What started out as a contest entry on the Something Awful forums has turned into an internet phenomenon. The mythos for Slender Man is pretty developed at this point, with the help of video games, webseries, fiction, and now an upcoming feature film aptly titled Slender Man. A trailer recently dropped for the upcoming film, and it looks intriguing so far. However, not everyone is intrigued by the idea of bringing Slenderman to the big screen.
Bill Weier — father to one of the girls involved in the 2014 Slender Man attack — feels that the film is cashing in on a tragedy. Talking to the Associated Press, this is what he had to say about the film:
“It’s absurd they want to make a movie like this. It’s popularizing a tragedy is what it’s doing. I’m not surprised, but in my opinion it’s extremely distasteful. All we’re doing is extending the pain all three of these families have gone through.”
In case you have never heard of the case: Back in 2014, 12 year old Wisconsin residents Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser attacked a friend, Payton Leutner, while walking in the woods. Leutner was stabbed 19 times, but thankfully survived the attack. Weier and Geyser claim that they did it to please the Slenderman, hoping that he would be pleased, and leave their families alone. HBO released a documentary last year, entitled Beware the Slenderman, that went in-depth on the case.
While it’s understandable that the families involved would not be excited for any film featuring the Slender Man, the film seems to be digging into the mythos of the character, and not the crime. After all, Slenderman isn’t exactly a stranger to the screen.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments!
Inspired by Eric Knudson’s 2009 internet meme featuring the titular supernatural entity, Slender Man stars Joey King, Julia Goldani Telles, Jaz Sinclair, Annalise Basso, Alex Fitzalan, and Kevin Chapman. It is set for release on May 18th 2018.
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Originally published January 5, 2018. Updated December 19, 2019.
