Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon Blu-ray Movie Review

Horror fans will want to make this unique film a permanent member of their Blu-ray collections.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 15, 2009

It's convention...you have to respect it.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon does indeed respect convention, but at the same time the film turns convention on its head by blending clichéd Horror motifs with a Documentary style that follows the life of a would-be masked mass murderer in the same vein as Michael Meyers, Freddy Krueger, and Jason Voorhees. An experimental sort of film that takes a tried-and-true formula and breaks it down into something incredibly novel in cinema, Behind the Mask takes viewers into the private life of a would-be Horror movie-style killer. Though any number of Horror pictures have traversed into the deep, dark lairs of killers, Behind the Mask takes a unique approach, showcasing its killer as a man preparing for a night of terror, scouting out potential victims, establishing a modus operandi, and setting up his scheme to slaughter-ific perfection. This is the story behind the story, the goings-on before and during a Horror movie that never make it into the final film. On top of that, Behind the Mask tosses in a fantastic little twist in its final act that solidifies the film as one of the best Horror movies in recent memory.

Well, she was once a teenager...

Glen Echo, Maryland is much like any other small town, but it's about to join the likes of Crystal Lake, Haddonfield, and Springwood's Elm Street as home to grisly terror at the hands of a maniacal mass murderer. The man preparing to join the ranks of Jason, Michael, and Freddy is Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel), a man with a dark past and a thirst for vengeance on the townspeople that wronged him years ago. No matter that the teenagers he has in his sights played no part in his traumatic past; Leslie is determined to get into the killing business by the book and follow the examples of the great killers of his time, and with that foreknowledge journalism graduate student Taylor Gentry (Angela Goethals) and her two-man film crew are granted an all-access pass to bear witness to Leslie's preparation for becoming a psychotic butcher. The affable Leslie takes them through the steps, choosing victims, training for the task, seeking advice from retired slashers, and preparing the scene of the final massacre by predicting the every move of the all-too-gullible and foolhardy cast of would-be teenage victims. All that stands in his way, it seems, is his very own "Ahab" (Robert Englund, Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer), the mysterious man that's out to stop Leslie at all costs.

It's absolutely amazing that in a world of generic Horror -- a genre that, perhaps more than any other, has become almost unbearably watered down to the point of suffocating saturation -- that something as unique as Behind the Mask could take a tired motif and inject an enormous amount of life into a stale formula. Behind the Mask is groundbreaking, brilliant stuff, the kind of material that moviegoers need to see but might have missed considering the film's low budget and limited release. It's so simple, smart, and well-done even on-the-cheap that the movie seems a natural, exploiting an angle of Horror that's never before been given any consideration, let alone a full feature-length film. The world of Behind the Mask assumes that Horror movie mass murders -- Jason, Freddy, and Michael in particular -- exist, and that the world of a masked killer is an industry, a profession that requires mental acumen, physical prowess, and due diligence in every aspect of the kill. Mass murder on a Horror-movie level, Behind the Mask posits, is a full-time job, one that requires of the killer more than an understanding that the sharp end of the knife goes into the victim's body. It's a subculture of sorts; there are retired killers, for instance, golden oldies that lament that changing world of the mass murderer and look back fondly at their time in the spotlight. This is mesmerizing stuff, a Horror aficionado's dream come true, the movie's simple but fantastically effective and unique idea well-conceived and played form start to finish, and viewers will certainly never look at masked Horror movie killers the same way ever again.

It is in the film's extensive examination of the purpose behind Horror movie clichés -- things like the "Ahab" that hunts the killer down at all costs and the "survivor girl" that finds the inner strength to finish off the killer -- where it distinguishes itself from other Horror titles, taking viewers into the world of the killer where he does things like rigorously train himself so he can "[do] that thing where you look like you're walking and everybody else is running their ***** off." Leslie Vernon also ventures into material such as a slasher's "code of ethics;" the "sacred ground" that is a bedroom closet; and the psychology of victims, particularly that of the aforementioned "survivor girl." Still, the film's most unique take on Horror lore lies in Vernon himself; he's no wisecracking, burned-up, one-time child molester; a once-drowned deformed boy turned hulking beast with a hockey mask and a machete; or a mentally deranged and deliberate knife-wielding maniac in a Captain Kirk mask. No, Vernon seems, on the surface, an everyman, an unassuming individual of normal stature with a friendly and warm personality, and he even drives a Prius. He could be a race car driver, a farmer, a teacher, or even a Blu-ray.com reviewer. His friendly personality is key to his master plan, his psychotic overtones almost lost in what is superficially a sea of tranquility, allowing him to conduct his business with an unusual efficiency that makes him one of the screen's most dangerous slashers.

Rounding out Behind the Mask is its unique approach to the material. Shot in the shaky handheld Documentary style with clearly inferior equipment and on a shoestring budget, the Documentary feel enhances the film's story that chronicles the behind-the-screams life of a movie monster. The rough-and-tumble world of the daily routine -- exercise, visits with old friends who happen to be killers, selecting victims, and setting his master plan into motion -- gives the film the feel of a chronicling rather than a telling, playing into the film's suppositions that Horror movie killers are real and this one, at least, is treated as something as a would-be pop culture sensation or a star athlete, at times almost as someone to look up to and respect rather than vilify and, eventually, eliminate. However, the film's true stroke of genius comes when it switches off the Documentary feel and captures a warm, cozy, and familiar straight Horror movie routine when Vernon goes to work. The kill scenes and extended finale are shot in a more traditional sense, almost as if they were a payoff for all the preparation, Vernon finally starring not in a fly-by-night Documentary but in a real, honest-to-goodness Horror movie that plays out just as he planned -- cliché, convention, and all.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon stalks onto Blu-ray with a messy but seemingly true-to-the-source 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. The film's Documentary footage is unmistakably standard definition; it's incredibly noisy, resolution is poor, fine detail is almost nonexistent, edges are jagged, textures are soft and fuzzy, and so forth. Black resolution, too, suffers greatly. Nevertheless, it is what it is, and it isn't pretty; however, it's unfair to criticize the Blu-ray disc itself for simply reproducing what the film has to offer. Fortunately for videophiles, the scenes where the Documentary camera turns off and the movie camera turns on offers superior imagery in every way. The actual "Horror movie" footage looks just fine; far sharper than the Documentary footage, detail resolution is greatly enhanced, edges are sharp and well-defined, colors more stable, depth improved, and blacks inkier. Like the movie, the video presentation is a tale of two worlds; going in with the right expectations, viewers shouldn't be overly disappointed with what Starz has done with this Blu-ray release.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon slashes onto Blu-ray with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack; no lossless or uncompressed options are included. Musical delivery is clearly presented and with a hint of back-channel support. Otherwise, the surround speakers are used sparingly and without much in the way of a head-turning, discernible output. Ambience is limited primarily to the front; buzzing nighttime insects, rolling thunder, or music and student chatter during an outdoor interview in chapter two add a decent, if not somewhat cramped and confined, sense of space to the proceedings. The track delivers a couple of directional effects that pinpoint action in relation to the on-screen action; such are the track's most aggressive moments in what is otherwise a no-frills sort of listen. Dialogue reproduction is steady and suitably clear, but like the video, listeners need enter Behind the Mask with the right expectations so as not to be overly disappointed with what this soundtrack has (or in this case, doesn't) to offer.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon contains no extras and no menu.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Suffice it to say, it's Horror movie aficionados that will appreciate Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon the most; casual viewers, too, will understand its approach, but the nuances, inside jokes, references, and homages will be lost on all but the most dedicated Horror fans. As a technical production, Behind the Mask is crude but highly effective. Additionally, the acting is solid all around, but it's the smart, witty, and ingenious script that makes the film a must-see winner. This Starz Blu-ray release features a video transfer that's not exactly all that nice to look at, but it does seem fairly representative of the low quality of the original source material; it's hard to fault the Blu-ray in that regard. Despite a lossy soundtrack and no extras, the quality of the movie -- not to mention a buyer-friendly price -- makes Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon a must-own disc for Horror connoisseurs and Blu-ray completists. Enthusiastically recommended.