Archives For March 8, 2012

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Leslie Vernon Returns

Ryan —  March 8, 2012 — 12 Comments

If you have to ask yourself, “Who is Leslie Vernon?”. Then allow me to explain. In 2006 director Scott Glosserman gave us a fantastic horror gem called Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.  Leslie Vernon could quite possibly be the next great psycho horror slasher of our generation. I cannot say enough good things about this movie, from it’s unique and fresh take on the horror genre to its unforgettable character in Leslie Vernon, Glosserman has really given horror fans something special. What makes this film so unique is that it presents the audience to a world where horror icons like Freddy Krueger, Michael Myers, and Jason Vorhees are not fictional characters but actual people who existed and terrorized the real world. It has been many years since their plague of horror has swept through small towns of America and because of this there is someone who feels that they need to fill this void where these serial killers have disappeared over the years, and that person is Leslie Vernon who strives to become the next great slasher. Maybe it’s just me but I think that this is a genius concept and the fact that no one has decided to do it until recently blows my mind. In order for Vernon to get his name out there he gives a documentary crew an exclusive look into his life as he plans his legacy of terror over the small town of Glen Echo. Most of the movie is seen through the cameras of the documentary crew that Vernon allows to follow him. The film is not shot entirely that way though, Glosserman seamlessly blends a traditional cinematic style to it that blends perfectly with the documentary approach.

One of the many great things that the film does is that you can tell right away that the filmmakers absolutely love the horror genre. Everyone from the writers to the cast are very genuine in their approach in making this movie. What I mean by that is that they know that films like Friday the 13th and Halloween have their flaws. Meaning; why do villains always walk instead of run after their victims? Or, why does the power in the house always go out at convenient times for the killer? And, why is it that virgins always survive horror movies? Leslie Vernon and the film happily answers all of these questions in hilarious ways. They also pay a tribute to the classics by throwing in some really cool easter eggs for audiences to find throughout the film. That is what makes this movie so great, it plays like a comedy but also like a true horror film. All that being said, Leslie Vernon could quite possibly become the next great horror icon but he needs our help!

Currently Glosserman is trying to get a sequel to Behind the Mask made but in order to do that they need money to finance it. This is where the fans come in. They have just released this absolutely amazing old-school poster for the original film that I posted at the top. There are only a limited number of them being printed and by limited I mean, just 425 of these gems. If you head over to the Before the Mask store you can pick one of these up for only 20$ and they aren’t some stupid little 11 x 17 inch posters that many sites try to trick you into buying. They are the real deal at 27 x 40. Every penny earned by these posters is going straight into the sequel, Behind the Mask: The Return of Leslie Vernon. And before you ask, hell yes I bought one! It’s a great feeling to support indie horror filmmakers like Glosserman and I wish him the best of luck.

As always, thanks for reading!