Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

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HALLOWEEN REVIEWS 2021

Director: Scott Glosserman

Writers: Scott Glosserman and David J. Stieve

Stars: Angela Goethals, Ben Pace, Britain Spellings, Nathan Baesel, Scott Wilson, Robert Englund


A group of college students (Angela Goethals, Ben Pace, and Britain Spellings) make contact with aspiring serial killer Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel) and document his preparations for a killing spree on film.
 

The brilliant conceit of this film is that it takes place in a world where Jason Vorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Michael Myers are real, and a whole subculture of such serial killers exists.
 

The best sequence in the film involves a visit to a retired killer (Scott Wilson), who waxes philosophical about the simplicity of the old days and how the younger generation has upped the level of the game.
 

However, director/writer Scott Glosserman and his co-writer David J. Stieve make the unfortunate decision to abandon their concept for the film’s final act, and that’s where it takes a nosedive and becomes a substandard slasher flick. 


Otherwise, it was well on its way to being a five-star film.


Several fun cameos, though.









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