Rate this Movie 
How does the Tomatometer work
Reviews Counted: 34
Fresh: 25
Rotten:9
Average Rating: 6.9/10
Consensus: A smart mockumentary that presents a gory, funny, and obviously affectionate skewering of the slasher genre.
Theatrical Release: Mar 16, 2007 Limited
Synopsis: Though the slasher film parody has become well-trodden ground since the birth of the teenage body count genre in the late 1970s, screenwriters Scott Glosserman and David J. Stieve--who are clearly fans of the genre--find some new blood to... [More]
Starring: Nathan Baesel, Robert Englund, Zelda Rubinstein, Scott Wilson
Director: Scott Glosserman
A rather funny "Scream"-like cross between a mockumentary and a direct-to-video slasher movie, "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon" is custom-made for horror fans, but it isn't remotely scary and people that aren't already steeped in the lore of t
Click to read the article
Top CriticNo review available.
Top Critic
Other than displaying a textbook awareness of its ancestors, Behind the Mask offers next to nothing
While kudos and curtseys belong to the filmmakers and the whole cast, the real standout is Nathan Baesel as the title character.
Behind the Mask isn't a bad movie, but it is a decidedly minor one, a short pumped up to feature length that impales itself on its own hook: After you've explained all the tricks, it's impossible to have your act perceived as genuine magic.
Unfortunately, we've seen this jolly inventory of slasher-flick clichés before, in other parodies dating back to "Scream." And with not much new to contribute, "Behind the Mask" starts running out of narrative momentum about two-thirds of the way through.
A deconstructionist horror comedy that owes a debt to Scream and the 1992 Belgian film Man Bites Dog, Mask nevertheless has enough pitch-perfect wit to lay claim to its own patch of postmodern, movie-loving snarkiness.
Lacks the bitter resonance of its obvious predecessor, Belgian filmmaker Remy Belvaux's 1992 Man Bites Dog.
About two-thirds in, the movie shifts gears disastrously. Made me want to haul someone into the cutting room for revenge.
The wait is over. Endlessly imaginative, rigorously crafted, and extremely frightening, Behind the Mask is as good as horror gets.
The script's laughs are too widely spaced. Even before the plot takes a third-act turn into the land of kill-by-the-numbers slasher movies, the jokes drip when they should be gushing.
If Scott Glosserman's witty slasher spoof had celebrities, it would probably be a success like Scream or Scary Movie. As an indie, it's more apt to be a cult fave. Either way, it's a must for those who like thrills laced with humor.
There is a lot of cleverness at work here, especially when the movie switches from the Blair Witch-style shaky camera to more accomplished and atmospheric low-budget lensing.
[Director] Glosserman can't match the wit of Scream, the fright of The Blair Witch Project or the satire of journalism seen in Series 7.
Top Critic The dialogue has wit, and the rug gets pulled out from under us and the characters in several short, sharp jolts. At a certain point, Behind the Mask loses the tatty digital-video and immerses us in cinema.
March 23, 2007:
Robert Englund Discusses the Future of "Freddy"
Before he was known the world over as Freddy Krueger, Robert Englund was known as just another colorful character actor, but now that he's played the dream-bound boogeyman in... More...
March 15, 2007:
Critical Consensus: That Sinking Feeling For "Premonition"; Little Love for "My Wife"; Guess "Dead Silence" Tomatometer!
This week at the movies, we've got twisty thrillers ("Premonition," starring Sandra Bullock), marital dissatisfaction ("I Think I Love My Wife," directed by... More...
January 08, 2007:
watch the trailer in fullscreen 
More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
 88% |
Hellboy II: The Golden… |
| 89% |
Kung Fu Panda |
 53% |
Get Smart |
| 61% |
Journey to the Center … |
| 67% |
The Incredible Hulk |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 96% |
WALL-E |
| 83% |
Tropic Thunder |
| 63% |
Sisterhood of the Trav… |
| 93% |
Encounters At the End … |
| 88% |
Gonzo: The Life and Wo… |
Comment
