A serial killer hires a documentary crew to capture his murder spree. He spouts a lot of antisemitism and with his wry sense of humor, gives a surrealistic touch to the slayings.
"Behind the mask" borrows the central idea but gives it a slight twist by replacing the serial killer with an exterminator who believes he has supernatural powers.
His idols are Freddy Kruger(A Nightmare on Elm Street), Michael Myers(Halloween) and Jason Vorhees(Friday the 13).
The recording crew of three consists of a girl who is the narrator and two guys who are cameramen.
The script is the real king here. There are many scenes in which obviously a lot of thought has gone.
I have never understood why does the killer walk so slowly in the slashers while his prey is scampering like hare. Here, I get, what seems to be, a pretty probable answer.
Among the best scenes of the movie are those which capture Vernon's conversation with an ex killer who has "retired" from the game. They help us understand how these perpetrators keep on reanimating themselves and coming back from the dead.
The selection of the victim and the kill zone are explained in detail.
There is a character who is generically called "Ahab". He is this slightly old person, generally a psychologist, who has known the murderer from his childhood and thinks that he can get the better of him.
The acting is pretty decent. The only actor I knew beforehand was Robert Englund, the original Freddy.
The direction and the story maketh any film and this is clearly evident over here. There are huge servings of black comedy.
It is a very clever film, one which would entertain you, provoke you and make you think. These are qualities which one seldom associates with a typical slasher flick. It is a must watch, both for the fans of the genre and for those who like intelligent cinema.
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