Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

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Under the Radar

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I decided to start this 'Under the Radar' thing with a film I wanted to discuss last Halloween on my previous site. Thing was, I bit off more than I could chew with a big horror special, and in the end, just wanted to get away from Halloween movies for a while.

Here we have a fun, sorta kinda hidden gem from 2006 that was essentially made special for 80's slasher fans like myself. For the most part, it's a mockumentary black comedy, but it slowly becomes it's own horror movie as the film goes on.

This is one of those examples of a film with truly odd but original content that I tend to flock toward as my all-time favorites. The film is mostly shot as a found-footage documentary, where filmmaker Taylor Gentry (Angela Goethals) interviews a man named Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel). The catch? Vernon is aiming to be the next big slasher icon, following in the footsteps of horror titans like Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers. By the way, he's not auditioning for a special role in film or anything, the story takes place within the basic horror universe.

What we get as a product is a rather funny take on the whole thing. Leslie tells us, the audience, about stuff like how much cardio he has to do, or training exercises involving seeing how long you can stay buried in a deprivation chamber. The whole thing is meant to show us a bunch of secrets that these killers use in order to get their victims.

Adding to how fun and, frankly, interesting the whole thing is, there's a really cool sort of twist in the end. I'll say right now, it IS a bit predictable if you're following close enough. But the way it's executed is what impresses me.

As if you didn't need more reason to just have fun with this title, it also holds a few celebrity cameos that almost make it look like a sort of Horror-Con gathering. Added to the cast, even if for a short time, are Robert Englund (who played Freddy), Kane Hodder (who played Jason) and Scott Wilson (who played Hershel in 'The Walking Dead')

This title is usually one that horror fans have heard of, but it's surprising just how many haven't actually seen it. It's a neat, original idea, and get's just about as scary as it does funny. It's a bit of horror comedy at it's best. It's not 'Tucker & Dale vs Evil', but it's still pretty damn solid.

4/5

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