Legend has it that twenty years ago a possessed boy killed his family and was then thrown in the river by a group of vigilante town folk. The family home is supposedly haunted and the ghost of the killer stalks it's land, which of course makes it the perfect place to party for teens with questionable cranial functioning.
In this pseudo-documentary, college grad student Taylor, who wants to be a journalist, and her two cameramen get a chance of a lifetime to do a film about Leslie Vernon as he meticulously prepares to become a famous serial killer. With film crew in two, he picks his victim, researches her friends, throws some scares into her to make her jumpy, and then devises an entire murder scenario down to the tiniest detail.
Leslie claims to be the spirit of of the boy killed by the vigilantes. However this turns out to be part of his plan to become a famous. He name checks Jason, Michael and Freddy because in this film, these are real killers, not fictional movie characters.
Taylor, a woman whose mouth is usually slightly open and looks distractingly like a late 1960s Brian Jones, is fascinated by Leslie and enamored with his personality. He's a happy go lucky guy, always joking and in an upbeat mood. He invites her to accompany him to visit a friend who turns out to be a retired serial killer. He is also personable and very hospitable. Amateur Taylor starts thinking Leslie is a nice guy, which is pretty weird since he's planning to kill multiple people.
Leslie tells them each part of his plan, even how the murders will play out. He talks of how serial killing is an art form if done correctly and how you really have to prepare if you don't want to be an amateur. His one contention is that they can observe and film during his killing spree, as long as they don't interfere in the execution of his plans. Idiot Taylor agrees.
Based on the cover, I thought this was going to be some stupid low budget crappy film. And at one point I was a bit bored so I considered shutting it off. The first half is mostly footage shot by the film crew but once everything is set up, it becomes a slasher where Leslie puts his plan into action. The movie references lots of horror icons, cliches, and plot points. The ending had a twist that I missed which was great since most twist endings I can see a mile away.
The guy playing Leslie does a great job. He's able to pull off being a goofy, friendly, kind of charming guy (other than the fact that he's a serial killer, seriously Taylor get a grip!) But once the killings start, that persona is totally gone and he's become an unfeeling killer.
There are cameos by Kane Hodder, the little woman from Poltergeist (as a librarian), and Robert Englund as Doc Halloran.
Leslie: There are eleven exits from the first floor and another eight or nine that might be manageable from the second floor. You want to eliminate as many as you can from being practical so I’ve discreetly nailed them all shut.
Taylor: Don’t they just smash them out?
Leslie: You’d think so, but you’d be surprised. No. And when they do smash them out, it’s on the second floor or higher. Then they’re out on the roof and they are screwed.
Leslie: You have no idea how much cardio I have to do.
Taylor: Why so much?
Leslie: Well I have to be able to run like a frickin' gazelle without getting winded. Then there's that whole thing about making it look like you're walking while everybody else is running their asses off. And I gotta stay with them. It's tough, man.
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| Happy go lucky soon to be famous serial killer Leslie and his mentor |
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| Leslie is serious about his craft |
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| Taylor kept reminding me of Brian Jones |
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