Proxy: A Slender Man Story

Proxy: A Slender Man Story is a 9 minute mini movie about the "Slenderman" mythos. It was just released back on Halloween and is available on youtube. For being a short movie, it definitely makes horrific waves. It doesn't star anyone you'd recognize, but at an estimated budget cost of $10,000, the money is put to good use.

Plot

The plot centres around the main character Vince, who is haunted by visions of the Slenderman, everywhere he goes, his reality alters and before you know it, this terrifying figure is coming after Vince.

Will you stop freaking out?! I'm just trying to sell some bath beads!

What did you like?

I liked a lot about this film. It's only got 9 minutes to get it's point across and it most certainly does. You need a story that is going to be something you can understand, but at the same time, doesn't need much development so that it can through the general arch(intro,plot, conflict, etc) This story does that, it's easy to understand and its not too complicated so that it needs more then the time it has. I also thought this film was terrifying. Now given this won't be scary to everyone, some people may not be bothered by this at all. Also this is only on youtube, so for it to scare you, you'll probably want it on full screen, volume up at full and in a dark room. Sounds corny right? Would it be any different if you saw it in a movie theatre? 

The effects used in this film I thought were also well done, like the picture above, it makes it look as if the Slenderman has tentacles, but when seeing him stand in the doorway he doesn't. It's kind of like one those "You see what you want to see" type of images. Once again these guys had $10,000 to use on this film and with the editing and the effects and the general filmography, it's done very well.

Was there anything you didn't like?

The only thing that I thought was a little less effective and it's not so much that I didn't like it, but I think it hinders the scariness a bit, is how clear the "Slenderman" appears. In both the "Slenderman" film and also in "Marble Hornets" When you see the figure, he's for the most part distorted and not so clearly seen. I find this makes the scary effect more emphasized, because you can't clearly make out what you're afraid of. You can tell pretty decently but its still not clear. In this film you see the "Slenderman" perfectly, his features and more importantly his blank face. He's still pretty fucking creepy but, because you can see him a lot clearer, it loses some of the effect that your imagination does to fill in the rest.

What sets this film apart from Marble Hornets and the Slenderman movie?

All 3 of them are very similar and portray the "Slenderman" pretty much the same way. The differences that set them apart however I find are important. In "Marble Hornets" the figure is referred to as the "Operator" and he doesn't kidnap and devour children. He is a figure that randomly shows up and usually stops the main character in his path from being able to uncover the mysteries that surround. As if he were a guard, guarding the door to the answers they seek. He is used more as an instrument if you will. 

In the "Slenderman" film, he is exactly as what the mythos portrays him as. A mysterious figure who devours children. The main idea of that movie, is to play out what the internet meme makes of him.

In "Proxy" He is the same character as in the film above, except the story has a slightly different take on him, one which I find almost kind of blends both "Marble Hornets" and "Slenderman" together, but at the same time is different. With different movie creators, you get different ideas and that is the most important thing, that sets them apart. I'd say in this one, there is much influence used, but still as a fresh look.

Final thoughts?

This film is definitely worth checking out. It's only 9 minutes so what have you got to lose? Could they have made it any longer then 9 minutes? I'm sure they could have, but they may have needed a larger budget for what they were doing. Also given what the story was, it would have needed to be more developed. So when you take that into account, sure it could have been longer, but would it have been as good? Maybe yes, maybe no. If you're truly a horror fan, you should see this.

4.5/5

No trailer, but here is the 9 minute feature.