Slenderman : Reality Of Folklore That Turned Naive Teens Into Murderers

Slenderman is an urban legend which started with a photoshop gig, people turned it into real life encounters with their elaborate stories but it went too far when two girls murdered their mutual friend stabbing her 19 times with a knife, claiming that they were acting as “Proxies of the Slenderman” and had no other choice.

Who Is Slenderman?

Source = Abcnews

The Slender Man is a being (male in appearance) who looks like a man with extremely long, slender arms and legs. He also appears to have 4 to 8 long, black tentacles that protrude from his back, though different photographs and enthusiasts disagree on this fact, and therefore it is theorized he can 'contract' these tentacles at will.

He is described as wearing a black suit strikingly similar to the visage of the notorious Men In Black, and as the name suggests, appears very thin and able to stretch his limbs and torso to inhuman lengths in order to induce fear and ensnare his prey. Once his arms are outstretched, his victims are put into something of a hypnotized state, where they are utterly helpless to stop themselves from walking into them.

Origin Of The Urban Myth Of A Monster Controlling & Abducting Kids

Source = Gocdn

On June 8th, 2009, a “’paranormal pictures” photoshop contest was launched on the Something Awful (SA) Forums.The contest required participants to turn ordinary photographs into creepy-looking images through digital manipulation and then pass them on as authentic photographs on a number of paranormal forums. Something Awful users soon began sharing their faux-paranormal creations with layered images of ghosts and other anomalies, usually accompanied by a fabricated witness account to make them more convincing. 

On June 10th, SA user Victor Surge (real name Eric Knudsen) posted two black and white photographs of unnamed children with a short description of “Slender Man” as a mysterious creature who stalked children.

“Slenderman Told Us To Stab Our Friend 19 Times”

(Video Credits: CBS This Morning)

In 2014 two 12-year-old girls, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier, were arrested on charges of attempted first-degree intentional homicide after allegedly trying to kill their mutual friend by stabbing her 19 times. The victim survived the attack and remains hospitalized. According to the criminal complaint, the victim had spent the night before at a sleepover with Geyser and Weier, who lured her into nearby woods the next morning to “play a game,” before they held her down on the ground and stabbed her 19 times in the arms, legs and torso. 

The report also revealed that the crime may have been motivated by the two teenagers’ obsession with the Slenderman mythology, particularly in the idea of becoming a “proxy of Slender” by physically killing someone.

Slenderman Appears At 8:05 In A Documentary Type Adaptation Of The Urban Myth

(Video Credits: Marble Hornets)

Even though Slender Man was fabricated on SomethingAwful forums, some people have already claimed sightings. He is seen mostly at night peering into open windows and walks out in front of lone motorists on secluded roads. (3.1)

His main intentions appear to be kidnapping children, as when he is seen near them in photographs, they usually disappear shortly afterwards. The Slender Man has also inspired many stories such as those of Marble Hornets.