{"id":28032,"date":"2018-05-08T21:32:23","date_gmt":"2018-05-09T01:32:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=28032"},"modified":"2018-05-08T21:36:53","modified_gmt":"2018-05-09T01:36:53","slug":"behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon-2006-collectors-edition-blu-ray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2018\/05\/08\/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon-2006-collectors-edition-blu-ray\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006): Collector\u2019s Edition [Blu-Ray]"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>As a slasher buff, I\u2019m saddened that we\u2019re in a current horror climate where other less deserving slasher films have gotten full fledged franchises while \u201cBehind the Mask\u201d is still just a one time gem. \u201cThe Rise of Leslie Vernon\u201d is one of the best slasher films of the aughts that was perfecting the indie slasher sub-genre well before \u201cHatchet\u201d came along. No slight to Adam Green, but I\u2019d much rather have had three \u201cBehind the Mask\u201d films over four \u201cHatchet\u201d films any day of the week. \u201cBehind the Mask\u201d is brilliant in not only creating a great slasher villain, but telling a sharp meta-story that dissects the sub-genre as a whole.<\/p>\n

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\u201cBehind the Mask\u201d is set in a reality where Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees exist, and like everyone else, they have their fan boys. Leslie Vernon is a young man who has modeled his life after his favorite killers and has also managed to carve out his own mythology. When a local filmmaker named Taylor learns of Leslie Vernon, she and her film crew begin following him around learning about his methods and love for becoming a slasher. Along the way she garners a glimpse in to his madness and manages to go deeper than she imagined when she learns he\u2019s planning to stage his own massacre, in hopes of finding his \u201cFinal Girl.\u201d Scott Glosserman\u2019s slasher comedy is a brilliant deconstruction of the genre that not only takes the concept head on, but also asks us to think about what we\u2019re watching.<\/p>\n

Through the comparisons to literature and explorations in to the symbolism of phallic weapons in the slasher genre, Glosserman also has a ton of fun with this world he\u2019s created. This is a world where Krueger and Voorhees existed, so anything can happen and mostly anything does to great comedic and horrific effect. Along for the ride there\u2019s the great Robert Englund who is investigating Leslie Vernon and actively hunting him down, along with the great Zelda Rubenstein all utilized to help build what looks like a slasher but is actually a character piece beneath its horror gloss. Nathan Baesel is the heart of Glosserman\u2019s slasher, playing Leslie Vernon, a menacing but attractive villain that you want see more of, but from a healthy distance.<\/p>\n

Glosserman doesn\u2019t just inject these stars for the sake of goofy \u201cfan service\u201d cameos, but implements them to support the narrative, including Scott Wilson who has a short but very effective walk on role as Leslie\u2019s slasher mentor who found his final girl and ironically fell in love with her. Witty, funny, creepy, and original, \u201cBehind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon\u201d is a fantastic twist on the slasher genre that deserves a much larger fan base. Man I want a sequel. Pretty please?<\/p>\n

Featured on the Blu-Ray from Scream Factory is a director\u2019s commentary with Scott Glosserman, and a cast commentary. \u201cBehind the Mask: Joys and Curses\u201d is a twenty eight minute segment with interviews with co-writer Dave Stieve and stars Angela Goethals and Ben Pace. They go through the creation of the film, the appreciation for the film\u2019s fanbase and legacy, along with some surprise appearances. \u201cBefore the Mask: The Comic Book\u201d is a six minute look at Nathan Thomas Miliner coming out of retirement to make a comic out of the first film, as well as his championing of the original film.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaking of Behind the Mask\u201d is a thirty two minute segment with interviews and footage never put in to the original DVD release. \u201cCasting Behind the Mask\u201d is a six minute look at the casting of Angela Goethals\u2019 role, and her casting session as she competes with two other actresses. There are thirty minutes of deleted scenes and extended scenes with optional commentary, and finally an Easter Egg with Leslie Vernon who shows how he pulled off his final head crushing trick.
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