Behind the Scenes: The New Slender Man Movie (2018)
Slender Man is a world renown horror figure in form of a tall, slanky man without a face or real defining characteristics. He is ghostly in appearance and has abnormally long arms. Slender Man haunts children and is responsible for the disappearances of many of them. This horror icon was born long before the upcoming theatrical release was even conceived. So, was the plot for the Slender man (2018) movie (release date of May 18, 2018) based upon the myth and legend of Slender Man himself? Does the Slender Man movie have anything to do with the murders attributed to the monster? Horror Enthusiast probes internet lore and mystery surrounding Slender Man, and compares details about the script for the film, to determine the true origin of the movie.
The Real Story of Slender Man
The real Slender Man is scary, because many people believe that he is real. He is a tall, long-armed face-less man that sometimes wears a black suit. The truth is, the real Slender Man started out as a simple meme. People swear, however, that they see Slender Man. They claim they see him in their dreams, in the mirror, in photographs, out their window (almost like a Mothman type of entity), and in their house. Usually he is a stalker or abductor of children.
Unfortunately, the Slender Man fiction inspired a series of violent activities, most notably an almost-fatal stabbing of a teenage girl in Wisconsin. This stabbing would be known as the “Slender Man Stabbing.” Two teenage girls lured one of their peers into the woods to stab her in order to impress and gain notoriety with Slender Man. They truly believed he was real, so much so that they were declared not guilty by reason of mental insanity. Instead, they would be sentenced to a mental institute for 25 years.
About the Slender Man (2018) Movie
The Slender Man movie most definitely capitalizes on the mainstream attention that the Slender Man Stabbing achieved…however, it does not appear to be directly about the incident, at least, not from what has been leaked so far. The movie seems to be about a man on a mission to find his missing daughter. The trailer is grotesque, including actual maggots and a disturbing collection of Slender Man clips. One character exclaims that he gets into your mind…and another girl is depicted as delusional and in psychiatric care. There is no doubt the movie would be an instant horror classic and it appears to be a unique representation of the horror villain, rather than a true crime or “inspired by true events” type of movie. The movie appears to focus on the true essence of Slender Man and his reputation as a horror icon.
Slender Man’s Painful Backlash
Regardless of whether the movie is about the actual Slender Man Stabbing or not, the victim’s father and several others noted the film as “distasteful” or otherwise poorly timed. Many theaters have vowed not to screen the Slender Man movie. The mother of the victim has revealed how traumatic the event has been for her family and her daughter, explaining that the stabbing has defined their lives. This was not the only Slender Man-inspired crime, either. Two more young girls are on record in the same year (2014), also wreaked violent havoc, attributing their criminal activity to Slender Man’s beck and call.
No Matter What Slender Man Gets the Final Say…
Slender Man would make for a scary horror movie killer. And there is no doubt he would be responsible for a lot of deaths, and probably have a really high body count. Though, it is hard to make a horror movie directly about a string of high profile violence so close to the time of occurrence…the exact reason many critics spoke negatively after the release of the Slender Man trailer. Still, Slender Man set its release date for May 18, 2018 and there does not seem to be any going back!
Tritone’s love of horror and mystery began at a young age. Growing up in the 80’s he got to see some of the greatest horror movies play out in the best of venues, the drive-in theater. That’s when his obsession with the genre really began—but it wasn’t just the movies, it was the games, the books, the comics, and the lore behind it all that really ignited his obsession. Tritone is a published author and continues to write and write about horror whenever possible.
