A KICKSTARTER campaign has been started the help fund the making of Behind the Mask II: The Return of Leslie Vernon! The long awaited sequel to the cult classic meta-slasher Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.... COMING IN 2027!
Though they reached their goal of $20,000 in the first 9 minutes they are still accepting donations to improve the film even further. Click the link to check out the campaign and perks or donate at:
https://leslievernonreturns.com/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/btm2/behind-the-mask-ii-the-return-of-leslie-vernon
Watch the 20th Anniversary Tease:
Watch the pitch video:
Here are a few paragraphs from the campaign:
INTRODUCTION
Hello, Vernonites!
Scott Glosserman and the creative team, here.
We just want to say (in the immortal words of cameraman Doug Johnson)...
“This is really happening.”
After two decades of wishing and waiting… of teasing, false starts, and far too many variations of “we hope someday”, we’ve reached the moment that once felt impossible:
BEHIND THE MASK II: THE RETURN OF LESLIE VERNON is moving into production!
The core cast and creative team are reunited:
DAVID J. STIEVE has written the script.
SCOTT GLOSSERMAN is back behind the camera.
NATHAN BAESEL is back behind the mask.
ANGELA GOETHALS is ready to take him on.
And icon ROBERT ENGLUND is back to guide her.
We’ve ALL been waiting — and that wait is finally over.
Leslie’s return won’t be lost in the churn of the studio system. The creative-friendly, fan-focused indie genre powerhouse PAPER STREET PICTURES, lead by veteran horror producer AARON B. KOONTZ are at the helm of production, and committed to helping us tell this story our way, without corporate influence.
This sequel is happening the only way that feels true to the original film: with the participation of fans who kept it alive, shared it, quoted it, and passed it along like a secret handshake within the slasher community for twenty years and counting.
Because of you, Leslie Vernon has never faded. Because of you, he is poised to rise higher.
If you’ve spent years wondering what happened next…
If you’ve carried this film forward through word of mouth and midnight rewatches…
If you’ve been waiting, patiently or otherwise, to see The Boy return…
This is the moment.
Join us, and spread the word! Because when that mask goes back on, Leslie wants us all behind him.
THE ORIGINAL FILM
Who is Leslie Vernon, you ask?
A not uncommon question. The story began back in the olden times of 2006, when a quirky independent horror-comedy quietly premiered at SXSW and began building something very rare: a devoted cult following.
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon flipped the slasher genre on its head by asking a simple question: what if the terrifying killers we all know and love were real… and one young, unknown slasher—aspiring to join the ranks of his idols—willingly let a documentary crew follow him as he prepared for his debut night of terror?
Blending razor-sharp satire with genuine suspense, the film introduced audiences to Leslie Vernon: charming, methodical, and disturbingly thoughtful… an aspiring legend determined to earn his spot on slasherdom's Mt. Rushmore.
Full disclosure, Behind the Mask’s theatrical release didn’t exactly make much of a splash. Barely a ripple, in fact. But somehow, despite being relegated to the discount DVD bin, something remarkable happened: horror fans found it. Unprompted, seemingly at random. Over and over again.
And when they did, they didn't stay quiet about it.
BTM started getting mentioned in articles, blogs, and YouTube videos with titles like “Horror Movies You Missed,” “Hidden Gems,” and “Horror Films That Deserve a Sequel.” Leslie Vernon's legend started growing at a grass-roots level, becoming something much bigger than anyone expected.
https://collider.com/horror-movies-underrated-cult-following/
Over the years, the film has continued to be discovered, shared, screened at private showings, and passed from fan to fan like an obscure band your friend insists you absolutely have to hear. This happened with no paid advertising or media push.
And through it all, critics were echoing similar sentiments as the growing fan base:
“One of the smartest horror films of its decade.”
“A loving, clever deconstruction of the slasher genre.”
“A firmer grasp of tone than many more generously financed projects.”
“Maybe the best horror spoof no one has ever seen."
https://ew.com/best-horror-movies-defined-the-2000s-11838657
Now, twenty years in, Behind the Mask is still being discovered by new fans who come to realize what longtime "Vernonites" already know: Leslie Vernon isn’t just another slasher villain. He is already a legend.
WHY KICKSTARTER
A sequel? For reals?
For nearly twenty years, one question has followed BTM's creative team everywhere they go: Why hasn't there been a sequel?
Vernonites have been asking for it at conventions, at screenings, online, and in comment sections across the internet.
And for just as long, our answer has mostly been some variation of “we hope someday.”
Hollywood, as it turns out, isn’t always the fastest place to revive a cult horror legend. But y'all never stopped asking… and more importantly, you never stopped watching. We owe you for that. We owe you big time.
So if Leslie's story is going to continue, it's going to happen the same way the first film survived in the first place: with the participation of people who believe in it.
This is not a “save the movie” campaign. The movie is happening. Kickstarter is how we make it our way.
But why now, you rightfully ask?
Because we've heard you. We have always heard you. And because the twenty year mile marker can't be ignored.
It's now or never.
And Kickstarter provides the best means for all of us to do it together.
REWARDS
Rewards Designed With Fans In Mind
Crafted so there's a tier for everyone, and all of them with our deepest gratitude for being a member of the Vernonite family!
$25 — Digital streaming link of Behind the Mask II: The Return of Leslie Vernon
$45 — Limited Edition BTM II Download + "Vernonites" Discord Room Access
$75 — Blu-ray (region free)/DVD, Limited Edition collectible backer-exclusive Movie Poster, "Paradise Lost? Funded It!" Campaign Sticker, & Behind the Scenes Experience
$150 — The "Vernonite" Full Merch Pack: Blu-ray/DVD, Limited Edition BTM II T-Shirt, movie poster, digital scripts, digital storyboard, digital soundtrack, & sticker
$250 — Special Thanks in End Credits + Vernonite Merch Pack
$1,250 — Associate Producer credit (in movie & on IMDb) + Vernonite Merch Pack
$2,500 — Co-Producer credit (in movie & on IMDb) + Vernonite Merch Pack
$5,600 — Executive Producer credit (in movie, on IMDb, & on Limited Edition poster) + Vernonite Merch Pack
ADD ONS - BEHIND THE SCENES - STRETCH GOALS
Check out the full campaign for EXCLUSIVE ADD ONS, BEHIND THE SCENES Access and STRETCH GOALS to make the film even bigger and better:
https://leslievernonreturns.com/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/btm2/behind-the-mask-ii-the-return-of-leslie-vernon
DIRECTOR'S STAEMENT
A Message From Director Scott Glosserman
Twenty years ago, I made BEHIND THE MASK: THE RISE OF LESLIE VERNON knowing very little about filmmaking itself. What I did have was a crystal-clear vision of the story I wanted to tell, and the confidence to communicate that vision to the supremely skilled cast and crew who brought it to life. Directing begins with conviction rather than mastery, after all.
What followed was something I never could have predicted: audiences kept finding the film, sharing it, and welcoming Leslie into the extended canon of the genre that inspired him.
Over time, that relationship between the film and its audience gave Leslie a life beyond the screen. He became a character people returned to, debated, quoted, and carried forward. Revisiting him began to feel less like reopening a story and more like continuing one that had never really ended.
In the years since, I’ve learned a great deal more about filmmaking and about life. Like Leslie himself, though, I haven’t always kept pace with the evolving mores of horror. Returning to him now carries the feeling of stepping back into familiar territory that has changed while I was away.
BEHIND THE MASK 2: THE RETURN OF LESLIE VERNON grows out of that passage of time and offers a lens through which to understand both how horror has changed, and how we have changed with it.
— Scott Glosserman
CONNECT WITH US
Official Websites and Social Media Links:
https://discord.gg/5zkFZVrT45
https://www.instagram.com/leslievernonreturns/
https://www.tiktok.com/@leslievernonreturns
https://www.instagram.com/paperstreetpictures
https://www.instagram.com/aaronbkoontz/
https://www.instagram.com/djstieve/
https://www.instagram.com/nbaesel/
https://www.instagram.com/angbeegee/
https://gathr.com/
http://www.paperstreetpictures.com/
Again check out the campaign for Disclaimer Notice, Risks and challenges, + full list of Perks and Add Ons at:
https://leslievernonreturns.com/
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/btm2/behind-the-mask-ii-the-return-of-leslie-vernon
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