13 Nights of Hallowe'en: Night #11 Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

It’s hard to say where to start with the movie for tonight,
“Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon”. Getting into who the actors are and the director and writers is so much fun, but let’s try to be quick about that. There are small parts played by Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) and Zelda Rubinstein (from Poltergeist). Great things need to be said about horror newcomers Nathan Baesel and Angela Goethals. They absolutely make the film--they’re in most of the scenes. Writer/director Scott Glosserman has no other credits for those two job titles previous to this film, which makes him immediately awe inspiring. The other writer, David J. Stieve, is in the same boat. This movie really makes it true that some films are better and better every time you see it.

“Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon” is a full-on horror mockumentary. It has an amazing balance of comedy and horror. It’s the good kind of comedy too, all deadpan satirisation in a smart and funny way without resorting to being lame or stupid. This movie is serious fun. At one point some will wonder if it is going to become the movie it was presented as, then it reaches a tipping point, where just like a roller coaster some good drops are past, and then around the corner is the monster rise and fall for which everyone was waiting. Keep an eye on everything in this movie. There are a number of references that are less obvious than others. There are also several horror in-jokes, one of which is incredibly cool and funny. Sit back and enjoy the birth of a new legend.

Mood: extravagant.
Music: Halloween in Heaven by Type O Negative off of Dead Again.