[I Screened it on Netflix] Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

For the second installment of "I Screened it on Netflix," I decided to review a completely different type of film. When I saw the title of the movie, I was not sure if it would be something that would interest me, but a friend recommended it to me, so I decided to give it a try. 
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon follows in the grand tradition of "mockumentaries" such as the wonderful cult-classic Rob Reiner flick This is Spinal Tap.  However, Behind the Mask is unlike any other in the genre that I have seen before.
Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel) is a serial killer who finds his inspiration in famous horror movie villains such as Michael Myers, Freddie Krueger, and Jason Voorhees.  In order to promote himself as the expert killer he is, Leslie hires a film crew to follow him around and document his exploits as he hones his skills and discusses the finer points of choosing a victim and following the established rules of horror films.  The movie combines the documentary style with regular cinematic scenes, and the result is a mix of horror history lessons, the practicing of horror techniques, a discussion of the established norms of the genre, and scenes which are legitimately scary.
The beginning of Behind the Mask, starts off with a scene of a girl who hears eerie sounds, is taunted by the door slamming behind her, and a camera that spies on her from the bushes—basically a scene that is common to any number of classic horror films.  We next settle into the basic set up for most of the rest of the film: the shooting of a documentary about Leslie Vernon.  Leslie comes off as an extremely likable guy. He cracks jokes, performs magic tricks, and is genuinely interesting to meet.  Think Ferris Bueller—if only Ferris killed a few more people. 
The film continues with interesting discussions about Leslie's inspirations and aspirations to be the best killer he can.  He takes the film crew with him on some of his exploits and as he lays the framework for terrorizing various people in the town.  The film ends in quite an interesting and unpredictable way that will entertain, scare, and reinforce the lessons you have learned throughout the rest of the movie.
Behind the Mask works as a film for a variety of reasons.  First of all, it nicely re-imagines both the horror and "mockumentary" genres.  Few "slasher" films of the modern era are as nicely executed as this, especially while adding new elements and interesting story-telling techniques.  The documentary element is particularly effective because as the film changes tones from eerie to comedic to scary, following the crew around through a hand-held camera definitely throws the viewer off balance.  It is a nice way to make the viewer a more active participant.
This leads to another interesting point about the film; while comedic and lighthearted for the most part, it seems to make salient remarks about voyeurism and obsession with violence.  We are implicated in Leslie's actions as we follow him closely, knowing that he will kill, and then being unable and unwilling to do anything about it.  This concept reminded me of Man Bites Dog (incidentally also currently available on Instant Watch), an extremely controversial French film from the early 1990s. In that film, which is a MUCH darker comedy—and definitely not for everybody—these ideas about media violence and voyeurism are even more strongly enforced in a similar scenario of a film crew following a serial killer.  The main difference: Man Bites Dog, with its black and white photography and sloppier cuts felt so realistic that some people were concerned it was authentic footage when it was screened. 
Behind the Mask also cleverly makes fun of the conventions of the horror and "slasher" genres while simultaneously carefully following them.  It basically says: "look at how ridiculous these conventions are," then it chooses to employ them.  Overall, the film is imaginative and filled with references to other classic films, yet it is completely accessible even without background knowledge.  Behind the Mask succeeds as both a source of comedy and of terror.  It is enjoyable for both die-hard fans of horror and those who typically pass on such fare.  
Now that you've heard what I think, you can log onto your Netflix account, screen it, and then let me know if you agree with me on tnhonline.com.