Behind the Mask II: Fans Bring Leslie Vernon Back for Another Stab
Leslie Vernon is finally getting another stab at the big time. Behind the Mask II: The Return of Leslie Vernon has started filming, following a crowdfunding campaign that raised over $400,000. After two decades of waiting, fans have helped turn a long-promised comeback into an actual film shoot. Somebody warn the town of Glen Echo.
The sequel’s official Instagram account shared a brief video from the first day of production. There’s snow, a park and very little else to go on, but after this long, even a chilly patch of grass feels like progress.
Nathan Baesel returns as Leslie, alongside Angela Goethals as Taylor Gentry and Robert Englund as Doc Halloran. Director Scott Glosserman and writer David J. Stieve are also back, while Terrifier’s David Howard Thornton joins the cast.
Ben Pace is returning as cameraman Doug, too. Sharing news from the Illinois shoot on Instagram, he wrote:
“Feeling blessed and grateful to be playing Doug again. We got a sequel! Hanging with old friends and making new ones! On location in Illinois. This is really happening!!”
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Released in 2006, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon followed a documentary crew shadowing an aspiring slasher as he prepared for his big night. Its wicked little trick was treating the business of becoming a horror icon like a career documentary, before showing just how dangerous it was to stand behind that camera.
Glosserman said this about the original over on Kickstarter.
"Full disclosure, Behind the Mask’s theatrical release didn’t exactly make much of a splash. Barely a ripple, in fact. But somehow, despite being relegated to the discount DVD bin, something remarkable happened: horror fans found it. Unprompted, seemingly at random. Over and over again."
The follow-up picks up twenty years later, with Leslie facing a horror landscape now populated by viral killers, legacy sequels and a fresh generation of slashers. Clearly, even an aspiring mass murderer has to keep up with industry trends.
For fans who have spent years hoping this sequel would escape development limbo, cameras rolling is the news that matters. The mask is back on. Let’s see whether Leslie still knows how to put on a show.
Hilly Horror
Hilly love of horror knows no bounds. As a massive fan of slasher and ghost films, she has watched all of the Wrong Turn and Paranormal Activity films. Now that's bravery at a scale we can't beat.
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