Behind the Mask

Note!! It’s not as bad as you would think. I think we all understand, at least unconsciously, two important indicators of cinematic failure. First, if a film goes straight to DVD, chances are the budget wasn't there for good writers, directors, effects, and so on. Second, if your local rental joint only carries a single copy, the production/distribution was probably mapped on the assumption that no one would ever really want to view it, or the fact that the Hollywood wisdom wouldn’t put anything behind the movie. This movie surpasses these presumptions by far.

The story is based on an up-and-coming mass-killer-wannabe who invites a small, inexperienced documentary crew—probably from the local community college's journalism program—to document his first killing spree and the preparation for it. Therefore, the beginning of the film holds a B-rated documentary style. The killer/protagonist is a regular Joe who is an expert on the horror movie genre. He explains with humor galore his unbelievable intentions, training, and plan. As the story progresses, we see that plan unfold, where the film shifts from B-rated documentary to a true horror film with intensity and a surprise twist.

The story is great, and for those with patience, wonderfully executed. The humor of learning the postulated motivations and strategies underlying the archetypal Vorhees, Myers, and similar mass-killers is worth a watch. When the perspective of the story changes, so does the style. The intensity honestly seems to increase five-fold. True, there wasn't a huge budget, but the documentary style was perfectly fitting in the first half. Plus, Robert Englund appears! All the acting was good, though the heroine was sometimes annoyingly unpolished. The plot and the sub-plot were great, and the twist actually caught me… though in hindsight, I don't know how.

Due to the realism and corniness of the flic, where the lack of budget actually was used as an asset, as were the intensity-shift and ultimate plot-twist, I highly recommend this film. I give it an overall 8.5 outta 10.