Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon

A deconstructionist horror comedy that owes a debt to Scream and the 1992 Belgian film Man Bites Dog, Mask nevertheless has enough pitch-perfect wit to lay claim to its own patch of postmodern, movie-loving snarkiness.

About two-thirds in, the movie shifts gears disastrously. Made me want to haul someone into the cutting room for revenge.

The script's laughs are too widely spaced. Even before the plot takes a third-act turn into the land of kill-by-the-numbers slasher movies, the jokes drip when they should be gushing.

If Scott Glosserman's witty slasher spoof had celebrities, it would probably be a success like Scream or Scary Movie. As an indie, it's more apt to be a cult fave. Either way, it's a must for those who like thrills laced with humor.

There is a lot of cleverness at work here, especially when the movie switches from the Blair Witch-style shaky camera to more accomplished and atmospheric low-budget lensing.

[Director] Glosserman can't match the wit of Scream, the fright of The Blair Witch Project or the satire of journalism seen in Series 7.

...it's ultimately the underwhelming execution that confirms the movie's place as an almost total misfire.

[A] terrific little pearl of a satiric horror-comedy.

A pure horror film masterpiece, and slasher fans would be best to acknowledge it.

A rather funny "Scream"-like cross between a mockumentary and a direct-to-video slasher movie, "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon" is custom-made for horror fans, but it isn't remotely scary and people that aren't already steeped in the lore of t

Other than displaying a textbook awareness of its ancestors, Behind the Mask offers next to nothing

A mini-masterpiece... one of the best indie films in recent memory.