Hooptober 7.0
37/39 - 6/6 decades 2000s

October Scavenger Hunt 67
5/31 - Task 22: Film With A Character Wearing A Mask
********************************

Womp, womp.  My last film for Hooptober 7.0 (excluding extra credit) and I have to admit to being a little sad about that as it’s been so much fun to work through the tasks with all of you likeminded damned souls.  I’m looking forward to more horror challenges, and hope I don’t have to wait another year.  Anyway, I chose this one since it also hit a category in the Scavenger Hunt and was available to stream.

What a pleasant surprise.  I’d been aware of this one for years, but had no idea it was a mockumentary and such a clever take on the conventions of the slasher genre.  The first half is full mockumentary following the would be spree killer in the vein of Jason Vorhees, Michael Myers or Freddy Krueger.    That aspiring slasher - Leslie Vernon - takes the documentary crew along as he explains all his preparations for his debut on the scene and the painstaking efforts he goes through to pick his victims and plot out the evening so it ends like a perfect slasher.  As I watched this part, it reminded me of the Creep films in some ways as well as the genre commentary in Scream, but this is wholly its own. The deconstruction on the genre is spot on, at times quite funny, and the whole segment of the movie is fantastic and exceptionally well conceived.  

Toward the last third, the movie takes a turn and while it works very well, we do lose the most charismatic character in a way and his explanations of his actions is noticeably absent as we just follow the action instead.  While inventive and entertaining, it would have been even better had the filmmakers figured a way to add more meta commentary throughout like in the first part of the movie.

As is, this is a hidden gem - for me anyway - and exceptionally well done.  I notice from the crew and cast entries that almost everyone (excluding the great Scott Wilson) hasn’t done much else and that’s a shame.  Don’t sleep on this one - well worth a watch for all horror fans and a great way to close out my first Hooptober.