Behind 'Behind the Mask'

Scott Glosserman brought his study of horror films into play in his movie.

Bethesda native Scott Glosserman made his horror mockumentary, "Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon," as an homage to classic horror movies. The story of a student filmmaker (Angela Goethals) who tails a wannabe serial killer (Nathan Baesel) is Glosserman's chance to indulge in a genre he loves while putting his Ivy League education to good use.

No, seriously. His senior year at the University of Pennsylvania, he took a class called "Conventions of Horror Film" and wrote a paper deconstructing Stanley Kubrick's 1980 classic, "The Shining." The Georgetown Day School alum (class of '95) says he took David J. Stieve's "Behind the Mask" script and "infused the film with some of the academia" about the genre. "Everything from the exposition to the physical traits of the characters to the tenor of the film, all of that was culled from horror convention."

After college, Glosserman found his way west, where eventually a savvy manager handed him Stieve's screenplay, and Glosserman fell for the story of Vernon, a man bent on avenging his mother's rape and his own attempted murder who's also happy to explain every step of the way to an eager young journalist.

Though Glosserman describes "Behind the Mask" as "a fun ride," an academic seriousness surfaces as he talks about the film: "I think it's very important that truly elevated horror -- of which, believe it or not, there are several examples -- does a good job of encapsulating some sort of social commentary about the wider world, either the political or the social climate."

He ticks off some examples: " 'Frankenstein' dealt with the totalitarianism of the time. Creature features of the 1950s commented on our fear of radiation and nuclear fallout -- 'The Blob,' 'Creature From the Black Lagoon.' The brutal films of the '70s dealt with the political climate and the Vietnam War -- look at 'Last House on the Left.' I will be so bold as to say 'Saw,' the original [2004] 'Saw,' could stand as a classic horror film because, looking back on that with some perspective, we can see that [film] as a metaphor for the beheadings we watched helplessly on CNN," he says, referring to the images of kidnapped civilians beheaded by insurgents in Iraq.

"Without being too serious about what I was doing, I would be lying if I didn't say a small part of me wanted to say to the greater audience, 'Hey, horror is a genre worthy of cinephilic study like any other.' "

Then he laughs, remembering why he's talking in the first place: To promote a movie in which an apple press is used not just for making cider. The how-to-be-a-psycho-killer exposition and scenes of mayhem aren't the only nods to the genre; Glosserman also gave key roles to two horror-film stars: Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger in the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series) plays Doc Halloran, Vernon's nemesis (his "Ahab," in horror-convention parlance), and Zelda Rubenstein (the medium from the "Poltergeist" movies) plays the librarian.

"We always, always had Robert Englund in mind," Glosserman says. "What is a true horror homage without [him] involved?"

As for Rubenstein -- "the all-time great film harbinger of doom" -- Glosserman says, "my casting directors just did a brilliant job of tracking her down."

He laughs and adds: "When we premiered at South by Southwest [Film Festival] and she was revealed for the first time, some horror fans were on their feet cheering. Someone yelled out, 'I thought you were dead!' "

Not for Channel-Surfers

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As part of the annual Francophonie Festival of music and film from French-speaking countries around the world, Tuesday night's screening, "La Nuit des Publivores," is a montage of commercials from around the world, including Belgium, Switzerland, Lebanon, Canada, French-speaking Africa and France itself. The screening, in the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden's Ring Auditorium (Seventh Street SW and Independence Avenue), starts at 7. On March 27, actor-director Sarah Polley and actor Gordon Pinsent are scheduled to appear at the Freer Gallery (Jefferson Drive at 12th Street SW) for the screening of Polley's directorial debut, "Away From Her," adapted from a short story by Alice Munro and starring Pinsent, Julie Christie and Olympia Dukakis. For tickets or more information on either film, call co-sponsor Smithsonian Associates at 202-357-3030 or visit http://www.francophoniedc.org/film.htm.

Paul Rusesabagina At African Art Museum

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On Friday, the National Museum of African Art (950 Independence Ave. SW) will show 2004's "Hotel Rwanda," about Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who saved more than 1,200 refugees in the 1994 massacres in that country. After the screening, Rusesabagina will speak and sign copies of his book, "An Ordinary Man." The event, which starts at 6:45 in the Ripley Center's Lecture Hall, is free; seating is first come, first served. Call 202-633-4600 or visit http://africa.si.edu/calendar.html.