The Legend Of The Slenderman | Geek History
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What do the 70's, H.P. Lovecraft, and Urban Legends all have in common with the Slenderman? Geek History is gonna tell you.
In addition to inspiring a whole new category of Deviant Art, the evolution of the Slender Man is actually a fascinating example of shared culture and a sort of unique, internet-spread folklore that has grown so far out of the digital flower pot it was planted in, that it’s basically spread roots and vines all over popular culture, including gaming, film, music, and basically anything you can think of. Slender Man hair gel and dog treats are coming--I’m certain of it.
So where did all of this begin?
Well, not to belay the obvious but, the internet.
I, for one, was sort of surprised to find out that it started during a contest at Something Awful. In its heyday, Something Awful represented the sort of variety websites that dominated the internet in the early aughts. It was before entertainment websites started to specialize and find their niche: those were the days of College Humor and Digg. When you’d go to these websites you weren’t entirely sure what you were going to get: maybe a funny picture, maybe a blog post about games, maybe a short video of a dog chasing a cat or gif of someone setting their hair on fire. Maybe there’d be a violent flash cartoon. The whole idea was to receive a dumptruck full of random entertainment and parse through it for something you liked.
This was before Reddit came along and basically consolidated the whole fucking internet into a Walmart-esque landscape of highly-specialized angry forum users.
Specifically, the creation of the Slender Man owes thanks to a paranormal photoshop contest. A user going by the handle of Victor Surge, aka Eric Knudsen posted two eerie black and white photographs, each containing a distant image of a tall, faceless figure, out of focus: almost smudged into the background. The fact that both pictures were dominated by small children only further accentuated the sinister man in a suit watching over them. And that’s not to mention the text that Knudsen included: two quotes, supposedly attributed to the photographers.
““We didn’t want to go, we didn’t want to kill them, but its persistent silence and outstretched arms horrified and comforted us at the same time…” – 1983, photographer unknown, presumed dead.
“One of two recovered photographs from the Stirling City Library blaze. Notable for being taken the day which fourteen children vanished and for what is referred to as “The Slender Man”. Deformities cited as film defects by officials. Fire at library occurred one week later. Actual photograph confiscated as evidence. – 1986, photographer: Mary Thomas, missing since June 13th, 1986.
Not half bad writing, if I do say so myself. Not only are the quotes well composed, but they also avoid the obvious trap of oversharing: allowing the vagueness to unsettle you. When you’re given the right ingredients, your imagination will always supply you with the next steps on the road to shitting your pants in fear. And why wouldn’t it? No one knows you better than your own merciless jackass of a brain sponge.
The Slender Man was a symbol of unknowable evil in the world. A creature that lured children away from the protection of their families. Its motivations and origins were unknown. The only thing anyone knew for certain, was what to look for: a distended body in a long suit, with no face. Snaking tendrils emerge from its back, reaching outward for something to grab. It’s easy to understand how well Slender did based on its design alone. Simple and effective, it combined the familiar with the eerie on just the right level. Knudsen’s shadowy figure with its shadowy origin was an instant hit.
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