Leslie Vernon is a mythical serial killer in the making. Hoping to join the ranks of Freddy, Jason and Michael Myers, Leslie gives full access to her planning and eventual night of chaos to a trio of documentary filmmakers.

This film combines elements of found footage and traditional slasher movies to provide a unique viewing experience. At one point, the audience is experiencing the scene from the camera crew’s perspective; the next, the view is third person more like a traditional movie.

This alternation between cinematographic techniques allows the audience to explore the character of Leslie Vernon. When viewed from the third-person perspective, Leslie appears to be very much like the bogeyman from a typical slasher movie: masterful stalking his victims, executing brutal murders, always one step ahead, etc. However, from the perspective of the film crew, audiences can connect with elements of humanity within Leslie and identify him as an antihero. This analysis of Leslie’s character illustrates only the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, of the complexity of the plot.

Behind the mask it works as a tribute and a revision of the slasher genre. This movie is set in a universe where the events of Haddonfield, Elm Street, Camp Crystal Lake, etc. everything happened. Throughout the movie, Leslie and her mentor, Eugene, detail the roles and rules, so to speak, when engaging in these scenarios. This movie can be considered to be in direct competition with Wes Craven. Scream In this regard.

Revisionist elements emerge as a result of changing the audience’s expectations and wishes for the film’s conclusion. In many slasher series, often after the number of sequels fails is counted on one hand, the audience begins to support the killer at some point (think Halloween v). Behind the mask It complicates things a bit because the audience can see both sides of the equation: a sadistic killer who takes down a group of unconscious teenagers and a passionate man who exhibits anti-hero qualities. This shakes up the traditional cliques and so forth to produce the feeling of seeing something new and, simply put, awe.

The acting in this movie is quite superb. Nathan Baesel’s portrayal of Leslie Vernon is excellent. Angela Goethals also gives a great performance as the leader of the documentary team. Robert Englund (the original Freddy Krueger) makes an appearance as Doc Halloran inspired by Dr. Loomis.

Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon it is a film that can be appreciated by all audiences. Its stylistic and narrative elements are well-executed enough to win the approval of newcomers to the genre and are innovative and well-grounded enough to please the staunch critic.

Rating: 10/10