[[quoteright:213:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/LeslieVernon_6860.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:213:Lace up your boots, kiddies. It's going to get wet.]]

DeconstructiveParody, LampshadeHanging and meta-humor are the name of the game in ''Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon'', in which charming psycho killer Vernon brings a film crew along to document the series of murders that will cement his name in the slasher hall of fame along with [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Jason Voorhees]], [[Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet Freddy Krueger]] and [[Franchise/{{Halloween}} Michael Myers]].

Interviewed by a student journalist named Taylor Gentry, Leslie details the extensive preparations that slashers go through in order to make a killing spree possible, especially setting up his [[FinalGirl survivor girl]]: a blonde {{virgin|Power}} named Kelly. When it comes time for the actual murders, though, the documentary crew finally realizes what they've gotten themselves into and opt out at the last minute.

Though a Kickstarter campaign was unsuccessful, funding is still being sought for a [[http://www.facebook.com/BeforeTheMask/app_129044847175105 sequel]]
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!!This film provides examples of the following tropes:

* AbandonedArea: According to Leslie, the first step in being a slasher is to have "an anchor for your legend." In this case, the Vernon legend revolves around an [[HauntedHouse old scary house]] built on an abandoned apple orchard.
* AdaptationalMundanity: Slasher killers like Freddy and Jason seem to be real in this world, but everything seems to indicate that they are people who prepare a lot, rather than real supernatural beings. Apparently, Slashers choose an UrbanLegend to attach themselves to and act out, similar to the [[spoiler: copycat killings in ''Film/MyBloodyValentine'']]. So there ''was'' a deformed Special Needs kid who drowned in Crystal Lake while the counsellors were busy making whoopie, there ''was'' a pervert with a striped sweater who got firebombed by the townsfolk, and there ''was'' an abused boy who lost it and got lynched after murdering his parents, but that was, in all cases, the end of it until some murderous psychopath heard about how they supposedly come back and take revenge on the living.
* AffablyEvil: Leslie Vernon is so charming and friendly that the filmmakers completely forget that their new buddy is an aspiring mass murderer. This seems to be par for the course for killers. Eugene, the [[RetiredMonster retired slasher]], is also very personable.
* AffectionateParody: Cross with a DeconstructiveParody of the horror slasher genre.
* AllMythsAreTrue: Variation. All ''{{slasher movie}}'' characters are real. Subverted, however, in that Leslie Vernon [[spoiler:turns out to be Leslie ''Mancuso'', a mortal man who's simply using the urban legend of slain Leslie Vernon to instill fear in the townsfolk and implying, by extension, that Freddy, Jason, ''et al'' were similarly lacking in supernatural powers]].
* AmbiguousSituation: Do the grad students understand Leslie is a real serial killer in the making? Do they just believe this is all an elaborate prank? Are they taking journalistic integrity way too far?
* AndShowItToYou: One of the [[TheStoner stoners]] gets it with a post-hole digger.
* AscendedFanboy: Leslie looked up to the great slashers of the past as his idols, and now he gets to be one. Indeed, the entire movie is about his preparations to become one of the greats.
* BadassNormal: Leslie Vernon possesses no supernatural powers like Jason Voorhees or Freddy ''might'' possess but makes up with Batman-level preparation.
** Eugene also makes use of stage magic and other tricks like Leslie but has become a RetiredMonster.
* BalanceBetweenGoodAndEvil: [[spoiler:Leslie's driving force, and the alleged driving force of many a serial killer out there. In order for good to triumph over evil, there needs to be evil, and Leslie feels it is his duty to provide it.]]
* BatmanGambit: Leslie is ''really'' good at predicting what people will do. Indeed, we see his meticulous preparation to make sure to cover every eventuality in the isolated location that is the killing zone.
* BreadEggsMilkSquick: Leslie has a habit of discussing murder in the same sentence as he might discuss his favorite food or his pets. One of his comments suggests that his favorite food and his pets may be one and the same.
* BuriedAlive: Eugene, the [[RetiredMonster retired slasher]], has this done to himself ''deliberately.'' Apparently it's a form of meditation that helps him [[MasterOfYourDomain slow his heart rate and breathing]] to [[FakingTheDead undetectable levels]]. He's first introduced after Leslie and the unseen camera crew have to unearth him. Leslie has also studied the trick.
* CaptainErsatz: Doc Halloran dresses and wears his beard the same as [[Franchise/{{Halloween}} Dr. Samuel Loomis]]. They also have the same occupation and relationship with their killer patients. His name, however, is a reference to ''Film/TheShining''.
** Eugene is implied to be the killer in ''Film/BlackChristmas1974'', ''Film/TheToolboxMurders'', and possibly [[Film/{{Hellraiser}} Pinhead]] given the Puzzle Box is in the back of his truck. This is mentioned in his speech that he was involved in 'quantity' over quality.
* CelebrityParadox: [[Franchise/{{ANightmareOnElmStreet}} Freddy Krueger]] is alluded to early in the film. It's unknown whether he bears any resemblance to [[Creator/RobertEnglund Doc Hallorhan]].
* ChekhovsGun
** The cider press. Leslie indicates that it will be of some importance, though does not say for what. [[spoiler:Taylor uses it to "kill" Leslie. It's almost certainly rigged not to actually kill him.]]
** The tree branches near the second story of Leslie's house.
** The anti-bruising jelly Leslie puts on to reduce lacerations and bleeding is also flame retardant.
** [[spoiler: The fire proof make-up which Leslie puts on before he's "burned" to death.]]
* ChekhovsSkill: The mentor showing that he can feign death by meditating in his sensory deprivation chamber.
* CoolMask: Leslie, of course.
* ComedicSociopathy: Leslie, Eugene, and Eugene's wife, Jamie, all speak about serial killing as if it's a legitimate career they're deeply passionate about. They don't really see their victims as people so much as tools to balance their evil against, with the possible exception of the FinalGirl, and even then Leslie says he's more in love with the idea of a person overcoming despair than the person themselves.
* CrazyPrepared: The bulk of the film is dedicated to Leslie's preparation for every possible scenario.
* DeadlineNews: [[spoiler:The crew loses a cameraman to the killer.]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Todd, the cameraman.
* DeconstructorFleet: Takes apart the slasher genre bit by bit and [[DeconReconSwitch pieces it back together again]].
* DeconReconSwitch: For slashers and the ScoobyDooHoax; The "deconstruction" is that Leslie is not a supernatural being but rather a CrazyPrepared person who uses a lot of theatric tricks and conventions. The "reconstruction" is that Leslie is a murderous psycho and the fact his victims know the supernatural part is just smoke and mirrors does not prevent them from being afraid for their lives, as well as the "prepared" part meaning Leslie is constantly one step ahead of them. [[spoiler:Even the part where Leslie appears to be killed was all part of his plan]].
* {{Determinator}}: Doc Halloran, Leslie's "[[Literature/MobyDick Ahab]]".
* DoingInTheWizard: While horror icons like Freddy, Jason, and Michael exist the movie indicates that they're regular human beings instead of the supernatural slashers of their respective franchises. Alternatively, Leslie and Eugene might just be the muggles of the group.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: [[InUniverse Intentional]] on Leslie's part. He tells Taylor all the Freudian motifs within the journey of FinalGirl towards heroism, namely how the moment she grabs a weapon (a phallic object) to fight him she's, in his own words, "[[FreudWasRight empowering herself with cock]]". [[spoiler: In the climax this gets a reference when Taylor is being choked by Leslie, causing her to run her hand down his chest trying to grasp his weapon in a way that rather strongly evokes sexual imagery]].
* [[DroppedABridgeOnHim Dropped A Bridge On Her]]: [[spoiler: Kelly, built up to be the virginal survivor girl throughout the movie, is caught having sex -- and going by the position she's using, it's probably not her first time. The crew then decides that they need to protect Kelly before Leslie can discover that [[MyGirlIsNotASlut his girl isn't quite the virgin he believed.]] Kelly, about to become completely central to the resolution of the plot, is instead unceremoniously dispatched when she attempts to crawl out the second-story window onto a [[ChekhovsGun sabotaged tree branch]]... and falls to her death.]]
* EvilPlan: Leslie's plan is [[spoiler:ultimately to be defeated by his final girl.]]
* EyesAlwaysShut: The two stoners.
* {{Fanservice}}: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] and [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]], like everything else. When Leslie is going over the plan for the climactic "teen party" scene, there's an extreme close-up of one of the teen's bare breasts. The image actually pauses, while Taylor asks "Isn't that a little gratuitous?" Leslie simply replies, completely deadpan, "Who's telling this story, you or me?"
** [[PlayedStraight Played straight]] later on when [[spoiler: Taylor, before attempting to swing an ax at Leslie, whips off her zip-up sweater (ostensibly to free her arms) to reveal a skimpy tank top.]]
* FinalGirl: Referred to as a "survivor girl." Played with, in that the girl Leslie has been set up as the FinalGirl [[spoiler:turns out not to be a virgin, and thus [[SexSignalsDeath not the designated survivor]]. It's ''Taylor'', the maker of the documentary, who was his intended FinalGirl all along.]] It's also implied that Jamie, Eugene's wife, had once been his survivor girl. It's also mentioned that a proper Slasher will select his Final Girl months in advance, which one of the documentary crew likens to [[OneIPreparedEarlier having an example pie ready to eat in the demo kitchen of a cooking show.]]
* FirstNameBasis: Leslie and Eugene apparently know very well, or at least comfortable talking in very familiar terms about, slasher legends like Fred, Mike, and Jay.
* {{Foreshadowing}}: There are many clues dropped throughout that [[spoiler:Taylor, not Kelly, is Leslie's real intended "survivor girl". Taylor is dressed fairly plainly and doesn't wear makeup, she's seen turning down a beer when visiting Eugene's house, she's squicked out when Leslie describes a sex scene in detail, and she's clueless as to the phallic metaphors Leslie invokes -- all indicators that she's sexually inexperienced and otherwise "innocent". Kelly, meanwhile, is seemingly dressed like a modest final girl... except for her willingness to [[LegFocus show off her long legs]] in a [[ZettaiRyouiki tiny miniskirt]], which Todd even comments on.]]
** Additionally, there is a hint dropped during Leslie's killing spree regarding [[spoiler: his real target]]. [[spoiler: At the start of his killing spree, he shows the crew a pair of spark plugs he's removed from cars around the house, saying "I do NOT plan to get run over tonight". Later on, one of the teens mentions all their tires have been slashed, which would make removing the spark plugs redundant. If you notice that, you'll realize immediately what car he MUST have pulled the spark plugs from - the crew's]].
* FreudWasRight: Many of Leslie's claims about the final battle between a slasher and his survivor girl revolve around phallic and yonic symbolism. For example, he claims that when the survivor girl fights back with a long, hard weapon, she's "empowering herself... [[CompensatingForSomething with cock]]."
* GenreSavvy: Leslie has studied everything there is to know about slasher killings, and has prepared his oeuvre using all of his collected knowledge.
* GenreShift: Once Leslie decides the documentary has come to an end, the film shifts from a {{mockumentary}}, point-of-view presentation to a standard slasher film.
* GoThroughMe: Doug, one of the camera operators, at least puts forth the effort.
* GodivaHair: [[spoiler: When Kelly, the supposed survivor girl, hops on the nerdy kid's johnson like it's a pogo stick.]]
* HandWave: Practically used InUniverse. In a DeletedScene, Eugene recounts the ways in which he'd been "killed" in his "career," including ''decapitation,'' among others. When asked how he survived, he says something about "meditation techniques" and "homeopathic remedies." There's a ''homeopathic remedy'' for ''having your freaking head cut off?!?''
* InternalReveal: The mockumentary crew has this when they realize this is ''not'' an elaborate prank by Leslie Vernon and he's just murdered two people.
* LegFocus: Todd remarks quite approvingly about Kelly's long legs. [[spoiler:The fact that [[ZettaiRyouiki she shows them off so much]] is one of the first clues that she's not the virgin Leslie is building her up to be -- and not his real survivor girl.]]
* LoveMakesYouCrazy
** In the sense that Leslie Vernon loves his intended [[FinalGirl Survivor Girl]]. Of course, when asked about it, he says "I love the ''idea'' of her."
** Leslie takes the documentary crew to visit his best friends, Eugene and Jamie, a [[HappilyMarried married couple]] who are strongly implied to have started as a slasher-survivor girl relationship.
* MayDecemberRomance: There are at least twenty years between Eugene and Jamie, and probably more than thirty.
* MenacingStroll: Explained in a deleted scene. The killer runs while the victim isn't looking and slows to a power walk when the victim turns around. Even implies that the "tripped while running away from evil cliche" is due to the victim's increasing panic as the killer draws steadily closer while (apparently) moving no faster than a SlowWalk.
* MetaGuy: Leslie, of course.
* {{Mockumentary}}: A bunch of graduate students follows around a slasher as he prepares for a supernatural killing spree.
* MoodWhiplash: The last 15 minutes or so are played as a straight slasher. [[spoiler:Especially once Leslie goes after Taylor and her camera crew.]]
* MyCarHatesMe: Justified in this case. One of Leslie's tricks is to remove spark plugs.
* NecessarilyEvil: Eugene claims that slashers like him and Leslie exist to embody humanity's sins and worst qualities so that those who survive their rampage or are unwilling to walk away -- usually {{Final Girl}}s or "Ahabs" -- can step in and bring hope to everyone else by facing them as the hero.
* NotSoHarmlessVillain: The entire movie is based on the premise the graduate students aren't taking Leslie Vernon seriously. It's only after [[spoiler: he murders his first two victims]] that the crew realizes how deep they're in.
* NotQuiteDead: [[spoiler:Guess who wakes up in the credits.]]
* OffscreenTeleportation: Used extensively by Leslie. He explains this tactic as stage magic, having learned it by studying the likes of Houdini, as well as extensive cardio.
* OldMaster: Eugene, a [[RetiredMonster retired slasher]] and Leslie's best friend.
* OurSlashersAreDifferent: They're apparently BadassNormal CrazyPrepared individuals rather than actual supernatural killers. They just take advantage of [[ScoobyDooHoax local legends and myths]] (or outright invent them) in order to scare their prey.
* PeekABooCorpse: It wouldn't be a slasher homage without one.
* PhallicWeapon: Leslie is quite specific about this, making sure that his FinalGirl will end up having to face him with a long, hard weapon that is easily equitable with a penis, as a demonstration of her taking his male power away and symbolically killing him with his own penis.
* RealAfterAll: Double subverted. [[spoiler: Leslie Vernon is ''not'' Leslie Vernon the boy who killed his mother with a scythe and was dumped into a lake. He is Leslie Mancuso from Reno, Nevada. He ''is'', however, a dangerous serial killer.]]
* RedHerring: Leslie describes his first murder, that of the librarian, as this, complete with the trope name, designed to set up the conflict later in the movie. [[spoiler:Pay attention to his choice of words, though, and you can spot that he's letting slip that Kelly isn't the FinalGirl.]]
* ReferenceOverdosed: Even beyond the more obvious {{shout out}}s, there are ''dozens'' of far more subtle references to various horror movies, particularly [[SlasherMovie slashers.]]
** ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'': The opening scene discusses the events of these movies in Haddonfield, Illinois, as real. Michael Myers is mentioned a few times. Doc Halloran's role, occupation, and style are nearly the same as those of Dr. Sam Loomis. There's also an opening shot with Taylor that shows the Red Rabbit Pub. Not to mention, Eugene's wife is Jamie, and Kelly's family name is Curtis. [[Creator/JamieLeeCurtis Sounds familiar]]?
** ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'': The murders at Crystal Lake are also discussed during the opening scene, and Jason Voorhees is mentioned a few times. There's also a slow-motion shot in a barn near the end that appears to be an homage to a shot in ''[[Film/FridayThe13thPartIII Part III]].'' [[spoiler:Leslie Vernon's real surname is Mancuso, possibly related to Frank Mancuso, Jr., who produced all of the ''Friday The 13th'' sequels and [[Series/FridayThe13thTheSeries the related TV series]].]]
** ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'': Not only are Freddy Krueger's killings mentioned during the opening, but the house featured in [[Film/ANightmareOnElmStreet1984 the original movie]] is also shown with Creator/KaneHodder as a briefly-shown resident. Additionally, there's a shot of three little girls in white playing jump rope.
** ''Franchise/{{Hellraiser}}'': A puzzle box is visible at Eugene and Jamie's house.
** ''Film/PetSematary1989'': Leslie's turtles, Church and Zoe, are named after the pets in both this movie and [[Film/PetSemataryTwo its sequel]].
** ''Film/Maniac1980'': The bit when Leslie starts to cry and says "I'm so happy" is a reference to a rather disturbing scene from this movie.
** ''Film/TheShining'': The music playing in the background while Leslie puts on his makeup is a reference to this. Additionally, Doc Halloran is named after a character from this movie.
* RetiredMonster: Eugene is almost literally this, a prolific slasher-killer who has mellowed out to essentially become a genial CoolOldGuy. Could also double as an EvilMentor for Leslie.
* TheReveal: Two of them.
** The first, revealed about halfway in, is that [[spoiler: Leslie isn't Leslie Vernon at all, but a guy named Leslie ''Mancuso'' from Reno, Nevada. He's just some guy using the Vernon urban legend to get famous, while Doc Halloran is hunting him because of his past as Mancuso.]]
** The big one, however, is that [[spoiler:Taylor, not Kelly, is the FinalGirl. Leslie agreed to do the documentary in order to get close to her.]]
* RewatchBonus: It's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, but when Leslie takes Taylor and her film crew to Eugene and Jamie's place, it almost resembles a ''Film/MeetTheParents'' scenario. Especially when Eugene tells Leslie that Taylor's "a regular little spitfire". [[spoiler:This implies that not only does Leslie knows that Taylor's the real final girl by that point, but that Eugene and Jamie figured it out also.]]
* TheScourgeOfGod: Booze, drugs, and sex are conventional means of getting killed in a slasher; this is no different.
* SexSignalsDeath: [[JustifiedTrope Justified]]. The reason Leslie kills the copulating young couple first is that they are both [[DistractedByTheSexy distracted]] and [[LetsSplitUpGang away from the central group.]]
* SharedUniverse:
** With ''Film/{{Hatchet}}''. In ''Film/HatchetII'' one of the hunters mentioned that he lived in Glen Echo and Leslie Vernon is its own Urban Legend.
** The events of ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'', ''Franchise/ANightmareOnElmStreet'' and ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' happened in this universe and ''Franchise/{{Hellraiser}}'' is implied to.
* SinisterScythe: Leslie's weapon, although it's actually a ''hand'' scythe.
* SlasherMovie: Part of it, anyway.
* SpiritualSuccessor:
** It is one to ''Film/{{Scream}}'' due to Leslie's study and explanation of slasher conventions. Eugene and Jamie also give tips on surviving an attack from a slasher villain.
** It can also be considered an American successor to ''Film/ManBitesDog'', which also has a film crew creating a documentary by following the daily life of a serial killer.
* StartOfDarkness: Both played straight and played with. The movie is one for Leslie, while Leslie's "backstory" of a young boy forced to cut grass for his abusive parents several decades ago is a fabricated one.
* StatuesqueStunner: [[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1567202/ Kate Lang Johnson]], the actress who plays Leslie's survivor girl Kelly, is both very attractive and ''very tall''. It's especially noticeable when she's standing next to Taylor, who is played by the [[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0324462/ 5'4" Angela Goethals]]. Her height is never pointed out in the film. The closest the film comes to doing so is in the audio commentary when some of the filmmakers seem to notice it for the first time.
* StockSlasher: {{Deconstructed|Trope}} (and then [[DeconReconSwitch Reconstructed]]). Leslie himself constructs the perfect persona: he's a tall, imposing, masked figure who is able to walk implacably towards his kill. However, he carefully takes the documentary crew through his preparations, collecting all the weapons, explaining how he has to do cardio in order to make sure he can switch between walking and running when the victim looks away, and inventing a backstory that he is secretly related to the girl who is supposed to be his FinalGirl. When Leslie actually puts his plan into action in the final third of the movie, all these aspects are shown going off without a meaningful hitch. [[spoiler:He comes back from the dead while in the mortuary at the end.]]
* StonersAreFunny: Two of the teenagers in Leslie's target group are [[FlatCharacter one-dimensional potheads]] appropriately credited as [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Stoned Guy]] and Slightly More Stoned Guy.
* TakeThat: Eugene is rather dismissive of the uninspired slashers who'd just carve their way through a sorority house or something, and frequently only had one half-assed killing spree in them. (A reference to the innumerable low-quality slasher ripoffs that succeeded, mostly, ''Friday the 13th''.)
* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: Leslie wears his terrifying costume because he normally looks like a twenty-something. This, of course, allows him to go about his preparations in secret.
%%* TooDumbToLive: Lampshaded. %%Zero-context example.
* UnspokenPlanGuarantee: Of course, the spoken plan goes off without a hitch, too. At least the parts that weren't deliberate misdirection.
* VillainProtagonist: Leslie Vernon is an aspiring serial killer and our mockumentary's subject.
* TheVoiceless: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] for most of the movie; unlike most of the well-known slashers, Leslie is ''very'' chatty. This flip-flops during the final act when Leslie gets into character and plays this trope (mostly) straight.
* WeaponSpecialization: Leslie's weapon of choice, a handheld scythe, is exclusive to him and makes him stand out.
* WickedPretentious: As Leslie explains to the documentary crew step-by-step how the events of his first rampage are going to go, he gives a [[FreudWasRight freudian interpretation]] of certain tropes and cliches (the "sacredness" of hiding in the closet, {{Final Girl}}s using the killer's weapons against them, etc) that comes across as snobby film-analysis that Taylor frequently snarks at.
* WithinArmsReach: In their final confrontation, Leslie is choking out [[spoiler:Taylor]], who manages to run her hand down his body and grab his weapon, which she then uses to attack him. Possibly justified there as Leslie knows all about slasher tropes and wants his ideal FinalGirl ''to'' fight back against him.
* YouthIsWastedOnTheDumb: The situation for which Leslie is preparing. He expects the group of friends who associate with survivor girl Kelly will dare each other to spend the night in the [[HauntedHouse creepy old farmhouse]] on the Vernon orchard.
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