My thoughts on the recent 'Slenderman Stabbing' are already a part of this blog. In my research, I've seen a lot of the same things: Slenderman is an internet meme, he's scary, etc. Not useful info. Now, I'm no expert on Slenderman, but I do enjoy the site that's cited most in tandem with him. So, here's some "facts" about the man in black.
5. He's got a nickname.
"Slendy" to be precise. He's been around since 2009, and the internet is already very familiar with him, A nickname was inevitable.
4. There are spinoffs.
Trenderman, a metrosexual version of Slenderman, showed up in the last five years, due to a manikin having Slenderman's faceless visage.
There's also Splendorman, whom I know zip about, except he dresses like this:
3. There are several movies about him.
There's several different internet documentaries about dealing with Slenderman, but that's not what I mean. I mean honest to God full length motion pictures. The Slenderman "Official" Movie [quotations mine] which hasn't been released yet, and a full length one that has been released on youtube. I don't know if either are good. Peruse at your own risk.
2. He has a single creator.
His name is Eric Knudson. He posted the original images that sparked the rest of the Slenderman fandom under blogger name, Victor Surge. He has a gallery on Devianrtart.
1. He's not all that scary.
"But Rebecca" you say "he kidnaps kids! And he's got tentacles (sometimes!) and no face! That's scary!"
The concept of Slenderman is scary. It's a case of overexposure. Slenderman is in games, pictures, stories, and videos. He's a costume you can buy. He has a nickname I call it the 'Freddy Krueger Effect': become overly familiar with a villain, and they're less scary, no matter what they've done. The shock wears off.
Frankly, there are much scarier monsters on the internet, let alone reality. This nearly Cthulu-like figure was turned into a joke. Until now. Now he is a sad reminder that children are just as susceptible to mental illness, bad parenting, bad genetics, and bad decisions.
5. He's got a nickname.
"Slendy" to be precise. He's been around since 2009, and the internet is already very familiar with him, A nickname was inevitable.
4. There are spinoffs.
Trenderman, a metrosexual version of Slenderman, showed up in the last five years, due to a manikin having Slenderman's faceless visage.
3. There are several movies about him.
There's several different internet documentaries about dealing with Slenderman, but that's not what I mean. I mean honest to God full length motion pictures. The Slenderman "Official" Movie [quotations mine] which hasn't been released yet, and a full length one that has been released on youtube. I don't know if either are good. Peruse at your own risk.
2. He has a single creator.
His name is Eric Knudson. He posted the original images that sparked the rest of the Slenderman fandom under blogger name, Victor Surge. He has a gallery on Devianrtart.
1. He's not all that scary.
"But Rebecca" you say "he kidnaps kids! And he's got tentacles (sometimes!) and no face! That's scary!"
The concept of Slenderman is scary. It's a case of overexposure. Slenderman is in games, pictures, stories, and videos. He's a costume you can buy. He has a nickname I call it the 'Freddy Krueger Effect': become overly familiar with a villain, and they're less scary, no matter what they've done. The shock wears off.
Frankly, there are much scarier monsters on the internet, let alone reality. This nearly Cthulu-like figure was turned into a joke. Until now. Now he is a sad reminder that children are just as susceptible to mental illness, bad parenting, bad genetics, and bad decisions.
Their parents seem like good people. They seem like ordinary fans of the macabre with a more-than-normal love for Halloween. For what I read (and granted it was dailymail so take it with a grain of salt, they were trying to villify the parents based on Halloween decor) both girls had families that liked creepy stories and movies. Did you see the Slenderman napkin drawing the one girl made at a restaurant? He dad posted it to one of his social media accounts essentially saying only their daughter would doddle the Slenderman on a napkin. It was a good drawing, he seemed proud.
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