In a thread at Pajiba, I wound up getting into a discussion (sort of) about Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. This just so happens to be one of my favorite films from 2007. The lead, Nathan Baesal, is still my Best Actor winner despite constant protests from film buffs on various forums.

The film can be polarizing, but at the very least, it has a solid concept. Leslie Vernon has contacted a documentary crew to follow him as he works towards becoming the next slasher icon. He has the help of his mentor - a slasher icon himself - and his wife - the former survivor girl  - and undergoes many milestones, like getting his own Ahab - the crazy doctor/scientist/policeman who obsesses over the killer. Leslie has already picked out his survivor girl and stalks her until the night of the big killing. The film shifts from first person to third person perspective going into the final act as the documentary crew realizes that Leslie Vernon actually plans on putting on the mask and killing a house full of teenagers. It's a polarizing change in an otherwise loved film, as some embrace the shift to new stars while others dispise the change in filming technique. Regardless, the performances are excellent and the screenplay's references to horror cliches amusing.

It's available on Netflix Instant service (wow, have they ever beefed that up since the last time I was a member), and I'm embedding the trailer below the jump.