Review of Beware the Slenderman (2016) by Kevin M — 26 Jan 2017

Having had a preexisting interest in video games, and having played the game the documentary is based on firsthand, the first poster for Beware the Slenderman caught my attention. It centers on a case in Wisconsin where two 12 year old girls stabbed another girl 19 times because they thought the Slenderman was going to kill their families if they didn't.

Hearing the kids and the court describe what happened in the woods, down to the bloody details, was extremely unsettling. It's not very often you come by documentaries that disturb on this level. What made it so interesting was the slow reveal towards why they were motivated to commit the crime.

On the downside, there's something also equally unsettling about seeing the parents of these kids cry in front of a camera. Albeit, the court case itself was publicized in the media. Aside from being a very interesting subject, the film works best as promoting awareness for the mental illnesses it documents, while simultaneously showing us how easy it is to access horrific and graphic stories like the (mythical) Slenderman.