15 Essential Horror Movies Since 2000 You Might've Missed

8. Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon

Mockementaries in which a small documentary crew follows around a psychopathic killer are nothing new - the Belgian film Man Bites Dog covered this ground to great effect back in 1992. Behind The Mask: The Rise Of Leslie Vernon updates the concept and throws in plenty of humour for good measure. You know you're not supposed to take things too seriously when you first learn that the universe in which Behind The Mask is set is one where psychos from real life slasher movies are real. It's a great set-up, and Leslie Vernon's eagerness to emulate the very best - or should that be worst - serial killers out there gives director Scott Glosserman plenty of opportunities to send up genre conventions, as Vernon goes about explaining his methods to the film crew. In an era when horror is oversaturated with both found footage-style movies and post-Scream, postmodern self-awareness, it's refreshing to see a movie that incorporates both overused devices and comes up with something so refreshing.