Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

Branson Reese

It’s fun to see Cabin in the Woods done earlier by people with actual affection for the genre. It’s nice that this came out in 2006 and was able to hit before the Obama era with its “that just happened”s and its epic bacons. It’s easy to imagine a version of this movie released 3-4 years later that’s just completely unwatchable. But they got it in before the buzzer. Good on them. Unfortunately 2006 is a double edged sword and there’s a shot of a murder victim where it’s basically impossible not to notice that he’s wearing bootcut jeans.

Madison 🎭4.0

"so does that mean you're pro life, Leslie?"(silent stare)

SilentDawn3.5

62A novel and quite surprising take on Slasher film conventions. Not only does it deeply respect the films that it's riffing off of, but it attempts to reconfigure their successes into something mundane and tiresome. A day in the life of a horror icon in the making. The final 30 minutes are so refreshing. Too bad they couldn't do this with Jason Voorhees or Michael Myers, but Leslie Vernon makes for an interesting composite, and it's often gorgeous to look at.