One of the best horror movies to come out last year – or this year, depending on whether or not you saw it on the festival circuit or on DVD – was Scott Glosserman’s brilliant deconstruction of the slasher genre, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon. We first previewed it in the December ’05 issue and would’ve done additional coverage on it but the release dates were changed around so many times that we just couldn’t make the timing work. We were lucky enough to have Scott fly in for a CineMacabre night screening of it, however. He’s a helluva guy.

Although Glosserman and co-writer/co-producer David J. Stieve created the aspiring serial killer title character, star Nathan Baesel brought him to life with an amazing two-sides-of-the-coin performance that oscillates between lovable joker and merciless psychopath. It’s a great resume film for talented actor, so I was bummed to see a post on his blog titled “Back to square one” detailing the financial reality for many an actor, even one with a starring role in an acclaimed feature.

I called a flower store that had posted a Craigslist ad for a delivery job at $9/hour. The employer sounded really nice and like they’d be somewhat understanding if I had a bit of acting work come up. Then I started to do the math. If I’m working an 8 hour day 5 days a week I’d be clearing $360. That’s $90 less than what I’m getting on unemployment. So what would I need to get by? $15 an hour. Here’s the Craigslist add I’ll be posting today:
Always wanted to pay a lot of money to an employee whose attendance is frequent at best?
A hardworking actor is seeking a $15/hour wage. My skills are limited but I learn fast and take pride in my work.
Willing to do deliveries-spotless record.

WTF?!? Maybe he needs to shit-can his agent or something because I was sure filmmakers would be knocking down his door after seeing Behind the Mask (love that DVD cover, by the way). If you’re casting your own film project, this may be your chance to work with a really talented guy before he’s as in-demand as he deserves to be.

Now, the good news is that in the follow-up post, Baesel states, “I’m getting a bunch of contacts from folks on my myspace page who’ve seen BTM. It’s neat to know that someone saw the movie and liked it enough to seek out people involved in the film.”

Well, maybe it’s too late already, but if you do want to hit him up with a serious job offer, here’s his Myspace page. Best of luck to a guy who admits – on said MySpace page – “I’d have sex with Helen Mirren. A lot.”

In related news, there’s talk of a Behind the Mask sequel, which, given the concept, and the history of slasher films, seems like an ideal plan. Maybe Helen Mirren is available to co-star?