A lot of fans have been anxiously waiting for more films set in the world of the 2006 meta slasher Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (watch it HERE) ever since that movie was release. The follow-up Before the Mask: The Return of Leslie Vernon still hasn’t managed to make it into production – but David J. Stieve, who wrote Behind the Mask with Scott Glosserman (and also wrote the Before the Mask script years ago) has made a short film called Wait for It, which is said to be set in the world of Leslie Vernon. That short film is now making the festival rounds and has been screened at a handful of festivals so far, with more festival screenings coming up this fall.
Written and directed by Stieve, Wait for It is said to be a loving deconstruction of the slasher genre, seen from the perspective of survivor girl Darcy, who is living in the aftermath of her own encounter with a psycho-slasher killer. We follow Darcy as she travels home from a night out with friends, always remaining wary of the inevitable return of her tormentor.
Lily Anne Harrison stars as Darcy and is joined in the cast by Ashley London and Nathan Baesel (yes, the actor who played Leslie Vernon himself). The short was produced by Amy Larsen and Dan Czerwonka, with Chris Gierowski, Steve Squillante, Richard Stringham, and Russ Troutt serving as executive producers.
Gierowski provided the following statement: “After its initial announcement, we immediately had festivals reach out to us about submitting to them. We’ve already played at some, including the Portland Horror Film Festival where David participated in a Q&A. It was very well received by an almost packed house! We’re very grateful and looking forward to screening at more festivals we have lined up in the fall that we can’t announce just yet.”
Stieve added that Wait for It is “what I call an ‘Easter basket’ of slasher moments, about how a survivor girl copes with the monotony of day-to-day life after her experience. Always looking over her shoulder, always waiting for something to happen, because she knows that ONE day her boogeyman will eventually return. But most days aren’t THAT day. WAIT FOR IT let me explore this in a way that throws back to classic horror tropes, with a Leslie Vernon style spin on it.”
Gierowski went on to say that “after the WGA strike is over and the writers get a fair contract, we have several ideas of how to spinoff this expansion to make more films in the Leslie Vernon universe. The positive reaction to it has definitively proven there is a loyal following who want more from this world and we want to deliver on that. So contact your local film festivals, especially the horror ones, and tell them you want to see Wait for It playing there.“
I fully agree with the filmmakers that the world needs more movies set in the world of Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, so I hope to see Wait for It lead to more expansions of this franchise.
Are you a fan of Behind the Mask, and are you interested in Wait for It? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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