The Slender Man

2013
78 Minutes

The internet is a powerful tool. One use I like in particular is it's ability to spread urban legends faster and more creatively than ever before.

I find the Slender Man to be one of the best. More after the jump.




Whats the plot?

The Slender Man movie is derived straight from the internet meme with what seems to be a few new tweaks thrown in. In this version, a tall being with no face steals children to feed some kind of energy I suppose, but it requires a human to feed the children to him. Three different stories make up the arc here and they all eventually intersect to make for a creepy climax!

Good use of first person.

What did I like about this film?

Personally, I liked that the film made references to the internet meme as well as adding some new lore into the mythos. They could have gone ahead and try to go completely different for the reason of the Slender Man's existence but they kept the primary parts in tact. I also liked that this film seemed to draw reference from other existing material.

The distorted camera, the handycam use, the sudden appearances all here and it keeps the creepiness to a high. I don't think this film would work as well if it was done with conventional cameras.

For a movie done on the cheap too, this looks pretty solid. The acting won't blow you away, but it gets the job done. The special effects aren't award winning, but it works.

The running time is great, the film doesn't overstay it's welcome and is just brisk enough.

Lastly, I love that this film is free. The makers could have charged for this, I would have paid and probably not left disappointed. Instead they've gone ahead and made the entire movie free. They also have a commentary version out there - big kudos on that. Not sure if it's intentional, but I feel like it's respectful to the place in which this whole thing spawned - the internet.

It's hard to gets pictures from this movie.

What didn't I like?

The audio, while true to what it might sound like on a handy cam leaves a little to be desired. There were parts that I could not hear very well or the audio fluctuated. While again this is true to what it would actually sound like, this is also a movie and was somewhat frustrating.

I also didn't like that there wasn't much explanation as to who anyone was. The characters were given the most basic of outlines and their story lines all end abruptly. The makers may not wanted to have drawn things out or given unnecessary back stories - but it's kind of hard to care about what happens to these characters. I wouldn't say it's a huge problem though.

Is this film scary?

This is a real case of "What scares you?"

The concept of the Slender Man scares me a fare deal, in fact, it's one of the only things I find scary in a movie or otherwise sense.

I don't feel like this film is as scary as Marble Hornets, but this movie does a lot of things right.

It sets a great atmosphere by having the characters wander around in the dark. The brief shots of the Slender Man also do more for not giving away the whole deal and ruining the effect.

The music is appropriately used sparingly and is effective when heard.

One of the original images.

Final Thoughts?

Seeing as this movie is free, the main thing I want to convey is this movie wasn't a waste of my time one bit. I really enjoyed the package they have put together and as a big fan of the Slender Man I don't feel as if they've ruined anything.

3.75/5

No trailer - but here is the full movie.