LogFAQs > #912002883

19. Slender Man (character) (25 points)
Nominated by: BetrayedTangy (2/5 remaining)

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Importance: 9
Fear: 7
Snake: 9

The 30s had the Universal Monsters. The 80s had the slasher generation. The 2000s had Creepypasta. Slender Man is the spearhead of a new wave of iconic horror monsters for the internet generation, a group that includes such characters such as Jeff the Killer, Laughing Jack, Mr. Widemouth, and most recently, Momo. Slender Man was created as part of a paranormal photo contest on the Something Awful message boards in 2009, by one Eric Knudsen. He was inspired particularly by the works of Lovecraft and the real-life folklore of shadow people and the Mothman. The original Slender Man photos were simple but effective: there was a sense of evil that lurked in the background, the Slender Man himself was blurred and shadowed, and the playground one in particular, with the Slender Man amongst children, created an anxious feeling as the unordinary infected the ordinary. These two simple images were enough to spin the Slender Man into a bonafide franchise; it seemed like everybody and their mother had a different interpreation and story to tell. Only a short time after the original creation, one of these particular stories, Marble Hornets, gripped the internet's attention and was one of the first huge world-builders for the character. The series ran for 5 years, and what started out as a simple horror tale ended up being an interwoven, sprawling cult hit that set the benchmark for fan-films and web video series. Besides Marble Hornets, the Slender Man video game, simple titled Slender, was a megahit on Youtube, scaring influential let's players like PewDiePie and Markiplier silly, and launching the character truly into the stratosphere as a worldwide hit. Slender definitely helped popularize Slender Man as a creature lurking the woods, as well at the note-collecting lore that's a carryover from the survival horror genre in general.

Unfortunately, Slender Man's success wasn't all positive. In 2014, at the height of his popularity, an incident known as the "Slender Man stabbing" occurred in Wisconsin, where two 12-year old girls took their friend to the woods and stabbed her repeatedly, in attempt to garner the good graces of Slender Man. This repulsive act brought Slender Man, Creepypasta, and the internet to a national stage, as news outlets discussed the psychological effect of these stories on youth. The incident inspired its own load of films and TV episodes, but if you're interested in discovering more about this, I highly recommend the documentary Beware the Slenderman which delves in-depth about every aspect of the event.

Since then, Slender Man's popularity has softened a bit. A feature film released this year was a notable flop, maybe for lack of interest in the character, or maybe for being a shoddily made film in general. I still think Slender Man has a chance with the mainstream, because I think back to those original, chilling pictures and realize the true depths of horror Slender Man can inspire. I honestly believe Slender Man is one of the best horror creations of the past decade, a perfect reflection of the culture that inspired him like how the classic monsters of yore were each a reflection of their times. Despite nearly every avenue being explored and fleshed out with ol' Slendy, I think there's always room for another subtle, nightmarish story to emerge and give Slender Man the cerebral, in-depth tale he deserves. I can hope anyway.
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If the suspense doesn't kill you, something else will!
http://tinyurl.com/zqwzc9a - https://i.imgtc.com/3qwvxhc.jpg