You're in the middle of some damn passionate love making, your partner is almost there and then... nothing. That's Behind the Mask for ya.
A brilliant little set-up that fizzles out under the guise of being clever but is really just a failed attempt to circumvent the only ending that would have really worked. No, Mr. Writer/ Director you can't have your cake and eat it too. It doesn't work. So, what am I talking about?
Well, as you've no doubt read, the movie is about a documentary film crew that follows around the up and coming slasher superstar Leslie Vernon as he plans to build his grand legacy on All Hallow's Eve. Hilarious he takes us out of the house, shows us all the preparation that goes into his craft, and even introduces us to a mentor of his, whose wife was actually once targeted as a victim. Leslie's humorous insider tips, and giddy school boy excitement carry the film breezily through what would be an otherwise impossible script. I mean, if you were a documentary crew and you were filming Leslie as he plans out a mass killing would that not raise any alarms in you?
So, stop reading if you don't want to know how they blew it.
OK? They set off the alarm. The last quarter of the film devolves into a meta horror flick similar to Scream, except the characters are far less witty and far stupider. The moment the girl decides to go back to the house things get lame. Instead of continuing the manic energy built up in the first 2/3 the movie takes the obvious way out and tries to throw a silly twist and an homage to classic horror. As a slasher pic, it's not that good. As a send up of a slasher pic it's gold. Can I suggest turning it off before the finale?
A brilliant little set-up that fizzles out under the guise of being clever but is really just a failed attempt to circumvent the only ending that would have really worked. No, Mr. Writer/ Director you can't have your cake and eat it too. It doesn't work. So, what am I talking about?
Well, as you've no doubt read, the movie is about a documentary film crew that follows around the up and coming slasher superstar Leslie Vernon as he plans to build his grand legacy on All Hallow's Eve. Hilarious he takes us out of the house, shows us all the preparation that goes into his craft, and even introduces us to a mentor of his, whose wife was actually once targeted as a victim. Leslie's humorous insider tips, and giddy school boy excitement carry the film breezily through what would be an otherwise impossible script. I mean, if you were a documentary crew and you were filming Leslie as he plans out a mass killing would that not raise any alarms in you?
So, stop reading if you don't want to know how they blew it.
OK? They set off the alarm. The last quarter of the film devolves into a meta horror flick similar to Scream, except the characters are far less witty and far stupider. The moment the girl decides to go back to the house things get lame. Instead of continuing the manic energy built up in the first 2/3 the movie takes the obvious way out and tries to throw a silly twist and an homage to classic horror. As a slasher pic, it's not that good. As a send up of a slasher pic it's gold. Can I suggest turning it off before the finale?