[Film Review] Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

The self-conscious horror film, i.e. the horror film about horror films, is something we have seen time and time again.

Films such as Scream (1996) and The Cabin in the Woods (2011) have ironically leaned into the genre’s most iconic tropes; even as far back as 1960 with Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom we have seen directors dissecting the narrative beats of horror to uncover why we keep returning to this seemingly formulaic genre. Often, these horror films deconstruct these tropes to discuss issues within the genre and even reflect upon horror fandom more broadly.

By the time we reach Scott Glosserman’s horror mockumentary, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon in 2006, we may be wondering what this type of horror metacriticism has left to say. Behind the Mask looks at the conventions within the genre in a comical yet reverent way, whilst still thoughtfully commenting on the misogynistic imagery and symbolism within horror. At its heart, Behind the Mask is a love letter to the slasher subgenre, which both embraces its legacy whilst drawing attention to its pitfalls. 

Behind the Mask follows a film crew, led by journalist Taylor Gentry (Angela Goethals), while interviewing aspiring serial killer Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel) as he unveils his plans to become part of the serial killer canon, cementing his legacy alongside Jason Voorhees and Michael Myers. Far from the typical unhinged slasher killer we’re used to seeing on the screen, Vernon is surprisingly sympathetic as we watch (like the complacent film crew) as he excitedly plans for his big day, with all the enthusiasm of a horror movie fanatic. Vernon, in a sense, is a stand-in for the slasher movie fan; he relishes telling Taylor about his meticulous set-up and the secrets of the ‘industry’. 

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One of the serial killer rituals Vernon must follow for his first mass murder is stalking and choosing his ‘survivor girl’ (commonly known as the ‘final girl’). Vernon believes that he will die at the hands of his final girl and rise again. More than this, he believes in terrorising and traumatising her, the final girl will become stronger, empowered and transformed through their showdown. Trying to act as an impartial journalist, we see Taylor navigate her moral responsibility to the survivor girl and the other teenagers who will die at the hands of Vernon. 

The film’s strength lies in its treatment of the final girl trope. Glosserman innovates on this convention, making the viewer question the agency of women in horror and how their vulnerability and trauma is presented as key to their strength. Power and authority throughout the film pendulums between Taylor and Leslie, interviewer and subject, in a way which overturns gender roles within the genre. All in all, Behind the Mask presents a refreshing perspective on the slasher movie which is both thoughtful and hilarious in equal measure. 

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