Review of Slender Man (2018) by Ethan S — 11 Aug 2018

A couple years ago, Slender Man, the fictional monster created by Eric Knudsen, came to the forefront of American culture. The creepy fiction inspired two adolescent girls to complete an act of ruthless violence that was more terrifying than any story. A quick search of the character reveals numerous accounts of the way this 21st-century boogie man abducts children. These stories are often accompanied with photoshopped images of the figure throughout history, adding to the mystery and allure of the character.

It was only a matter of time before Hollywood would try to profit off of the character, so naturally, this Slender Man film was born. The film follows a group of high school students who accidentally summon Slender Man into their world. They watch a bizarre internet video filled with spooky shots of forests, pagan looking symbols, and otherworldly bells. Honestly, this reminded me of the VHS tape that is played in The Ring. A week later, one of the girls goes missing, and the rest of the group must face the Slender Man to try to get her back.

For being based upon a character that has inspired so much imagined and real-life horror, Slender Man the movie isn't very scary. The film is plagued by horror movie cliche after cliche and an ending that was so inevitably mundane that I left the theater wondering why I had even bothered. Save for the wonderfully atmospheric shots and creepy forest settings, there really aren't many redeeming qualities to the film. We see this CGI monster far too often for us to really be scared of the unknown of it. Instead of getting behind the characters as they try to investigate the mythology and motivation of the Slender Man, I spent more time rolling my eyes at their terrible judgment and cringe-worthy dialogue. There was a real opportunity to craft a modern horror classic based upon what is arguably one of the most terrifying spooks in recent years. What we get instead is a boring and uninspired movie that will have even the most die-hard horror fans wishing they had kept Slender Man away from the big screen.