BREAKING: This year marks the 20th anniversary of Scott Glosserman’s cult-favorite meta-slasher Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. The horror mockumentary stars Nathan Baesel as an aspiring serial killer who idolizes Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, and Freddy Krueger, and grants a documentary crew exclusive access as he prepares to unleash terror on the quiet town of Glen Echo.
A sequel has been in the works for a long time, but today it’s official: Behind the Mask II: The Return of Leslie Vernon is happening.
Dread Central learned that the next film reunites Glosserman and writer David J. Stieve with original stars Nathan Baesel, Angela Goethals, andRobert Englund, returning as Leslie Vernon, Taylor Gentry, and Doc Halloran, respectively.
Variety first reported the news.
Here’s the OG film’s synopsis: “Nathan Baesel stars as Vernon, a good-natured killing machine who invites a documentary film crew to follow him as he reminisces with his murder mentor (Scott Wilson, The Walking Dead), evades his psychiatrist/nemesis (Robert Englund, A Nightmare On Elm Street), deconstructs Freudian symbolism, and meticulously plots his upcoming slaughter spree. But when the actual carnage begins, where do you draw the line between voyeuristic thrills, mythic evil, and good old-fashioned slasher movie mayhem? Angela Goethals (24) and Zelda Rubinstein (Poltergeist) co-star.”
The press release notes: When the original film premiered, it quietly carved out its own place inside the slasher canon — a movie made for horror fans who already knew the rules and loved watching them get twisted.
Over the past two decades, Leslie Vernon never disappeared. The film kept traveling from fan to fan, convention to convention, late-night screening to late-night screening, building the kind of following most movies only dream about.
This sequel exists because of that audience.
“For twenty years, people have asked if Leslie would ever come back,” said Glosserman. “The truth is, he never really left. Fans kept this movie alive by sharing it, quoting it, introducing it to their friends, and treating it like something worth holding onto. This sequel is happening because of them.”
As part of that process, the filmmakers are launching a Kickstarter campaign that invites fans to participate directly in the making of Behind the Mask II. The film is already moving forward, but the campaign opens the doors for the community that kept Leslie Vernon alive for twenty years to join the journey early — helping shape how big and ambitious the sequel can be while building the audience at the same time the movie itself is being made.
“We’re making the movie either way,” Glosserman added. “But the more the audience gets involved, the bigger we can make it. Bigger set pieces. More cameos. More surprises. This has always been a fan-driven film, and it still is.”
The film is being produced by Paper Street Pictures, the filmmaker-first genre company led by Aaron B. Koontz and Cameron Burns, whose passion for the original film helped keep the possibility of a sequel alive over the years.
More from Glosserman: “Aaron, Cam, and the entire Paper Street team never stopped believing there was more story to tell with Leslie. Their support and persistence over the years made a huge difference in getting us here. They’ve built a home for bold horror filmmakers, and I couldn’t imagine making this sequel with anyone else.”
Adam F. Goldberg (The Goldbergs, Shelby Oaks) will also serve as an executive producer.
For Glosserman, the sequel also marks a personal return to directing after spending the past decade helping other filmmakers connect directly with their audiences through his company GATHR.
“I stepped away from directing for a while to build tools that help filmmakers connect directly with their audiences,” he said. “Coming back to Leslie now means we get to use those tools with the fans who kept the movie alive for twenty years. They won’t just be watching the sequel when it’s finished — they’ll be helping bring it into theaters, hosting screenings, and expanding who gets to see it. It lets the release grow out of the community that’s been there all along.”
Watch this spot for more news as it comes in.
