{ "id": "epmbc3kpek", "slug": "behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon", "title": "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror", "label": "Horror films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror.comedy-horror-films", "label": "Comedy horror films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror.comedy-horror-films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror.comedy-horror-films.2000s-and-2010s-comedy-horror-films", "label": "2000s and 2010s comedy horror films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror.comedy-horror-films.2000s-and-2010s-comedy-horror-films" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror.comedy-horror-films", "label": "United States · 2001 to 2020: Comedy horror films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror.comedy-horror-films", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001", "label": "United States · 2001 to 2020", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror", "label": "Horror films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror.comedy-horror-films", "label": "Comedy horror films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2001.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror.comedy-horror-films" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is a 2006/2007 meta-slasher mockumentary by Scott Glosserman starring Nathan Baesel, in which an aspiring killer documents his massacre prep; cult hit with a 2026-funded sequel.", "snippet": "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is a 2006/2007 meta-slasher mockumentary by Scott Glosserman starring Nathan Baesel, in which an aspiring killer documents his massacre prep; cult hit with a 2026-funded sequel.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror.comedy-horror-films.2000s-and-2010s-comedy-horror-films", "markdown": "# Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon\n\n**Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon** is an American meta-slasher comedy-horror film in which an aspiring serial killer invites a documentary crew to film his preparations for a massacre, deconstructing the conventions of the slasher genre while ultimately becoming one itself. Directed by Scott Glosserman from a script he co-wrote with David J. Stieve, it premiered in 2006 and was released in 2007 through Anchor Bay Entertainment, running 1 hour 32 minutes and rated R.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon/) • [2](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/leslie-vernon-returns-directors-behind-the-mask-sequel/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Director / writers | Scott Glosserman; screenplay by Glosserman and David J. Stieve[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon/) |\n| Release | Premiered 2006; released 2007, R, 1 h 32 m, Anchor Bay Entertainment[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon/) • [2](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/leslie-vernon-returns-directors-behind-the-mask-sequel/) |\n| Premise | Leslie Vernon (Nathan Baesel), obsessed with slashers like Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Krueger, invites a documentary filmmaker (Angela Goethals) and her crew to follow him as he constructs his own grisly legacy[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/behind_the_mask_the_rise_of_leslie_vernon) |\n| Structure shift | When reporter Taylor Gentry has the crew turn off the cameras, the film pivots from mockumentary to a straightforward slasher[4](https://www.franksmovielog.com/reviews/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon-2006/) |\n| Critical scores | 76% Tomatometer (42 reviews) and 75% Popcornmeter (10,000+ ratings) on Rotten Tomatoes; Metascore 66 on Metacritic (14 critic reviews)[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/behind_the_mask_the_rise_of_leslie_vernon) • [1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon/) |\n| Genre cameos | Robert Englund as Doc Halloran, Scott Wilson as Eugene, Zelda Rubinstein as Mrs. Collinwood, and a cameo by Kane Hodder[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon/) • [5](https://www.ifi.ie/downloads/horrorthon_06_d4.pdf) |\n| Sequel | Behind the Mask II: The Return of Leslie Vernon, funded on Kickstarter with $400,710 from 1,450 backers against a $20,000 goal, targeted for 2027[6](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/btm2/behind-the-mask-ii-the-return-of-leslie-vernon) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Premise and structure\n\nThe film is set in a world where the great screen boogeymen, [Freddy Krueger](https://www.edgepedia.org/freddy-krueger), Michael Myers, and [Jason Voorhees](https://www.edgepedia.org/jason-voorhees), are real, and Leslie Vernon wants to join their ranks.[7](https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/see-horror/film-reviews/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon-2006/) A crew of three graduate students, led by reporter Taylor Gentry ([Angela Goethals](https://www.edgepedia.org/angela-goethals)), follows him as he explains the tricks of his murderous trade: how to disappear when his target Kelly turns around, how to encourage his victims to choose faulty weapons, how to choose a survivor girl (Kate Lang Johnson), and how to stage his attack on a group of teens at a dilapidated farmhouse.[2](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/leslie-vernon-returns-directors-behind-the-mask-sequel/) • [7](https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/see-horror/film-reviews/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon-2006/) The film even gets academic at times, debating the implied meaning behind visual metaphors that recur in slasher movies.[8](https://filmotomy.com/film-road-to-halloween-behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon-2006/)\n\n**The pivot.** The film's defining structural move comes when Taylor has the crew turn off the cameras: the mockumentary format drops away and the movie becomes the very slasher it had been dissecting, played straight for the final act.[4](https://www.franksmovielog.com/reviews/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon-2006/) Unlike *Scream*, which winks at its audience, *Behind the Mask* appears to play its premise completely straight, creating a humor that stays clever without making the viewer uncomfortable.[7](https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/see-horror/film-reviews/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon-2006/) Glosserman has described the central craft challenge as shooting the film itself and getting the mixed-media contrast between the documentary footage and the conventional style.[2](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/leslie-vernon-returns-directors-behind-the-mask-sequel/)\n\n### Sequel\n\nA sequel, **Behind the Mask II: The Return of Leslie Vernon**, was announced in 2026, reuniting director Scott Glosserman and writer David J. Stieve with returning cast members Nathan Baesel, Angela Goethals, and [Robert Englund](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-englund).[16](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437857/news/) Glosserman and Stieve said they had discussed sequel ideas since shooting the first film in Portland, but had iterated for years without finding the right approach as self-referential horror-comedy became more saturated.[2](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/leslie-vernon-returns-directors-behind-the-mask-sequel/) The project's [Kickstarter](https://www.edgepedia.org/kickstarter) campaign, running April 22 to May 21, 2026, drew 1,450 backers who pledged $400,710 against a $20,000 goal, with release targeted for 2027.[6](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/btm2/behind-the-mask-ii-the-return-of-leslie-vernon) Production was set to begin in the fall with Paper Street Pictures, with [Adam F. Goldberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-f-goldberg), creator of *The Goldbergs*, as executive producer.[17](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/ahead-of-terrifier-4-art-the-clown-actor-joined-horror-sequel-behind-the-mask-ii-return-of-leslie-vernon) David Howard Thornton, known for playing Art the Clown in the *Terrifier* films, joined the cast in an undisclosed \"key\" role; Glosserman framed the casting as putting the old guard and the new blood of slasher horror in direct conversation.[17](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/ahead-of-terrifier-4-art-the-clown-actor-joined-horror-sequel-behind-the-mask-ii-return-of-leslie-vernon)\n\n## Cast and genre connections\n\nNathan Baesel, in his first starring role, plays Leslie Vernon as charming, methodical, and disturbingly thoughtful, an aspiring legend determined to earn his place among slasher icons.[7](https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/see-horror/film-reviews/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon-2006/) • [9](https://creeperfeatures.com/2026/04/23/the-return-of-leslie-vernon-on-kickstarter-crowd-funding-campaign/) The supporting cast mixes genre veterans with the documentary principals: Robert Englund, Freddy Krueger's portrayer, appears as Doc Halloran in what one festival catalog called a spot-on [Donald Pleasence](https://www.edgepedia.org/donald-pleasence) take-off, and Scott Wilson plays Eugene, a celebrity slasher past his prime.[5](https://www.ifi.ie/downloads/horrorthon_06_d4.pdf) • [1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon/) [Zelda Rubinstein](https://www.edgepedia.org/zelda-rubinstein) appears as Mrs. Collinwood, and [Kane Hodder](https://www.edgepedia.org/kane-hodder) has a cameo as a man at the Elm Street house.[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon/)\n\n## Reception\n\nThe Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus calls it \"a smart mockumentary that presents a gory, funny, and obviously affectionate skewering of the slasher genre,\" with 76% on the Tomatometer from 42 reviews and 75% on the audience Popcornmeter.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/behind_the_mask_the_rise_of_leslie_vernon) Metacritic recorded a Metascore of 66 from 14 critic reviews, in the \"generally favorable\" band, with a 7.2 user score; Variety called it \"an ingeniously twisted mockumentary.\"[1](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon/) [The A.V. Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-a-v-club) placed it alongside *Scream* as both a deconstruction of the slasher genre and a well-crafted example of what it satirizes.[10](https://www.avclub.com/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon-1798202706) Critics were not uniform: the Seattle Times gave it 2 of 4 stars, judging the two-thirds-point gear shift disastrous, and Nick Schager wrote that beyond a textbook awareness of its ancestors the film offered next to nothing.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/behind_the_mask_the_rise_of_leslie_vernon)\n\n**Commercial performance.** The film's theatrical release \"didn't exactly make much of a splash,\" by the account of its own producers, and it found its audience afterward, amassing a cult following over the following two decades.[9](https://creeperfeatures.com/2026/04/23/the-return-of-leslie-vernon-on-kickstarter-crowd-funding-campaign/) • [11](https://bloody-disgusting.com/interviews/3948212/why-now-is-the-right-time-for-sequel-behind-the-mask-ii-the-return-of-leslie-vernon/)\n\n## Critical and academic standing\n\nScholarship has treated the film as a notable case of horror metacinema. Savanna R. Teague's [Middle Tennessee State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/middle-tennessee-state-university) dissertation on American horror film and metacinema argues that *Behind the Mask* achieves meta status by creating multiple points of view through camerawork that invites audiences to examine their own understanding of horror, and notes that it predates the wave of found-footage movies that followed.[12](https://jewlscholar.mtsu.edu/bitstreams/8d3dbde3-959d-47d3-a939-3c9d15a5e5f4/download) A study of mockumentary conventions in horror describes it as deploying those conventions to build a postmodern narrative that mocks the slasher subgenre itself, redefining first-person conventions within the slasher formula.[13](https://popmec.hypotheses.org/files/2023/01/012023_SP.pdf) Reviewers frequently pair it with *The Cabin in the Woods* (2011) as a knowing, playful treatment of horror tropes that blends comedy and horror.[14](https://www.grimoireofhorror.com/the-banshee/behind-the-mask-review/) [The Daily Beast](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-daily-beast) lists it among the mockumentaries that pioneered the true-crime format in fiction film, alongside *The Poughkeepsie Tapes* and *Lake Mungo*.[15](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/strange-harvest-true-crime-thriller-about-a-serial-killer-with-a-twist/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon/)\n2. [Leslie Vernon Returns as Directors Announce Behind the Mask Sequel, Den of Geek](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/leslie-vernon-returns-directors-behind-the-mask-sequel/)\n3. [Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/behind_the_mask_the_rise_of_leslie_vernon)\n4. [Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006) review, Frank's Movie Log](https://www.franksmovielog.com/reviews/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon-2006/)\n5. [Horrothon 2006 program, Irish Film Institute](https://www.ifi.ie/downloads/horrorthon_06_d4.pdf)\n6. [BEHIND THE MASK II: THE RETURN OF LESLIE VERNON, Kickstarter](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/btm2/behind-the-mask-ii-the-return-of-leslie-vernon)\n7. [Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006), This Is Horror](https://www.thisishorror.co.uk/see-horror/film-reviews/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon-2006/)\n8. [Film Road to Halloween: Behind the Mask, Filmotomy](https://filmotomy.com/film-road-to-halloween-behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon-2006/)\n9. [The Return of Leslie Vernon on Kickstarter, Creeper Features](https://creeperfeatures.com/2026/04/23/the-return-of-leslie-vernon-on-kickstarter-crowd-funding-campaign/)\n10. [Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon, The A.V. Club](https://www.avclub.com/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon-1798202706)\n11. [Why Now Is the Right Time for Sequel Behind the Mask II, Bloody Disgusting](https://bloody-disgusting.com/interviews/3948212/why-now-is-the-right-time-for-sequel-behind-the-mask-ii-the-return-of-leslie-vernon/)\n12. [Savanna R. Teague, A Telltale Narrative: American Horror Film and Metacinema, MTSU dissertation](https://jewlscholar.mtsu.edu/bitstreams/8d3dbde3-959d-47d3-a939-3c9d15a5e5f4/download)\n13. [When Mockumentary Meets Slasher Film, PopMEC](https://popmec.hypotheses.org/files/2023/01/012023_SP.pdf)\n14. [Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon review, Grimoire of Horror](https://www.grimoireofhorror.com/the-banshee/behind-the-mask-review/)\n15. [This True-Crime Thriller About a Supernatural Serial Killer Has a Twist, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/strange-harvest-true-crime-thriller-about-a-serial-killer-with-a-twist/)\n16. [Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon news, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437857/news/)\n17. [Ahead Of Terrifier 4, Art The Clown Actor Just Joined A Horror Sequel Fans Have Waited 20 Years For, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/movies/ahead-of-terrifier-4-art-the-clown-actor-joined-horror-sequel-behind-the-mask-ii-return-of-leslie-vernon)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Horror films (individual works) › Comedy horror films › 2000s and 2010s comedy horror films*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon](https://www.edgepedia.org/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon](https://www.edgepedia.org/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/behind-the-mask-the-rise-of-leslie-vernon. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is a 2006/2007 meta-slasher mockumentary by Scott Glosserman starring Nathan Baesel, in which an aspiring killer documents his massacre prep; cult hit with a 2026-funded sequel." }