A Pseudo Snuff Film Turns Boring – Behind the Mask Rise of Leslie Vernon

I’ve always been a guy that would watch anything, and today my patience was definitely pushed to the limits. The film I took a chance on was none other than Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. The movie seemed like a straightforward slasher flick with a twist, but as the whole story unfolded, I realized that things aren’t always good, and I wanted to punch myself several times.

The movie’s plot is simple, a mockumentary. The mockumentary follows a would be serial killer and as it progresses, it turns into a pseudo snuff film, where we see a lot of insider jokes, tongue and cheek humor and an attempt to cash in on the self aware horror movie genre. The movie really has moments that shine, but they are few and far between.

For those that are looking to fit all the horror clichés into one film, this movie sure does it well. The movie pushes the boundaries of what you remember from the 1980s and pushes into the psyche visuals that are familiar. The plot points are interesting as it unfolds, and I was interested at first, but as the movie turned into a pov style horror fest, with minimal blood splatters and lots of shaking camera angles, I was out. I can’t deal with that.

Now, before I completely trash this film, I have to admit that I liked Robert Englund’s part, as he was quite cool in this one, even though he wouldn’t make it through the entire film. I found that there were moments where I just wanted to quit watching, but couldn’t, I wanted to see how it turned out! So in that regard, this film works, it hooked me with the initial mockumentary, then the snuff film aspect kind of seemed interesting, and I just wanted to see how it all turned out.

This film is not for everyone, it mixes a lot of genres and then kind of sputters out of control into a horror filled coma. There are some saving graces, but I found the film boring. I liked the premise; I liked the execution after some time, but feel that it just fell flat. Something’s missing, but I don’t know what. I don’t recommend Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, as it is not a great one, and that’s that.