They say you can’t reinvent the wheel, which would seem to be true when you look at a lot of horror movies; after all there is very little that one can add to an old formula: psycho killer on the loose running about building tension and ultimately knocking off everyone in sight always falling short of complete revenge by being outsmarted by a single and solitary hero who will most likely be forced to relive the horror in subsequent sequels.
It turns out, however, that while you can’t reinvent the wheel, you can add iron and, later in history, rubber to it and create a tire, which is more like altering or upgrading the wheel, a good comparison to how Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon carves its niche into the horror genre. This film was one of those good surprise moments which make all of the bad surprise moments I put myself through on an almost daily basis worthwhile. I wasn’t expecting much from this movie at all; the title is redundant enough: Behind the Mask has been used so many times that it should be officially retired, the woman at the TLA thought I wanted a 2006 documentary about the Animal Liberation Front.
But name calling aside, the film itself is in fact a really interesting trip down familiar paths with a new and intriguing twist. The plot itself is basic enough: a documentary crew has found our new killer, Leslie Vernon, and decides to document his preparation for killing countless teenagers at an upcoming sleep over and it makes about as little sense as I can put up with. Why would they film something like this, why wouldn’t you call the police immediately, how come they are exempt from being guilty by association and how did they even fall on Leslie in the first place and so on and so on and so on.
Perhaps all of my questions can be answered in one sweeping suggestion that the film is making a subtle commentary about a documentary film maker’s role vis à vis the horrors and atrocities they must face in the name of capturing our world: watching the lion gorge a zebra or factions shooting each other in civil wars without ever putting down their camera to help those in need. Perhaps that is the question, and before you roll your eyes at the over-analysis, consider that it might not be so farfetched because that is what a great deal of Behind the Mask does.
Every aspect of the slasher horror film is dissected and analyzed in this movie, from motivations of the killers, to the symbolism of different trademark moments and, perhaps most amusingly, detailed explanations about how exactly the killers can do what they do. Do you remember the masked magician that used to be on TV all the time and showed everyone how to cut a woman in half or escape a straight jacket under water? That is what this movie does for Jason, Freddy and Michael Myers: how did they move from one window to the other so quickly? How did they get behind that guy? How did they survive a shot to the heart and so on down the list, all explained in a way which actually makes a lot of sense.
There were two great dangers with this movie and it escaped both of them beautifully: just when the film might be taking itself a bit too seriously, it has a humorous moment, but without gags- Shakespeare knew the importance of lightening the atmosphere between heavy moments and Behind the Mask does the same. The end could have been terribly boring since not only do we all know how films of this kind end, but we explained in excruciating detail how it would happen here. Luckily, there is a twist, which you can see coming a mile away, which nevertheless keeps the ending fresh and enjoyable.
Behind the Mask is also surprisingly low on the gore factor, much like the first Halloween movie, the blood is there when it logically would be, but never in excess and never more than when would be logical.
Behind the Mask is to the horror genre what The Matrix was to the action genre, the ‘smart’ movie dealing with an age old concept but carrying more weight and depth than predecessors. If you chose not to delve into the intricacies of the story, you don’t need to but if you enjoy having a little a little extra flavor added to your horror sandwich, Behind the Mask is not to be missed.
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