The premise is an interesting one for the genre. Local man Leslie Vernon aspires to be a slasher like his idols Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger. He decides to contact a college film crew and allow them to document his back story, his training for his big night and how he selects and stalks his victims. Of course the film crew think he's either kidding or crazy, but they'll soon learn.
I'll begin with the performances: There's not a weak one to be had. Nathan Baesel is terrific as Leslie and creates a character that is both likable and terrifying in equal doses. Angela Goethals is decent as Taylor, the head of the documentary crew. She nails her role, being both likable yet slightly bitchy. It's reminiscent of Courtney Cox's now "classic" Gail Weathers. There's also a great cameo from genre veteran Robert Englund as Leslie's "Ahab," who is the spitting image of Dr.Loomis from the Halloween franchise, right down to the beige overcoat!
Onto the effects- All well done. There is no crappy CGI, as everything is done with practical effects. The blood looks real, the gore is realistic without going over the top and there are some really inventive kills, one of which involves an apple juicer... The character design is also phenomenal. Leslie's getup is something original. The mask he sports is something we haven't seen before and does come off as quite creepy, especially when coupled with Baesel's thousand mile stare. Also, big points for choosing an original weapon of choice; a sickle. While it has been used before, at least it's not the kitchen knife or machete that modern horror movies seem to rely on!
This film, for me anyhow, is what Scream tried to be. It is self referencing, tongue in cheek and at the same time, creepy. The first half of the film plays as horror comedy and then transitions into straight up horror film. The humor never becomes obnoxious like in the Scary Movie sequels. In this film, it works quite well, as it pokes fun at the genre but also shows it's fond love for the classics of the past. There are also some twists throughout that one does not see coming from a mile away. Nothing here seems forced and it propels the story nicely.
Also, I have to mention the great usage of the song Psycho Killer performed by the Talking Heads. If ever there was a song that needed to be used in a horror film, it's this one. Overall, there are plenty of memorable scenes, tons of quotable and memorable lines and some really great kills. Combined with an original and well crafted story and solid performances throughout, we have a really great film here. Genre fans need to watch this and hopefully you have the love for it that I do. Leslie Vernon is truly on track to become a new slasher icon, and here's hoping the long anticipated sequel gets off the ground soon!!
Highlight Scene: Leslie's chase scene with (I won't spoil the character) through the apple orchard, wielding his sickle, is truly terrifying. It hearkens back to the street chase scene from Carpenter's Halloween.
Highlight Quote: Leslie (to camera) - "Do you know how much cardio I have to do? Everybody is running their asses off and I have to catch 'em while making it look like I'm walking the whole time!"
Doug Johnson: - "What kind of a survivor girl passes out in a pinch?"
Todd Best: - "Passes out? What kind of survivor girl hops on the nerdy kid's johnson like it's a pogo stick?"
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