The next great psycho horror slasher has given a documentary crew exclusive access to his life as he plans his reign of terror over the sleepy town of Glen Echo.
Where to Watch Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon
- Patrick WaiApril 30, 2026Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is a sly, funny, gloriously self-aware love letter to slasher movies, with a grin full of blood and meta commentary. It works as a mockumentary, a horror-comedy, and a gentle roast of the entire genre, happily pointing at every sacred cliché and saying, “Look at this ridiculous nonsense,” while somehow making that nonsense even more entertaining. The movie is especially fun if you grew up on Jason, Freddy, and Michael. It knows the rules, knows how absurd they are, and knows exactly how to play with them. Watching Leslie explain the planning, training, cardio, and logistics behind becoming a legendary serial killer is half the joke, and honestly one of the movie’s best hooks. It gives the whole thing the deranged charm of a behind-the-scenes special from hell. Yes, you can see the turn coming from miles away, but the movie is smart enough to know that. The real fun is not what happens, but watching how it all comes together. It’s energetic, cheeky, and soaked in that grubby 80s slasher spirit without feeling like a lazy imitation. Clever, over-the-top, and genuinely entertaining. Totally recommend it if you have any affection for old-school slasher icons.
- Jacob O’NealApril 15, 2026Lying in bed, unable to sleep, I thought I’d throw on a movie that has always been like comfort food to a horror junkie like me. I thought I could doze off while hearing Nathan Beasel waxing philosophical about how to be an iconic slasher. But I got sucked in…like I do every time. For those who don’t know, Behind The Mask is the story of Leslie Vernon, a man poised to be the next Jason, Michael or Freddy. He’s invited a documentary crew to follow him around in his preparation for his big debut. He goes on to tell industry secrets to this crew about how to set everything up to ensnare his prey. The movie takes the idea that was done in a much darker way with films like Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer with an energy and reality through cheap cameras, almost in the found footage vein, and uses it to its advantage to give its audience a look behind the curtain. Vernon shows us his library of medical books, his cardio routine to look like he’s walking when keeping up with the running victims, how to make yourself seem dead only to return again years later and so much more. He shows us how he chooses his “target group” and how to get his survivor girl primed for the main event with some stalking and carefully placed information to set up the mysterious connections between them. All of this done with a cheeky humor and charm that makes you root for Leslie and feel like he is too good a person to become what he’s claiming he is. A few times in the movie we break from the documentary format into a cinematic look. They used real 16mm film that contrasts so vividly with the video. The visual language is so perfectly used that it actually works. But the biggest reason this film works is because of the cast that features Robert Englund, Zelda Rubernstein and even a cameo by Kane Hodder. But Baesel is the true standout. He’s so charming, funny and has such chemistry with his female lead that you immediately fall in love with the character. When he takes the crew to meet his friend and mentor, played by the late Scott Wilson, the movie really opens up and sets the rules for the rest of the film. Structurally, this movie is near perfect. The acting and direction from co-writer Scott Glosserman work so well that you cannot help but be charmed. There are some amazing and very subtle clues to the ending sprinkled through the early parts of the film that were shown though the camera language and tiny little bits of dialogue. Just go watch it for yourself.
- cultfilmlikerMarch 6, 2025Nice little meta mockumentary. Obviously inspired by Man Bites Dog but original enough to deserve its own story for sure. Surprisingly well-acted for what the film appears to be, with a unique concept executed quite well. Reminds me of The Last Exorcism in that rite (pun intended). It also works as a solid black comedy at points. The formulaic “fate” and “choice-driven” themes feel like they may have inspired Cabin in the Woods. Really should be talked about more since coming out in 2006. Enjoyed the million nods to horror past. Seems appropriate in a film like this. A wonderful blend of genres. Everything about the film is tongue-in-cheek and I loved it. Even the cheesy acting was appreciated when it was fittingly used to emphasize the schlock horror / romance parody. Probably palatable for people not super into horror! Not a lot of gore or scares even lol I would have loved more physicality rather than employing the trope of aimless running around the film was satirizing. Definitely makes the third act drag a bit. I also wish there could have been more distinct differences in film quality / lighting / production value between the first-person footage and the more standard narrative horror scenes. Also some of the kills were incredibly lackluster, weak, and at one point even seemingly non-existent (the librarian, which I get it wrt the actress but like also you chose that role to kill off)
- jackmeatJanuary 1, 2025My quick rating - 6.5/10.
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Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon was released on August 29, 2006.
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon was directed by Scott Glosserman.
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon has a runtime of 1h 31m.
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon was produced by Scott Glosserman.
The next great psycho horror slasher has given a documentary crew exclusive access to his life as he plans his reign of terror over the sleepy town of Glen Echo.
The key characters in Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon are Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel), Taylor Gentry (Angela Goethals), Doc Halloran (Robert Englund).
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is rated R.
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is a Comedy, Horror, Thriller film.
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon has an audience rating of 7.5 out of 10.
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon has made $69,136 at the box office.