Who is slenderman. History of Slenderman

Slenderman ("Skinny Man" in Russian) is one of the most famous characters in the "terrible" Internet folklore. Presumably, it was invented in 2009 by a certain Eric Knudsen, who posted two black-and-white pictures on the Something Awful forum depicting children being chased by a mysterious creature. The photos seemed very realistic to the regulars of the Internet and quickly riveted the attention of the virtual public.

The character was so loved by the users of the Web that he quickly turned into the hero of numerous stories, video games, TV shows and movies. However, here is what is interesting and strange: although the fiction of Slenderman is not seriously hidden by anyone, there are many individuals who claim to have encountered this monster live, or simply firmly believe in its reality. People study this urban legend, go on expeditions in search of a monster and find, as they claim, evidence of the existence of the Skinny Man in the form of photo and video materials.

The appearance of Slenderman is very unusual. He appears as a very tall man with disproportionately long limbs that can bend to any angle. The head of the entity is completely covered in pale skin - hair, ears, eyes, nose and mouth are completely absent. A skinny person is always dressed in a funeral suit with a black jacket and tie and a white shirt. It is believed that countless black tentacles sometimes appear from the back of the monster, capable of becoming infinitely long. With the help of them, the entity allegedly catches its victims.

What is Slenderman capable of?

Slenderman is a kidnapper. Most often, he kidnaps children, and they are never found again. Who it is - a ghost, an evil spirit, an alien, a mutant or a fiend - is unknown. The Skinny Man's intentions are utterly obscure, and such vagueness makes him doubly intimidating. A dangerous entity appears in forests, fields, abandoned buildings and other empty places, lying in wait for its victims. If you notice him standing in the distance, even if it is kilometers away from you, you will no longer have the opportunity to escape or confront the monster.

Slenderman's symbol is a circle crossed out with a diagonal cross. They say that such signs appear near the habitats of the Skinny Man, and you can avoid an unenviable fate only by immediately leaving at the sight of such a picture. Many eyewitnesses report seeing ominous symbols on trees in the forest, on walls in abandoned structures, and on the ground. Of course, it is logical to assume that fans of this urban legend simply draw them, but who can know for sure ...

Slenderman is considered an excellent telepath. In this regard, he does not have to chase his victims. The monster can manipulate nearby people and force them to go into his trap on their own. Abducted children usually have nightmares a few days before their disappearance and try to leave the house in an unconscious state. Some of them, who are not followed by relatives, succeed, and they disappear into the night without a trace.

A skinny person affects electronics, so if you get noise in your headphones or interference on the video camera screen in a deserted place far from civilization, then you should probably get out of there as soon as possible. If you photograph or film the monster, it will not let you slip away. To see him with your own eyes is also to sign your own death warrant. You can walk a stone's throw from the Slenderman masquerading as a tree and calmly go home without noticing him. But if you realize that there is something strange in front of you and consider a thin giant in this figure, you will not do well.

An evil entity can shorten and lengthen its body and limbs. In terms of movement, the Skinny Man seems to be inactive. He can stay for a long time in one place at a considerable distance from people, waiting to be noticed. Slenderman rarely walks or runs, but he instantly teleports from one point to another, so it is almost impossible to hide from him. However, many witnesses claim that they managed to safely escape from the monster's possession after they noticed it or even captured it on camera.

Perhaps the image of the Skinny Man was borrowed from somewhere. For example, in Slavic mythology there is a thin and long spirit pole (from the word "pole"). This unclean force walks at night and looks into people's windows, warms itself near the furnace corpses and scares people, and also commits minor dirty tricks. From a distance, the pole often resembles a large dry branch on the roof of a house. However, this spirit is practically harmless to humans.

In German folklore, you can find a character named Grossmann (Tall Man), who is something like an evil fairy, but outwardly he is very similar to Slenderman, except that he has a face with two large round eyes. Grosman, the Germans frightened offspring who went for a walk in the forest without permission. According to myths and legends, the Tall Man lived in the Black Forest and dragged naughty children into the wilds of the forest, where he devoured them.

And in Japanese myths there are nopperapon - tall supernatural creatures whose faces turned into smooth purple balls at night.

Photo and video of Slenderman

On April 12 of this year, the attention of Internet users was riveted by a picture taken, judging by the timecode, on January 22, 2009. The photo shows a teenager looking into a winter forest, where a tall, dark figure with a pale face lurks among the snow-covered trees. Needless to say, many regulars on the World Wide Web immediately issued a verdict: the children photographed the Skinny Man.

The story behind this picture is that several American children from Minnesota didn't go to school and went to play in the woods instead. At some point, one of the truants took out his phone and decided to take a picture of his friend. However, as soon as the photographer pointed the camera at a friend, he noticed a thin giant in dark clothes between the trees and, in horror, told his friends about it. The children immediately rushed away from there, but the photographer managed to take a picture of a creepy stranger.

The video below, taken at the end of last year, also made a lot of noise. It shows a British cyclist speaking into a traffic camera. The young man leaves a message for someone and leaves, after which, in the background, a tall, thin figure separates from one of the trees, starting to walk on the ground. It is noteworthy that the sound on the recording at this moment noticeably phonates. As the cyclist returns to the camera, the supposed Slenderman is still crossing the field in the background.

A lot of people thought about the following question: could the Skinny Man originally invented by someone become real because of the large number of people who believed in his existence? After all, the human mind is capable of such things. Thought, as you know, is material, and the thoughts of many people, directed in one direction, can have a tremendous impact on reality. That is how, say those in the know, world religions were born ...

Children and young people with passion and enthusiasm retell fantastic stories about all kinds of unusual entities, for the most part being the fruit of someone's imagination. Internet memes don't last long. They are made for fun. The Thin Man (Slenderman) has a different fate. They believe in him, they try to contact him. He gained unprecedented popularity. Due to the fact that the history of Slenderman is of such interest, we suggest getting to know her better.

What makes this character stand out?

Surely the story of Slenderman would not have caused so much talk if many real events had not been associated with it. The fact is that this image turned out to be “alive”, inspiring confidence. In the US, this has driven some people to the most real crimes. So, teenagers who were impressed by the story of Slenderman attacked loved ones, trying to commit murder. It was sometimes just risky to be next to children who firmly believe in the reality of the character. Young men and women, under the impression of the "exploits" of the Thin Man, changed their view of good and evil. Well, think for yourself: can an ordinary person in their right mind injure another? However, the history of Slenderman pushed them to exactly this behavior. The hero, invented several years ago, in their imagination became a real being. They relied on his support, they took an example from him. Today, the Thin Man's admirers have only increased. Real stories mixed with fiction. What is true in them, and what could not be, is difficult to figure out. Especially if a person is attached to the computer virtual world more than to the real one.

How did Slenderman come about?

The history of the appearance of the image is actually simple. There is such forum Something Awful. In 2009, its leaders decided to organize a competition. Readers were invited to dream up and come up with a creature that can take pride of place in urban folklore. A certain Victor Surge, a user of this system, turned out to be the most gifted inventor of terrible images. He came up with this character. And thanks to this, he won the competition. That's the whole answer to the question "how did Slenderman appear." The story is actually quite common. It was created for fun. However, the new hero attracted close attention of the public. The photographs on which he was completed for the first time went viral on the Web. They caused a surge of enthusiasm among Victor's competitors and other public. Everyone wanted to take part in the birth of a new hero.

The character grows in detail.

Scary stories about Slenderman began to appear at the speed of a hurricane. Its creator endowed this creature with supernatural powers. So, he wrote that the photographers who took pictures (which he posted on the Web) disappeared under unclear circumstances. Since the birth of Slender Man brought his creator a triumph, he continued to work on his "biography". It all started with a couple of shots. He then posted a fabricated police report on the "real events" to the forum. Then there were drawings depicting this character, allegedly made by child witnesses. The birth of Slenderman was completed in just a few days. The image left the alma mater of its native forum and began to roam the Internet, gaining a lot of fans and followers.

What is our hero

But it was not enough just to come up with an image. The history of the appearance of Slenderman could not be accepted by the public without disturbing and frightening details. Thus, the Thin Man has no face. This is due to a special legend that tells about his incredible suffering. The author also needed to endow the hero with such features, from which the blood would run cold. He did an excellent job with this task. Scary stories about Slenderman really take the soul. This character is known to be very thin. His weapons are his hands, which he is able to stretch very far. It is said that they, like tentacles, can reach anyone whom the Thin Man wishes to punish. Through the limbs, he influences his unfortunate victim. She falls into a trance state, nevertheless experiencing a strange and unnatural attraction to the owner of the tentacles.

Make believe in the Thin Man

Another task of the creator was to give "life" to his hero. It was necessary to come up with something that would attract readers to it. Naturally, the real story of Slenderman is too simple. Who wants to believe in a fictional character. Therefore, it was decided to tell the public about how someone met this character. Thus, the idea was presented that Slenderman could become an assistant in personal matters. A similar perspective interested teenagers. Everyone knows that at this age there are many purely psychological problems. How to refuse a magical entity that can fulfill any request? This is how Slenderman is perceived by admirers. The history of the origin of the image in this case fades into the background. After all, I really want to believe that this character will help. Everyone wants a miracle! And fear only whips up this faith, is its catalyst.

Summon Slenderman

Much has been written about how to meet the Thin Man. Here, each author demonstrates the incredible wonders of his own imagination. Since this hero is a city dweller, the ways to call him are associated with buildings. They say an elevator is needed. His Slenderman prefers in his movements. It is necessary to hang a picture on a certain floor at night, and special signs on others. The adventure is not for the faint of heart! Therefore, it is worth calling for help with all your courage. The Subtle Man is said to be cruel and quick to punish. Although his power is indescribable. There are no barriers for him. But he helps only those who command his respect. So decide whether it is worth contacting such a creature? You can also get yourself in trouble.

What attracts a Thin person?

Slenderman is considered extremely unhappy. This is well justified. It is pity that brings a person closer to others, gives rise to trust. It is believed that he was once a real person. But he faced many trials. From this, Slenderman moved away from his family and friends. He brought up hatred in himself, for which the dark forces gave him supernatural abilities. That is, in fact, the authors of the legends wanted to humanize their hero a little. It is said that he survived betrayal and betrayal. Such a story evokes sympathy from the young and the old, the poor and the rich. I want to communicate with such a creature, giving him human support, compassion. After all, if you think from this point of view, then the hero is no longer a murderer. He is just a victim of circumstances set up by insidious relatives. So, they assure that there is a real story of Slenderman, and his girlfriend played a fatal role in it.

The Terrible Events That Created the Subtle Man

You ask what happened to him? It is believed that Slenderman was an ordinary teenager. But the family did not love and did not accept him. One day he accidentally killed a girl whom he passionately loved. This made his head go haywire. Mother and brother did not provide the guy with proper support. Because of this, he went to wander around the city, looking for his lost beloved. Wanderings became the reason for the teenager to acquire incredible abilities. Everything described is a legend. It causes genuine sympathy in adolescents experiencing the first timid feeling. It turns out that Slenderman is one of them. It is close to almost every young person. After all, as it turns out, the Thin Man knows the problems that every reader (viewer) has to deal with. So try to destroy such an image. It affects not only the imagination, but also the feelings of its admirers. Thus, they prolong its life.

The Deep Reasons for Slenderman's Popularity

It is very interesting to analyze the appearance of this image. A thin person is characterized by the absence of a face. This clearly shows the fear of something unknown. People, unfortunately, for the most part do not feel protected. They fear for their lives and those around them. They are afraid of the unknown. These negative feelings were embodied in an Internet meme. Its popularity and vitality is natural, as it reflects the experiences of many people. They, at times, cannot discuss their internal problems with anyone, do not find sympathy from relatives and friends. And then a character turns up who can protect against fears, help to cope with problems. Slenderman is a reflection of the inner fears and horrors of the townspeople. This led to its appearance and incredible popularity.

Because you are interested the real story of slenderman, that's what I'll tell you about it. slenderman or another name stick insect (Slender translated from English. means stick). He is tall and very thin, and wears a formal black suit, white shirt, and red tie all the time. The most amazing thing is that he has no face. It has the ability to stretch and lengthen its limbs or torso. Most often he appears in forests or near rivers, but sometimes he is seen in cities. He kidnaps children under 16 years old, the most interesting thing is that adults almost never see him, and only children notice (who often none of the adults believe). Seeing his face, the victim experiences panic fear, falls into a stupor, cannot scream and move. slenderman stretches out his arms for hugs, and then the victim disappears without a trace. Some say that this is only a myth, a horror story, and some are sure that his site's existence is real and proven. I know it's real because I met him myself.

Let me start by saying that I am only 13 years old. I will not give my real name, I will remain under a pseudonym scarlett. I live an ordinary life: friends, school, family - everything, like everyone else. But this meeting changed everything.

The next day, I became interested in this Slenderman and began to look for reliable information about him on the Internet. I learned that "spider legs" appear from his back and his hobby is to look into people's windows. I shuddered and looked out the window - everything was calm, the day, the sun was shining. “We should go for a walk,” I thought, picked up the phone and called my friend. We walked for quite a long time, I came home in the evening, sat down at the computer site and again looked for information about the Selendman. Everything was the same, nothing new, I knew a lot about him.

It was getting dark, night fell, I went to bed, but the feeling of fear did not leave me. I lay down and couldn't sleep for a long time. Suddenly, there was a noise in the kitchen. I was scared, and I covered my head with a blanket. The noise did not stop, it seemed that someone was sorting through the dishes. Suddenly the noise stopped, but I was still under the covers, I became very scared. Suddenly I heard someone coming here to my room. I pretended to be asleep and suddenly felt someone's hand on my waist, my heart began to beat like crazy. Something leaned towards me and whispered:

“I know you are not sleeping.

I was silent, I wanted to scream, but I could not do it physically. It breathed right into my neck, and then whispered again:

Wake up, I want to talk to you.

I took a deep breath and, stuttering, asked:

“Oh-oh-oh w-what?”

“I don’t know, maybe about the fact that I’ll kill you soon?” He said this with a sort of grin.

- For what? - I became very scared.

“You know too much about me, and this must not be allowed.

I cried and through tears and fear told him:

“I won't tell anyone about you.

"Hmm..." He stood up.

I became very scared, I began to inhale and exhale deeply, because. I didn't have enough air. It was hot and stuffy under the covers, but I did not dare to get out.

“Get out from under the covers, it’s probably stuffy in there,” Slender told me.

No, no, no, I'm afraid of you! I answered him.

He took the blanket and pulled it off me. I covered my face with my hands and curled up into a ball. He put his hand on my head and the site of fear disappeared somewhere

"Why are you so afraid of me?"

- I do not know.

He started stroking my head.

“Everyone is afraid of me. Do you understand what it is - eternal loneliness? Slenderman removed his hand and bowed his head. I felt sorry for him and I still decided to look at him. She opened her eyes - the light coming through the window illuminated only his silhouette and in the dark he did not look so scary.

“You're not like that… I guess. I don't know you at all and people come up with some creepy stories. That you're some kind of terrible creature. They don't know the real you.

I don't want everyone to know who I really am.

“So don’t let them know,” I forcefully put a hand on his shoulder. He grabbed it and I flinched.

“Please don’t be afraid of me, I’m not so terrible.” He glanced at the site at me, but in the darkness he couldn’t see anything.

“Good,” the fear dissipated, but something still remained of him. He hugged me and then left almost immediately.

Now I know that Slenderman exists and what really. He showed me that he is not a cruel creature, but on the contrary, he has a kind soul. I hope to meet him again.

P.S. Sample video with Slender:

Monsters under the bed and in the dark closet are a thing of the past. A real nightmare these days is a tall, thin and faceless man with unnaturally long arms, dressed in a decent, by the way, suit. Slenderman (Thin Man) - here he is, a monster that strikes terror into the hearts of people! But fear not, wikiHow is here to teach you how to stop being afraid of the Slenderman.

Steps

We think logically

1. Know that you will break it. Yes, Slenderman is over two meters tall - but he is as thin as ... a stick. He is Thin Person! He is, to put it bluntly, a jerk. And at school, he most likely was not sweet. Accordingly, if he suddenly appears, you have every chance to knock him out!

   • Come up with names similar to the name "Thin Man" - well, for example, "Fat Guy", "Seductive Girl" or "Pear-shaped don't get it." So are you really going to let some absurd Thin Man scare you?!

2. Think about Slenderman's past. What do we know about him? That's right, not much. Well, he wears a suit every day. Who wears a suit every day? Or someone with an extremely high-paying job, or Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother. Let's look at both options:

   • Slenderman has an excellent education and a great job. Well, there's a lot to think about here. He is probably not indifferent to politics, flies first class, does not eat convenience foods, does not watch TV and listens to audiobooks. So, we found out something about Slenderman, and this is already a step forward! After all, people are afraid of the unknown, and if you know that, for example, Slenderman did not vote for the future president in the last elections, then he already becomes a less terrible figure.
   • Slenderman is almost like Barney Stinson. Well, maybe that's just the way things were for him. After all, the guy has no face! He wants to be loved, but he has no face! Yes, such a mother will not endure without difficulty! Be human, Slenderman also needs love and understanding!

3. Consider that he is mortal. He is Thin Person. Accordingly, he hopes, dreams, fears, worries, wants, strives - in general, like any of us. It is possible that many of his wishes remain unfulfilled. Why, a peasant wanders through the forests, he has no one to even exchange a word with! Isn't that a terrible fate, huh? Maybe he has been praying daily for years for death?

   • slenderman will die. If you believe that he is alive, then so be it. He is not a peer of the pharaohs, he cannot persecute you forever. Maybe he even gets sick several times a year... He's the same as all of us... well, with certain reservations.
   • Names ending in "-men/man" are usually of Germanic origin. Maybe he can be carried away by a conversation on topics related to Germany? Only not about “grandfathers fought” and not about Nazism - the ending “-men / man” is also characteristic of Jewish surnames. Of course, they didn’t see him in the synagogues, but that doesn’t mean anything.

4. Imagine him hugging. How many people can Slenderman hug at once? Do you think it would be cool to be in a group of 12 people hugging at once? After all, what kind of connection is this, huh! His hands can unite you all, give you all his warmth - isn't that wonderful?

   • And it is more than likely that there are few hugs in the life of Slenderman. After all, they are afraid of him! So the next time you imagine the Skinny Man, think about how you hug him. He will be moved, guaranteed!

5. Think about how he perceives the world. It has no eyes, nose, mouth and ears. Accordingly, he does not see you, does not hear and does not smell. He doesn't breathe on you. Now imagine yourself in the middle of a wild forest: without a weapon, with a blind bandage over your eyes, with a severed nose and ears, with a gag in your mouth. What, the feeling of power and strength overwhelms you? This and that ... even squirrels are more dangerous!

   • Let's say he still has some kind of sixth sense. Maybe he sees dead people, he can teleport, etc. This is all, of course, cool - the sixth sense. Yes, but he still doesn’t have the other four.

6. Imagine Slenderman as a squid. Probably, if you fry his hands with an onion and in oil ... Not in the sense that you are a cannibal, no. Just if you need to eat it... Look up how to cook squid dishes. You don’t have to eat it at all, it’s just that such a representation can be ... curious.

   • If you ever get close enough to Slenderman to cut off his arm, don't be in vain.

   We act

   1. Study the topic. He's not real, so what is everyone afraid of? It was invented back in 2009. Posted by "Victor Surge" and hosted by "Something Awful" forums. It is believed that the author's name is Eric, he lives in Japan. But you never know, suddenly he has a girlfriend, a mermaid, and he lives in a boat? Horror indeed!

      • Slenderman was... part of a competition to come up with something spooky and supernatural. And people drew, wrote, created ... Slenderman was a figment of the imagination of one person, and then hundreds of other people simply picked it up, starting to develop the theme.

   2. Be objective. Traces of Slenderman in history ... hardly more than zero. Yes, many believe that he is real - but it is not. In addition, about 7 billion people live in the world, the planet is simply huge. Based on this, evaluate the chances that Slenderman will come to you.

      • What is so special about you that Slenderman starts waiting for you on the doorstep? Yes, nothing, unless you yourself gave him milk and cookies. In the end, Slenderman is an invention, an image. Like, in general, Santa Claus or Santa Claus.

   3. Use it as a portal. With the ability to teleport, Slenderman can become a natural superhero! You just need to be nearby, grab onto it and move to another place! Teleportation is cool! What's more, he might even teach you how to teleport yourself!

      • And if you learn how to teleport, then fame will not be long in coming. Slenderman will be your ticket to the world of Fame and Money. It's up to you to decide how you will use your newfound powers.

   4. Use it like a TARDIS. Slenderman can not only teleport, but also move in time. And who can we move in time? That's right, the TARDIS!

      • The only question is whether it moves backward or forward in time. Physicists believe that "backward" travel is unrealistic, but even Stephen Hawking believes that "forward" travel is possible. However, if Slenderman does not obey the laws of physics, then he can “back” as well.

   5. Find the source of those creepy sounds! Sitting in a corner and trembling with fear, waiting any minute for a monster to appear in front of us - this is not our method. Instead, get up and go explore. Maybe you have a mouse scratching behind the baseboard? Or is the branch hitting the glass? In general, do not attribute all strange sounds to monsters.

      • In essence, Slenderman makes no sound. He makes noise. But what then makes noise is another question. Maybe aliens?

   6. Act like he is your best friend. Why not? Imagine that you are bosom friends, that now you will throw such a party that ... ahem ... This will at least puzzle the Slenderman and pleasantly surprise him - after all, he is most likely not often treated with such warmth and cordiality.

      • If anything, then Slenderman is probably following the figure, and therefore do not take anything high-calorie! Of course, out of courtesy, offer him everything, but it doesn't hurt to keep low-calorie alternatives on hand especially for Slenderman.

   Control your emotions

   1. Face your fears. Yes, you will have to do this, because if you do not find the courage in yourself to take such a decisive step, then you will continue to suffer from fear. It is unlikely that you will meet a Slenderman, so remind yourself that real fear is fear itself. You know Slenderman doesn't exist, but are you still afraid? You are winding yourself up. What are you really afraid of? Do self-analysis. Maybe you are afraid of formal suits? Tall people? Skinny people? What is the reason?

      • Yes, that's easy to say, but the reality is much more complicated. In this difficult matter, a notepad will serve you well. Write down your thoughts there. When did you start being afraid? What is the reason? What do you like more, in the morning or in the evening? By isolating patterns from your behavior, you will get closer to solving the problem.

   2. Deal with your fears by confronting them directly. Let's say you're afraid of spiders. How to deal with it? Sit in a cramped room at a distance of three meters from the spider. The spider will be closer and closer, nothing will happen to you, you will get used to it, the fear will go away - the scheme is approximate, but generally correct. You can get used to everything, what is already there ...

      • It's called "decompensation" - and it works! So go ahead with the song. Meet the Slenderman - don't run from him screaming. Sit next to him, look at him, calm down and catch yourself thinking that you are ... bored with him. Everything, the fear is gone!
        • Start small. Let's say decompensate 5 minutes on Monday, 10 minutes on Tuesday, 15 minutes on Wednesday, and so on.

We are often frightened by the horrors of big cities. The darkness lurking in the urban slums, in dark basements, attics and in the tunnels of underground utilities. Maniacs and murderers, brownies and modern versions of sorcerers and shamans. But what about the darkness outside the city? In the depths of the dark forests, where no one will hear your calls for help. And no one will have time to come to the rescue, even if you get through (and often mobile phones do not work at all in a different wilderness). That's where Slender lives. Where you can’t get away from him, you can only hide and hope to somehow outwit the pursuer. It's impossible to fight him. And this is exactly the kind of fear that does not need to be faced. Do not look - not even because you are afraid of him. Simply because you want to live.

Network horror

Initially, Slender appeared as an “Internet legend” - such a modernized version of “urban legends”, usually born in the bikes of students and just young inhabitants of big cities. Well, with the development of the World Wide Web, quite logically, a good part of modern folklore moved to the Internet, moreover, now very interesting new stories are being born here. As for Slender, it is known that it was invented by Eric Knudsen, a visitor to the Something Awful forum, in 2009. Moreover, the character was originally created just as a kind of “stylization” for well-known and popular urban legends. However, Slender turned out to be an extremely tenacious guy: breaking out into the vastness of the World Wide Web, he turned into a real Internet meme, and now he becomes a cosplay character, stories are written about him, videos are shot (both scary and quite funny) and even computer games are created .

Slender was given life by the Create Paranormal Images contest on Something Awful. The competition involved creating supernatural and even scary things on ordinary photographs using a graphic editor - in fact, a competition for the skill of photomontage. The first two black-and-white shots of Slender, taken by Eric Knudsen and posted on the forum, showed the character stalking several children. According to legend, the photographs were found in the Stirling City Library, which was on fire, but these photographs survived. They were made in 1983, on the day of the disappearance of 14 children. Moreover, the photographer, Mary Thomas, went missing in 1986. Who would have thought that based on just two black and white photos, a whole horror universe would be born in the style of “A Nightmare on Elm Street” or “Friday the 13th”, with a very stylish and memorable center villain?

Slender immediately interested the visitors of the Something Awful forum, the appearance of a photo with him caused an unprecedented stir. So its creator continued to post new materials about the "case of the disappearance of children." Children's drawings, a police report, new photographs were added - the character became more voluminous, and visitors met new facts about Slender with interest. And now, after the publication of new materials, the character finally broke out of the forum that gave birth to him, and began to rapidly gain popularity on the World Wide Web.

Even now, stories and novels are written about Slevder, in which various versions of the history of its origin are expressed and rather terrible events are described. Some fans, who are well aware that the Thin Man is a fiction, still believe in the possibility of his existence. There are even testimonies of people who allegedly encountered Slender in the dark forests.

Who are you, Mr Slender?

Slender's appearance can hardly be called ordinary, despite the fact that there are noticeable attempts to convey the “commonness” of the character. So, this villain wears a formal suit, tie, jacket and trousers - it seems like most ordinary people. Unusual is the appearance of the character himself. This is a very tall, skinny creature with long arms and legs that can bend almost arbitrarily. It has pale skin, it is also often portrayed as “faceless”, and sometimes some “appendages” of unknown purpose grow from Slender’s back (in some stories, he is also armed with long claws on his fingers). The Thin Man preys on people. He usually does not kill, but kidnaps people, most often children (although murders committed by Slender are also known). Usually those taken by the Thin Man are never found again. Because what he does with them is still a mystery.

Nothing is known about the origin of Slender. Despite the large number of hypotheses that are expressed in various projects dedicated to this character, it is worth knowing that not a single hypothesis is official - and there is just no official version. Where he came from and what he needs is unknown, this makes him even more interesting.

Slender is very stubborn. Like Jason Voorhees, he pursues his chosen victim for a long time, without being distracted or swerving - and usually he does not walk or run, but moves with the help of teleportation over short distances. And it is impossible to fight it, it cannot be taken by some weapon known to people. All that the one whom Slender chose as a victim can do is to run and hope to get away from persecution. Some even succeeded. And sometimes missing people, presumably abducted earlier by Stender, were found impaled on trees in the forest. It is possible that they died this way as a result of trying to get away from Slender - for example, people stumbled, fell and were pierced by tree branches.

Among the abilities of the Thin Man are the “lengthening” of his own limbs at will, teleportation over short distances, the ability to erase human memory (many of those who encountered him subsequently forget about it), as well as strong telepathic abilities. Slender also feels when he is being looked at, and whoever looks at or even thinks about him too often draws the attention of the Subtle Man to himself. Slender loves to look into the windows of houses, and it does not matter on which floor these windows are located.

By the way, Eric Knudsen claims that Slender and the original story about him were invented by Eric himself, from beginning to end. However, in the folklore of some countries there are descriptions of monsters similar to Slender, also kidnapping children. In addition, a certain similarity can be traced with the character of Stephen King's story "The Man in the Black Suit" and with the Tall Man - the main antagonist of the Phantasm horror film series. However, these characters still have not enough in common to be able to talk about plagiarism.

Nightmare Show

The rise in popularity of the character continued with the appearance on the network of the web series “Marble Hornets” (MarbleHornets), also telling about the world of Slender. The show, which aired on YouTube on June 20, 2009, quickly gained popularity and acquired a huge number of fans. To date, there are already more than 90 episodes of the Thin Man series. But it seems that the project has already been completed - the last series date back to mid-2014.

As you might guess, the series was filmed in a pseudo-documentary manner and showed us the adventures of ordinary people who encountered Slender. It is based on the film "Marble Hornets", which the schoolboy Alex Krali filmed for credit in his educational institution. However, filming was quickly stopped - according to Krali, "it became impossible to work." While looking through Alex's tapes, his friend Jay begins to notice some very strange phenomena on them. After Jay begins his investigation, he encounters a strange and dangerous creature - Slender (in the series he is also called the "Operator"). In addition, Marble Hornets states that when the Thin Man appears, video cameras begin to behave very strangely, and sometimes even refuse to work in their usual mode, rather working in the style of a “camera”.

The series frightens with classic moves: sharp scary sounds, the appearance of Slender as an obscure silhouette, scenes of violence in which the main characters fight each other (at the same time, it was in the series that the concept of “proxy” was introduced - this term refers to people who have become weak-willed servants of Slender) . Hot on the heels of Marble Hornets, other series appeared, copying the style of the first web show. They were also filmed in the style of web diaries, and some of them offered different versions of Slender's origins.

“Marble Hornets” looks quite interesting both thanks to the main antagonist and thanks to an interesting atmosphere. In English, the series is fully posted on YouTube, in addition, there is already a Russian version with a “one-voiced” translation. True, at the moment only fifty episodes have been translated - about half of the web series.

In addition to Marble Hornets, there are several other web series about Slender. There are also short films, in addition, the first feature film about the Thin Man has already been announced.

Survival Horror

Probably, Slender is one of the very few Internet memes that have been able to break into the world of computer games. In 2012, Parsec Productions released the Slender: The Eight Pages project for free distribution on the Internet.

The main character of this game is the girl Kate, who had to run away into the forest after Slender appeared in her house. The game, like Marble Hornets, is stylized as amateur footage: Kate has a video camera with which she films what is happening to her. The forest is surrounded by a fence, but inside the game space, Kate walks quite freely, studying the objects she meets on the way. As she travels, the girl collects notes left by the kidnapped children and avoids meeting Slender, who is better not to look at, because he feels it and notices the victim.

The second project about Slender - the game Slender: The Arrival - was released in 2014. Released by the same studio and a sequel to Slender: Arrival The Eight Pages, The is already a commercial project that players have to pay for. In return, they get new "bonuses" such as significantly improved graphics and a rather interesting story.

The game is both a prequel and a continuation of the previous project. We again see the house in which the girl Kate from Slender: The Eight Pages lived. We learn that Slender had previously attacked the inhabitants of this house, who lived there even before Kate bought the house. But this time the main character is the girl Lauren, who comes to the house in search of her friend Kate (the latter, as we remember, ran away from Slender into the forest in the first game) The game is very similar in style to the previous one: Laurel is also armed with a video camera and also collects notes of missing children. But besides her and Slender, there are many other characters here, and the Thin Man is far from the only villain. In general, the game has a quite recognizable atmosphere, an interesting soundtrack, but a too short story campaign. She also brings some new elements to Slender's world - we learn, in particular, that this character loves to "play" with his victims, as well as a bit about Slender's past and the future of some of those he captures. Needless to say, the future is bleak.

Nothing is yet known about whether Slender 3 will ever appear in the game world. There's also no word on a possible feature-length film - but if it ever does, we'd still like to see a good expensive horror movie rather than another amateur video pastiche. Slender has a great video heritage, let it develop on its own, but cinema is still a slightly different art.

As you can see, even simple network folklore can be quite viable. Eric Knudsen created an original universe, an interesting villain, and a strong brand name without Kicksiarter and other similar services. All he needed was just to make the right montage of several photos and offer the public exactly what they might like. And so a new interesting villain was born - Slender. We still hope that the creator will not abandon his offspring and Slender will definitely appear in many other new works of art.