Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
Encyclopedia
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is a 2006 film
/mockumentary
directed by Scott Glosserman
. It stars Nathan Baesel
, Angela Goethals
and Robert Englund
. The film is a homage to the slasher film
genre. It follows a film crew that documents an aspiring serial killer
who models himself according to slasher film conventions. It was released in theaters on March 16, 2007.
s depicted in famous slasher film
s are real. A female journalist
named Taylor Gentry and her two cameramen, Doug and Todd, document the preparations of Leslie Vernon as he prepares to join the ranks of other slasher villains. Leslie takes his identity from an urban legend
about a boy who killed his family and was cast into a river by angry townsfolk.
He initially claims to be the vengeful spirit of the slain boy, but soon admits that he is an ordinary man named Leslie Mancuso who must rely on conventional tactics rather than supernatural powers. Taylor and her crew film Leslie's meticulous preparations to slaughter a number of teenagers in an abandoned house and then be confronted by a virginal "survivor girl
", Kelly. Taylor and her crew come to share Leslie's enthusiasm for his project, but their consciences catch up with them on the night of the murders.
They beg Leslie to call off his killing spree, but Leslie is adamant, believing that his survivor girl will define herself by facing him. Taylor and her crew abandon their documentary
and at this point the film shifts from a documentary style to a traditional horror movie
presentation. Taylor attempts to warn and rally the remaining teens together to fight Leslie, but Leslie's preparations repeatedly give him the upper hand. The group looks to Kelly for leadership, but she unexpectedly dies.
Taylor quickly realizes that, as a virgin herself, she was Leslie's true survivor girl all along. Leslie continues picking off the group one-by-one until only Taylor remains. She faces Leslie and defeats him in the exact manner he had laid out for her, then burns down the shed in which he was defeated. She then runs into Doug and Doc Halloran who survived their encounters with Leslie. However, Leslie's preparations included learning to feign death and slathering himself with flame-retardant gel. Over the final credits, security camera footage reveals Leslie's charred body sitting up on an autopsy table, still alive.
Nathan Baesel, when asked about the possibility of returning for a sequel to Behind the Mask, stated, "[ . . . ] there’s a certain chance. I know that ideas have already been circulating around Scott and David’s heads and I’d love to take Leslie on again. However, I don’t think we’d undertake a sequel unless the script is as good or better than Behind the Mask. The first was so good it would be pissing on Leslie’s legacy to set out with anything less than inspired . . . and Leslie would never have that."
IMDb, as well as Leslie Vernon’s official Facebook page have announced the long-awaited sequel to 2006’s Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, currently titled B4TM. No official news for what it stands for, although it could well stand for Before The Mask (B4 T M). Originally thought to be a prequel, but the IMDb shows the cast including Angela Goethals and Ben Pace reprising their roles as Taylor and Doug, which makes a prequel somewhat unlikely. Scott Glosserman returns as director and co-writer, with David J. Stieve writing the screenplay. Nathan Baesel will be returning as Vernon and genre favourite Robert Englund will continue as Vernon’s “Ahab”, Doc Halloran.
, Jason Voorhees
, and Michael Myers
, all of whom are mentioned as actually existing in the film.
Taylor's status as a "survivor girl" is modeled after the final girl
s: typically virginal female heroines who survive slasher films. Her actions, such as arming herself with a phallic weapon, follow common observations and analysis of the slasher genre. Doc Halloran's status as an "Ahab" is modeled after male protagonists, such as Dr. Loomis
and Detective Norris, who sometimes appear in slasher films to thwart the villains. The character is named after the cook from The Shining
.
Several actors in the film are best known for their iconic roles in various horror films. Robert Englund
played Freddy Krueger in all the A Nightmare on Elm Street
films. Zelda Rubinstein
played the spiritual medium Tangina Barrons in Poltergeist. Kane Hodder
, who has a cameo as a man living on Elm Street, played Jason Voorhees in several films in the Friday the 13th series.
Leslie's real last name, Mancuso, is the name of the actor who portrayed Billy in the 1974 film Black Christmas
, Nick Mancuso
, as well as that of the producer of most of the Friday the 13th films, Frank Mancuso, Jr.. In the scene where Leslie is suiting up, a song from The Shining
s soundtrack can be heard and blocks in the background spell out the word "redrum". Eugene's wife, Jamie, is named in homage to Jamie Lee Curtis
, who played the final girl role in Halloween
.
The three young girls playing jump-rope
outside of the high school are dressed the same as the girls from the A Nightmare on Elm Street series. Leslie has a bottle of "Stay Awake" on his mantle, the same medicine featured in A Nightmare on Elm Street
. When Eugene and Jamie are giving Leslie his doggie bag, the Lament Configuration from Hellraiser
can be seen next to a lamp. Also, Leslie's pet turtles, Church and Zowie, are an allusion to two of the pets in the Pet Sematary
films.
Taylor Gentry may be named after Abraham Gentry, the reporter in Herschell Gordon Lewis' The Gore Gore Girls
. At a certain scene Leslie is standing in front of a sign for a bar "The Red Rabbit". This is the bar which the matchbook in Halloween is from. As Leslie applies Preparation H
to his face before the final act the song from the end of The Shining
- "Midnight, the Stars, and You" - can be heard playing in the background.
In one of the deleted scenes, Leslie is asked what he has been doing, and he mentions having "spent some time in Texas, helping a friend kind of reinvent his thing," which is an obvious allusion to Leatherface
from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
and the fact that a remake of the same name
came out in 2003.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
/mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
directed by Scott Glosserman
Scott Glosserman
-Filmography:-Awards and nominations:-External links:...
. It stars Nathan Baesel
Nathan Baesel
Nathan Baesel is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as deputy Lewis Sirk on the cult favorite Invasion.-Biography:...
, Angela Goethals
Angela Goethals
Angela Bethany Goethals is an American actress. She is known for her recurring guest appearance on 24 and her roles in the TV sitcom Phenom and the movie Home Alone.- Early life and career :...
and Robert Englund
Robert Englund
Robert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
. The film is a homage to the slasher film
Slasher film
A slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe...
genre. It follows a film crew that documents an aspiring serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
who models himself according to slasher film conventions. It was released in theaters on March 16, 2007.
Plot
The movie is shot as a documentary set in a world where the killerSerial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
s depicted in famous slasher film
Slasher film
A slasher film is a type of horror film typically involving a psychopathic killer stalking and killing a sequence of victims in a graphically violent manner, often with a cutting tool such as a knife or axe...
s are real. A female journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
named Taylor Gentry and her two cameramen, Doug and Todd, document the preparations of Leslie Vernon as he prepares to join the ranks of other slasher villains. Leslie takes his identity from an urban legend
Urban legend
An urban legend, urban myth, urban tale, or contemporary legend, is a form of modern folklore consisting of stories that may or may not have been believed by their tellers to be true...
about a boy who killed his family and was cast into a river by angry townsfolk.
He initially claims to be the vengeful spirit of the slain boy, but soon admits that he is an ordinary man named Leslie Mancuso who must rely on conventional tactics rather than supernatural powers. Taylor and her crew film Leslie's meticulous preparations to slaughter a number of teenagers in an abandoned house and then be confronted by a virginal "survivor girl
Final girl
The final girl is a trope in thriller and horror films that specifically refers to the last woman or girl alive to confront the killer, ostensibly the one left to tell the story...
", Kelly. Taylor and her crew come to share Leslie's enthusiasm for his project, but their consciences catch up with them on the night of the murders.
They beg Leslie to call off his killing spree, but Leslie is adamant, believing that his survivor girl will define herself by facing him. Taylor and her crew abandon their documentary
Documentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
and at this point the film shifts from a documentary style to a traditional horror movie
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
presentation. Taylor attempts to warn and rally the remaining teens together to fight Leslie, but Leslie's preparations repeatedly give him the upper hand. The group looks to Kelly for leadership, but she unexpectedly dies.
Taylor quickly realizes that, as a virgin herself, she was Leslie's true survivor girl all along. Leslie continues picking off the group one-by-one until only Taylor remains. She faces Leslie and defeats him in the exact manner he had laid out for her, then burns down the shed in which he was defeated. She then runs into Doug and Doc Halloran who survived their encounters with Leslie. However, Leslie's preparations included learning to feign death and slathering himself with flame-retardant gel. Over the final credits, security camera footage reveals Leslie's charred body sitting up on an autopsy table, still alive.
Cast
- Nathan BaeselNathan BaeselNathan Baesel is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as deputy Lewis Sirk on the cult favorite Invasion.-Biography:...
as Leslie Vernon/Mancuso - Angela GoethalsAngela GoethalsAngela Bethany Goethals is an American actress. She is known for her recurring guest appearance on 24 and her roles in the TV sitcom Phenom and the movie Home Alone.- Early life and career :...
as Taylor Gentry - Robert EnglundRobert EnglundRobert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
as Doc Halloran - Scott WilsonScott Wilson (actor)Scott Wilson is an American actor.-Movies:Wilson appeared in such films as In the Heat of the Night, In Cold Blood, The Gypsy Moths, The Great Gatsby, The Right Stuff, A Year of the Quiet Sun, Malone, Dead Man Walking, The Grass Harp, Junebug, The Host, Monster, Young Guns II, Pearl Harbor, and...
as Eugene - Zelda RubinsteinZelda RubinsteinZelda Rubinstein was an American actress and human rights activist, best known as eccentric medium Tangina Barrons in the movie Poltergeist and its sequels, Poltergeist II: The Other Side , and Poltergeist III . Playing 'Ginny', she was a regular on David E...
as Mrs. Collinwood - Bridgett Newton as Jamie
- Kate Lang JohnsonKate Lang JohnsonKate Lang Johnson is an American actress and model. She has acted in the feature films Fired Up and Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon and she has guest starred on television shows such as Life and ER...
as Kelly - Ben Pace as Doug
- Britain Spellings as Todd
- Hart Turner as Shane
- Krissy CarlsonKrissy CarlsonKrissy Carlson is an American actress and model. Born in Covina, California, she was educated at St. Lucy's Priory High School, an all-girls' Catholic School in Glendora, Krissy grew up in La Verne, California, with her parents Jan and Robert and two older siblings, Jenny and Tim...
as Lauren - Travis Zariwny as Dr. Meuller
- Teo Gomez as "Stoned Guy"
- Matt Bolt as "Slightly More Stoned Guy"
- Anthony Forsyth as "Pitch-forked Boyfriend"
- Kane Hodder as "Authopsy Guy"
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Organization | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Best European/North - South American Film | Fant-Asia Film Festival | Golden Prize | Won |
| L’Écran Fantastique Award | Golden Prize | Won | ||
| Séquences Award | Séquences magazine | Jury Prize | Won | |
| Audience Award | Gen Art | Gen Art Film Festival Gen Art Film Festival Gen Art is an arts and entertainment organization that showcases emerging fashion designers, filmmakers, musicians and visual artists. It has produced over 100 events annually, which included fashion shows, film screenings, live music and art receptions and tours... |
Won | |
| Carnet Jove - Special Mention | Sitges - Catalonian International Film Festival | Midnight X-Treme | Won | |
| Audience Choice Award For Best Feature Film | Toronto After Dark Film Festival | Best Film | Won | |
Sequel
In an interview David J Stieve, when asked if he was working on new scripts, said,Nathan Baesel, when asked about the possibility of returning for a sequel to Behind the Mask, stated, "[ . . . ] there’s a certain chance. I know that ideas have already been circulating around Scott and David’s heads and I’d love to take Leslie on again. However, I don’t think we’d undertake a sequel unless the script is as good or better than Behind the Mask. The first was so good it would be pissing on Leslie’s legacy to set out with anything less than inspired . . . and Leslie would never have that."
IMDb, as well as Leslie Vernon’s official Facebook page have announced the long-awaited sequel to 2006’s Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, currently titled B4TM. No official news for what it stands for, although it could well stand for Before The Mask (B4 T M). Originally thought to be a prequel, but the IMDb shows the cast including Angela Goethals and Ben Pace reprising their roles as Taylor and Doug, which makes a prequel somewhat unlikely. Scott Glosserman returns as director and co-writer, with David J. Stieve writing the screenplay. Nathan Baesel will be returning as Vernon and genre favourite Robert Englund will continue as Vernon’s “Ahab”, Doc Halloran.
Horror film references
The film contains numerous allusions to common horror and slasher film conventions, which are often discussed openly by the characters. Much of Leslie Vernon's character is modeled after Freddy KruegerFreddy Krueger
Frederick Charles "Freddy" Krueger is a fictional, horrifying character from the Nightmare on Elm Street series of horror films. He first appears in Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street as a disfigured dream stalker who uses a glove armed with razors to kill his victims in their dreams,...
, Jason Voorhees
Jason Voorhees
Jason Voorhees is a fictional character from the Friday the 13th series of slasher films. He first appeared in Friday the 13th , as the son of camp cook-turned-murderer, Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S...
, and Michael Myers
Michael Myers (Halloween)
Michael Myers is a fictional character from the Halloween series of slasher films. He first appears in John Carpenter's Halloween as a young boy who murders his older sister, then fifteen years later returns home to murder more teenagers...
, all of whom are mentioned as actually existing in the film.
Taylor's status as a "survivor girl" is modeled after the final girl
Final girl
The final girl is a trope in thriller and horror films that specifically refers to the last woman or girl alive to confront the killer, ostensibly the one left to tell the story...
s: typically virginal female heroines who survive slasher films. Her actions, such as arming herself with a phallic weapon, follow common observations and analysis of the slasher genre. Doc Halloran's status as an "Ahab" is modeled after male protagonists, such as Dr. Loomis
Samuel Loomis
Samuel Loomis was a Connecticut furniture maker and the most celebrated maker of Colchester/Norwich style furniture.-External links:* ]]* ]]...
and Detective Norris, who sometimes appear in slasher films to thwart the villains. The character is named after the cook from The Shining
The Shining (novel)
The Shining is a 1977 horror novel by American author Stephen King. The title was inspired by the John Lennon song "Instant Karma!", which contained the line "We all shine on…". It was King's third published novel, and first hardback bestseller, and the success of the book firmly established King...
.
Several actors in the film are best known for their iconic roles in various horror films. Robert Englund
Robert Englund
Robert Barton Englund is an American actor, voice-actor and director, best known for playing the fictional serial killer Freddy Krueger, in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. He received a Saturn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors in...
played Freddy Krueger in all the A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street (franchise)
A Nightmare on Elm Street is an American horror franchise that consists of nine slasher films, a television show, novels, and comic books. The franchise began with the film series created by Wes Craven. The franchise is based on the fictional character Freddy Krueger, introduced in A Nightmare on...
films. Zelda Rubinstein
Zelda Rubinstein
Zelda Rubinstein was an American actress and human rights activist, best known as eccentric medium Tangina Barrons in the movie Poltergeist and its sequels, Poltergeist II: The Other Side , and Poltergeist III . Playing 'Ginny', she was a regular on David E...
played the spiritual medium Tangina Barrons in Poltergeist. Kane Hodder
Kane Hodder
Kane Warren Hodder is an American actor and stuntman. Standing , he is best known for his portrayal of Jason Voorhees in four films from the Friday the 13th film series . He is also known for his role as Victor Crowley in Hatchet. -Career:Hodder is the only actor to portray Jason Voorhees more...
, who has a cameo as a man living on Elm Street, played Jason Voorhees in several films in the Friday the 13th series.
Leslie's real last name, Mancuso, is the name of the actor who portrayed Billy in the 1974 film Black Christmas
Black Christmas (1974 film)
Black Christmas is a 1974 Canadian slasher film directed by Bob Clark and written by A. Roy Moore, and largely based on a series of murders that took place in Quebec, Canada around Christmas time. The film's score is by Carl Zittrer. It was distributed by Ambassador Film Distributors in Canada and...
, Nick Mancuso
Nick Mancuso
Nicodemo Antonio Massimo "Nick" Mancuso is a Canadian cinema and stage actor.-Career:Mancuso was born in Mammola, Calabria, Italy and immigrated to Canada in 1956...
, as well as that of the producer of most of the Friday the 13th films, Frank Mancuso, Jr.. In the scene where Leslie is suiting up, a song from The Shining
The Shining (film)
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
s soundtrack can be heard and blocks in the background spell out the word "redrum". Eugene's wife, Jamie, is named in homage to Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis is an American actress and author. Although she was initially known as a "scream queen" because of her starring roles in several horror films early in her career, such as Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night and Terror Train, Curtis has since compiled a body of work that spans many...
, who played the final girl role in Halloween
Halloween (1978 film)
Halloween is a 1978 American independent horror film directed, produced, and scored by John Carpenter, co-written with Debra Hill, and starring Donald Pleasence and Jamie Lee Curtis in her film debut and the first installment in the Halloween franchise. The film is set in the fictional midwestern...
.
The three young girls playing jump-rope
Jump rope
Jump rope or skipping rope is the primary tool used in the game of skipping played by children and many young adults, where one or more participants jump over a rope swung so that it passes under their feet and over their heads...
outside of the high school are dressed the same as the girls from the A Nightmare on Elm Street series. Leslie has a bottle of "Stay Awake" on his mantle, the same medicine featured in A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American slasher film directed and written by Wes Craven, and the first film of the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. The film features Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Amanda Wyss, Jsu Garcia, Robert Englund, and Johnny Depp in his feature film...
. When Eugene and Jamie are giving Leslie his doggie bag, the Lament Configuration from Hellraiser
Hellraiser
Hellraiser is a 1987 British and American horror film based upon the novella The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, who also wrote the screenplay and directed the film. Hellraiser explores themes of sadomasochism and morality under duress and fear. The film spawned a series of sequels...
can be seen next to a lamp. Also, Leslie's pet turtles, Church and Zowie, are an allusion to two of the pets in the Pet Sematary
Pet Sematary (film)
Pet Sematary is a 1989 horror film adaptation of Stephen King's novel of the same name. Directed by Mary Lambert and written by King, the film features Dale Midkiff as Louis Creed, Denise Crosby as Rachel Creed, Blaze Berdahl as Ellie Creed, Miko Hughes as Gage Creed, and Fred Gwynne as Jud Crandall...
films.
Taylor Gentry may be named after Abraham Gentry, the reporter in Herschell Gordon Lewis' The Gore Gore Girls
The Gore Gore Girls
The Gore Gore Girls is a 1972 horror film directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis. It was his final film for the next 30 years, and is particularly infamous for its scene of a woman's nipple being severed.-Plot:...
. At a certain scene Leslie is standing in front of a sign for a bar "The Red Rabbit". This is the bar which the matchbook in Halloween is from. As Leslie applies Preparation H
Preparation H
Preparation H is a brand of medications, manufactured by Pfizer, used in the treatment of hemorrhoids.Preparation H dates from about 1935. It was originally packaged in a tube like toothpaste, with a similar consistency...
to his face before the final act the song from the end of The Shining
The Shining (film)
The Shining is a 1980 psychological horror film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written with novelist Diane Johnson, and starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall, and Danny Lloyd. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King. A writer, Jack Torrance, takes a job as an...
- "Midnight, the Stars, and You" - can be heard playing in the background.
In one of the deleted scenes, Leslie is asked what he has been doing, and he mentions having "spent some time in Texas, helping a friend kind of reinvent his thing," which is an obvious allusion to Leatherface
Leatherface
Leatherface is the main antagonist in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre horror-film series and its spin-offs. He wears masks made of human skin and engages in murder and cannibalism alongside his inbred family. He is considered by many to be one of the first major slasher film villains alongside Michael...
from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is a 1974 American independent horror film directed and produced by Tobe Hooper, who cowrote it with Kim Henkel. It stars Marilyn Burns, Paul A. Partain, Edwin Neal, Jim Siedow, and Gunnar Hansen, who respectively portray Sally Hardesty, Franklin Hardesty, the...
and the fact that a remake of the same name
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003 film)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a 2003 remake of the 1974 horror film of the same name. The 2003 film was directed by Marcus Nispel and produced by Michael Bay...
came out in 2003.