Would you believe there was a little-known mockumentary from 2006 that in between laugh out loud black comedy, has some of the most insightful and ingenious deconstructions of the horror slasher genre?It’s called Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. It follows the story of a serial killer / slasher who is trying to “launch” his career by planning a killing of teenagers. The whole thing is a play on the classic conventions of the teenage slasher genre.
A documentary crew follows the killer “Leslie Vernon” as he explains his tactics to attack the kids in an upcoming night. This is cleverly done while also explaining themes in the genre and the whole thing is done in a comical way.
There’s tons of references to classic horror films throughout including: little girls jump roping just like A Nightmare on Elm Street, music playing in the background (same music as the end of The Shining), Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger) playing an old psychiatrist (just like Donald Pleasence in Halloween), and many more. It’s a real treat for horror fans.