than surpassing it. No new ground is broken in this film, although it may appeal to the casual horror fan whose sole experience with self-referential horror begins and ends with Wes Craven’s flawed trilogy. Sadly for the knowledgeable horror fan, all the jokes, one liners, and plot developments have already been done to death by everything from “Mad” magazine to the “Scary Movie” franchise or even the message boards at IMDb. I realize “Behind the Mask” is an homage to the films it parodies, but it is the film’s inability to find its own voice that makes it ineffective as either a comedy or a horror film. And come on…a killer named Leslie? That’s not scary or funny; it’s just lame.
And finally, can somebody please stop Robert Englund from showing up on the set of any horror flick that cuts him a check? Seriously, if the guy wants to spout off about how he’s some classically trained actor it’s time to put up or shut up. I want to see him in at least one Merchant Ivory film before he does another ten shitty horror flicks. The next time somebody pays that guy for a signature I want it to be on the cover of a DVD where he’s sandwiched between Emma Thompson and Helena Bonham Carter.
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