Artwork by Nick Tyrrell via deviantart
Remember Slender Man? Of course you do, because he’s the soul-destroyingly terrifying meme that made grown men have to leave the hall light on in case they need to pee in the night.
First appearing on the forums of Something Awful back in 2009 as part of a creepy Photoshop competition, he was eerily tall, dark-suited and lurking in the background of photos taken near murder scenes. If that weren’t horrible enough, his blank face allowed for the projection of our own fears, the emptiness making him ever more horrific. The character was so compelling that he ended up inspiring a whole alt universe with hundreds of people producing photos, videos featuring “found footage” and fake news reports about him. Eventually, two 12-year-old girls were charged with murder in 2014 after they claimed that Slender Man “encouraged” them to do it. And so Slender Man went from an imaginary nightmare to a very real urban legend.
Videos by VICE
Slender Man appearing in the background of a vintage photograph (Photo via)
Now Slender Man is getting his own film, with production set to start later on this year. According to reports, rights to the horrible creature have been obtained by production companies Screen Gems and Mythology Entertainment, with the film being readied for a 2017 release.
Mythology have also acquired the rights for all platforms including motion picture, television, video games, publishing, and more, meaning SM could be destroyed through total capitalist overkill, as many franchises are. The film’s lead writer is David Birke, who wrote the script for the uninspiring 13 Sins, which was pretty much Saw without the psychological excellence and torture scenes.
Hopefully, the true horror of Slender Man will shine through. Or not, whichever way you feel about it.
More on Slender Man:
Don’t Blame Slender Man For the Wisconsin Stabbings
