Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)

Director:

Scott Glosserman

Writers:

Scott Glosserman
David J. Stieve

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Jason, Freddy, Myers. We All Need Someone To Look Up To.

Plot:

The next great psycho horror slasher has given a documentary crew exclusive access to his life as he...

Plot Keywords:

Psycho | Slasher | Glen Echo | Fake Documentary | Masked Killer

Awards:

5 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Nathan Baesel	...	Leslie Vernon
Angela Goethals	...	Taylor Gentry
Robert Englund	...	Doc Halloran
Scott Wilson	...	Eugene
Zelda Rubinstein	...	Mrs. Collinwood
Bridgett Newton	...	Jamie
Kate Miner	...	Kelly (as Kate Lang Johnson)
Ben Pace	...	Doug
Britain Spellings	...	Todd
Hart Turner	...	Shane
Krissy Carlson	...	Lauren
Travis Zariwny	...	Dr. Meuller
Teo Gomez	...	Stoned Guy
Matt Bolt	...	Slightly More Stoned Guy
Jenafer Brown	...	Virgin Girl
Kane Hodder	...	Guy at Elm Street House
Mia Butler	...	Communion Girl
Morgan Kitzmiller	...	Communion Girl
Hannah Rader	...	Communion Girl
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Scott Glosserman	...	D.A. Heilman (scenes deleted)
Steve Kaminsky	...	Courtroom Attendee (scenes deleted)
Tommy Peters	...	Courtroom Witness (scenes deleted)
Susan Spencer	...	Juror (scenes deleted)
Anthony Forsyth	...	Pete (uncredited)
Jordan Noce	...	Stoner kid (uncredited)
Alex Revan	...	Fang (uncredited)

Directed by
Scott Glosserman

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Scott Glosserman
David J. Stieve

Produced by
Al Corley	....	executive producer
Scott Glosserman	....	producer
Michael D. Jones	....	line producer
Andrew Lewis	....	executive producer
Eugene Musso	....	executive producer
Bart Rosenblatt	....	executive producer
David J. Stieve	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Gordy Haab

Cinematography by
Jaron Presant

Film Editing by
Sean Presant

Casting by
Marisa Ross
Matthew Skrobalak

Production Design by
Travis Zariwny

Art Direction by
Zack Smith

Costume Design by
Raquel L. Jaffe

Makeup Department
Molly Craytor	....	hair stylist
Molly Craytor	....	makeup artist
E. Larry Day	....	hair department head
E. Larry Day	....	makeup department head
Eddie Freund	....	special makeup effects artist

Production Management
Michael D. Jones	....	unit production manager
James R. Rosenthal	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Jason Halley	....	second second assistant director
Jill Hoppy	....	second assistant director
Matt Jebbia	....	additional second second assistant director
Aaron Walters	....	first assistant director
Travis Zariwny	....	second unit director

Art Department
Charles Babbage	....	prop construction
Betsy Goslin	....	property master
Ben Pace	....	storyboard artist
Zack Smith	....	set dresser
Travis Zariwny	....	storyboard artist

Sound Department
Scott Dowsett	....	boom operator
Patrick Giraudi	....	sound re-recording mixer
Andy Hay	....	sound re-recording mixer
Markus Innocenti	....	sound editor
Jackie Johnson	....	dialogue editor
Cynthia Merrill	....	foley artist
Nick Neutra	....	foley mixer
Jesse Nordhausen	....	sound mixer
Jesse Pomeroy	....	supervising sound editor
Colin Rogers	....	adr mixer
Paul Stanley	....	supervising sound editor
Steve Tushar	....	sound effects editor

Special Effects by
William Boggs	....	special effects foreman
Carly Sertic	....	special effects intern
Kai Shelton	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
David Van Woert	....	marketing producer

Stunts
Kent W. Luttrell	....	stunt coordinator
Susan Spencer	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Matt Barbee	....	assistant camera
Matt Barbee	....	camera loader
Jim Dunn	....	best boy grip (as Jim C. Dunn)
Jeff Ettlin	....	grip
Paul Fanning	....	electrician
Bruce 'Sarge' Fleskes	....	gaffer
Tim Jankowski	....	crane operator
Ben Lipsey	....	still photographer
Daniel Pasley	....	grip (as Daniel W. Pasley)
Stephen Purcell	....	electrician
Greg Schmitt	....	Steadicam operator
Chris Steele	....	electrician
Joel Stirnkorb	....	key grip
Mark Tomlinson	....	best boy grip
Joe Vitellaro	....	grip
Scott Walters	....	best boy electric
Steve Waters	....	electrician
James WilderHancock	....	key grip
James WilderHancock	....	still photographer
Denver Wood	....	second assistant camera

Casting Department
Megann Ratzow	....	casting: Portland

Editorial Department
Andrew Cohen	....	additional editor
Matthew W. Johnson	....	iq artist
Brian Lancaster	....	assistant editor
Mato	....	color timer
Jordan Noce	....	assistant editor
R. Clifford Olson	....	assistant editor
John Scheer	....	digital on-line editor
Michael Underwood	....	digital colorist (as Mike Underwood)

Music Department
Rudy Chung	....	music supervisor
Matt Franko	....	music preparation
Gordy Haab	....	conductor
Gordy Haab	....	orchestrator
John Rodd	....	music recording engineer
Lodge Worster	....	music editor

Other crew
Joey Brenner	....	assistant production coordinator
Bill Coffin	....	main title design
Roger D. Faires	....	location manager
Andrea Hofer	....	assistant locations
Bryn Scott Hubbard	....	production assistant (as Bryn Hubbard)
Rachel Lipsey	....	craft service
Dawnn Pavlonnis	....	production coordinator
Bailey Rumsfeld	....	production mascot
Corrinne Theodoru	....	script supervisor
Michael Von	....	production assistant

Thanks
Kane Hodder	....	very special thanks
Jordan Noce	....	thanks
Dan Walton	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Glen Echo Entertainment
• Code Entertainment

Distributors

• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Starz Entertainment (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Eagle Films (2006) (non-USA) (all media) (Middle East)
• Future Film (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Starz Home Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (DVD)
• Sunfilm Entertainment (2007) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Algo Bueno Management Cultura  dubbing project management: Italian, Spanish
• Aspect Ratio  trailer
• Identity Studios  marketing
• Mission Post  sound post-production
• Post Logic Studios  digital intermediate
• Spank Machine  sound re-recording
• Traction Media  sales representative
• Virtualmix  sound re-recording

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for horror violence, language, some sexual content and brief drug use

Runtime:

USA:92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Australia:MA | Germany:18 | Finland:K-18 (self applied) | Singapore:M18 | Netherlands:16 | Portugal:M/16

Filming Locations:

Portland Public Library, 801 SW 10th Ave, Portland, Oregon, USA

Company:

Glen Echo Entertainment

Trivia:

When Leslie first takes Taylor and her crew to meet Eugene and his wife, the car parked in Eugene's driveway is the same color, make and model as the car seen in The Evil Dead (1981) films.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Taylor Gentry is running into the apple orchard near the end of the film you can see the set lights at the top of the screen.

Quotes:

Leslie Vernon:This is the living room. There's Church and Zoe. They are my little sweeties. Actually, he's not. Don't put your finger anywhere near him.
Taylor Gentry:[whispers] Okay.
Leslie Vernon:But you can pet *him*. He's a sweetie. I'm so terrible with these guys. I go away for days, forget to feed 'em. Little bastards just won't die.
Taylor Gentry:Turtles are good that way, very feng shui.
Leslie Vernon:Yeah yeah, plants and turtles. Plants and turtles. I only keep pets I can eat.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hatchet II (2010)

Soundtrack:

Psycho Killer

Original and clever alternative to "Scream"

Wes Craven's "Scream" was a strikingly dead-on persiflage of the Slasher genre while at the same time including enough scares to become more than just a parody, but an important part of that genre itself. "Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon" is very similar in that aspect, but it's also completely different in others.

For the most part the movie is a fake documentary in true "Spinal Tap"-fashion. A TV crew follows Leslie Vernon around, a guy who has the ambition to become the next slasher legend after his idols Michael Myers, Jason Vorhees and Freddy Krueger (who exist in the movie's reality). As Leslie shows the team how he prepares for a killing spree he deconstructs one horror rule after the other with pretty amusing results. The movie observes the genre pretty well and the sort of "Backstage" look we get of a horror icon lovingly planning his big night is nothing short of hilarious. Where "Scream" made fun of some ridiculous horror clichés and toyed around with them, "Behind The Mask" is merely explaining just how those seemingly supernatural killers are able to work so effectively. So, although both movies cover similar ground, "Behind The Mask" is never in any way repetitive.

Leslie Vernon turns out to be a really sweet guy who just loves what he's doing. He's friends with an older, more experienced slasher, who's also very warm and talkative. Neither of those guys look like typical maniacs, so when Leslie does make his first appearance masked and all, it's rather amusing.

However, the movie makes a pretty amazing turn in the final third. For the big showdown we leave the movie-within-a-movie scenario created by the documentary set-up and are taken right into the movie's reality. All of a sudden "Behind The Mask" turns into a real slasher film. Although this last part isn't half-bad, it's not quite as enjoyable as what preceded it. The twist is a bit predictable and the movie lacks real gore and suspense at the end in order to work as a slasher flick. One has to say that "Scream" coming from an old professional such as Wes Craven was more successful in that aspect. Still, regarding the fact that this movie strictly concentrates on fun in the first two thirds and only begins to throw in full on horror bits in the end, the showdown works quite well.

Leslie's mask was chosen wisely. It can look ridiculous and scary depending on the mood of the scene. Nathan Baesel, who makes his movie debut here, was chosen even more wisely. He can play the nice guy and the psychopath without ever overacting and hands in a great, great performance. The other member of the cast that must be mentioned is horror legend Robert Englund who does a nice Donald Pleasance-impersonation.

The subtle little homages to "Friday The 13th", "Halloween" and "A Nightmare On Elm Street" throughout the movie are the icing on the cake and will make the heart of every true horror fan beat faster. And that's the only true flaw of "Behind The Mask" right there: it's for true horror geeks only who can laugh about the inside jokes. Everyone else will probably not be entertained as much. If you're into the genre, though, there's no way you should miss this excellent motion picture.