Slenderman: Lawbreaker Or God-Fearing?

The Slenderman is a fictional supernatural character that originated as an internet meme created by Eric Knudsen in 2009. He is depicted as a thin, unnaturally tall humanoid with a featureless white head and face, wearing a black suit. The character has appeared in several works of fiction, including literature, art, and video games. Slenderman is known for his ability to stalk, abduct, and traumatize people, particularly children. The lyrics I praise the Lord, then break the law from A$AP Rocky's song Praise the Lord (Da Shine), seem fitting for the Slenderman character, who has been associated with committing violent acts and inducing Slender sickness in his victims.

Slenderman's influence on violent acts

Slenderman, a fictional supernatural character, has been linked to several violent acts. The character was created by Eric Knudsen (also known as "Victor Surge") in 2009 and has since become a pop culture icon. However, Slenderman's influence on violent acts has raised concerns and sparked debates about the impact of internet memes and fictional horror characters on vulnerable individuals.

One of the most notable incidents involving Slenderman occurred in 2014 when two 12-year-old girls in Waukesha, Wisconsin, stabbed their classmate 19 times. The girls claimed that they committed the crime to become proxies for Slenderman and prevent him from harming their families. This incident sparked a nationwide moral panic and led to increased scrutiny of the potential dangers of online horror stories and memes.

In another case, a 13-year-old girl from Cincinnati, Ohio, attacked her mother with a knife. The girl's mother believed that her daughter's obsession with Slenderman motivated the attack. Additionally, a 14-year-old girl in Port Richey, Florida, set her family's house on fire while her mother and brother were inside. Authorities established a connection between the incident and the girl's exposure to Slenderman stories online.

The character of Slenderman is often depicted as a thin, unnaturally tall humanoid with a featureless white head and face, wearing a black suit. He is commonly associated with stalking, abducting, and traumatizing people, particularly children. While the stories featuring Slenderman vary widely, they often involve children or young adults who are driven insane or influenced to act on his behalf.

The impact of Slenderman on these violent acts has been a subject of debate among experts and scholars. Some argue that the character's mysterious and otherworldly nature, combined with his ability to tap into primal fears, may have influenced vulnerable individuals to act on their obsessions. Others suggest that the collaborative and ever-evolving nature of internet memes and fictional horror characters, such as Slenderman, can blur the lines between legend and reality, leading to confusion and dangerous behaviour in susceptible individuals.

Overall, Slenderman's influence on violent acts has highlighted the complex interplay between fiction, mental health, and the impact of online content on impressionable individuals.

Slenderman's impact on mental health

Slenderman, a fictional supernatural character, has had a significant impact on popular culture and the mental health of individuals, particularly children and young adults. The character, created in 2009, is often depicted as a thin, unnaturally tall humanoid with a featureless white face, wearing a dark suit and tie. Stories of Slenderman typically involve him stalking, abducting, or traumatizing people, especially children. While Slenderman started as an internet meme, he has since appeared in various forms of media, including literature, art, video games, and films.

The impact of Slenderman on mental health has been a cause for concern, with several violent acts and incidents connected to individuals influenced by the character. One of the most notable incidents occurred in 2014 when two 12-year-old girls, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, lured their friend, Payton Leutner, into the woods in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and stabbed her multiple times. The girls claimed they wanted to become proxies for Slenderman and feared that he would kill their families if they did not carry out the attack. This incident sparked a moral panic among parents across the United States, worried about the potential influence of Slenderman on their children's safety.

The impact of Slenderman on the mental health of Geyser and Weier was significant. Both girls were diagnosed with mental illnesses and spent time in psychiatric institutions. Geyser was diagnosed with schizophrenia, while Weier pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was found not guilty by reason of mental disease. In 2025, Geyser, now 22, was deemed mentally ready for supervised release by three psychologists and was ordered to be moved to a group home to continue monitoring her mental health. Weier was granted supervised release in 2021 at the age of 19.

The Slenderman character has been associated with negative mental health impacts, including paranoia, nightmares, and delusions, and even violent behaviour. The character's ability to tap into people's fears and the blurring of lines between legend and reality have contributed to its impact on individuals' mental health. Some individuals have struggled to distinguish between imagination and reality when it comes to Slenderman, as seen in the case of Geyser and Weier.

While Slenderman started as a creepy horror meme, his portrayal has evolved over time, with some depicting him as an antihero who protects children from bullies. However, the character's impact on mental health, particularly in impressionable young minds, remains a concern, highlighting the power of the internet and fictional characters on vulnerable individuals.

Slenderman's role in digital folklore

Slender Man is a fictional supernatural character that was created in 2009 by Eric Knudsen, a user of the Something Awful forum, under the pseudonym "Victor Surge". He is depicted as a thin, unnaturally tall humanoid with a featureless white head and face, wearing a black suit.

Slender Man is a form of digital folklore. He was created through a collaborative effort, with Knudsen adding to pre-existing images to create a new character, and other forum users then expanding upon the character by adding their own visual or textual contributions. This collaborative process is similar to the way in which folklore is created and spread, with stories being told and retold, and changed over time.

Slender Man has been described as a metaphor for "helplessness, power differentials, and anonymous forces", and he reflects common anxieties about the digital age, such as constant connectivity and unknown third-party observation. He also taps into more ancient fears, with Professor Shira Chess of the University of Georgia drawing connections between Slender Man and ancient folklore about fairies. Like fairies, Slender Man is otherworldly, with vague and shifting appearances, and he lives in the woods and kidnaps children.

The character of Slender Man has been adapted and expanded upon in many different works of fiction, including literature, art, video games, and films. He has also inspired the Enderman character in Minecraft.

Slenderman's commercial adaptations

The Slenderman is a fictional supernatural character that originated as an internet meme created by Eric Knudsen in 2009. Despite a decline in popular interest in the character, commercial adaptations have continued.

In 2015, a film adaptation of Marble Hornets, titled Always Watching: A Marble Hornets Story, was released on video-on-demand (VOD). In this adaptation, the Slenderman was portrayed by Doug Jones. The following year, Sony Pictures subsidiary Screen Gems partnered with Mythology Entertainment to bring a Slenderman film to theatres, with the title character portrayed by Javier Botet. The film was released in 2018, despite considerable controversy and accusations of trying to capitalise on the Waukesha stabbing.

The 2018 film, simply titled Slender Man, was a box-office bomb and received overwhelmingly negative reviews from critics. However, it grossed several times its $10 million budget worldwide. The film followed four best friends who attempt to summon the Slender Man through a non-violent ritual and face the consequences of their actions. Despite its commercial success, the film was criticised for its dull characters and generic plot, with the Slender Man himself failing to grab audiences' attention.

Beyond film, the Slender Man has also appeared in various video games. In 2012, the game Slender: The Eight Pages was released for free, crashing the developer's website on the first day due to high demand. A full commercial version, Slender: The Arrival, was released in 2013. The Slender Man has also inspired the Enderman in Minecraft, with creator Markus "Notch" Persson acknowledging the similarity.

Slenderman's relationship to ancient folklore

The Slender Man, a fictional supernatural character, shares many similarities with ancient folklore. In her book, *Folklore, Horror Stories, and the Slender Man: The Development of an Internet Mythology*, Professor Shira Chess of the University of Georgia connected the Slender Man to ancient folklore about fairies. Like fairies, the Slender Man is otherworldly, with motives that are often difficult to grasp. His appearance is vague and often shifts to reflect what the viewer wants or fears. The Slender Man also lives in the woods and kidnaps children.

The Slender Man also shares many attributes with historical legendary creatures, including his frightening appearance and lack of facial features. The Slender Man is often described as a tall, thin humanoid with a featureless white head and face, wearing a black suit.

• Der Großmann (or Der Grossmann), a 16th-century German myth about a fairy of the Black Forest who takes away bad children who entered the forest at night.
• The Erlking, a figure from Goethe's famous poem, who lives in the forest and tries to lure a child away from their father.
• Fear Dubh (the Black Man), a rare Scottish legend about a malevolent entity that haunts footpaths and forests at night.
• The Clutchbone, a seven-foot monster from Northern England, dating back to the 1800s. It is described as having black leathery skin and a head consisting of a lit torch within a raised collar.
• Ancient Russian folklore, dating back to at least the early 20th century, features a "tall, slender man" in the role of a "corrector", who hunts those who were born through strange means, such as those without fathers.
• Ghost Stories of the American South, a book by W.K. McNeil, includes a story about a tall, skinny, tree-like man who abducts a child, potentially dating back to the early 20th century.
• Taíno culture, a pre-Columbian civilization in the Caribbean, includes legends of the hupia, a nocturnal humanoid without a face that stalks, paralyzes, and drives its victims insane.
• Mujina sightings in 1959, in Kahala, Hawaii, reported a faceless woman referred to as a "Mujina" in the restroom of a theatre.
• Ancient Brazilian cave paintings, dating back to around 9000 BC, depict a strangely elongated character leading a child by the hand.
• Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs portray multi-armed men, known as the Thief of the Gods.

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