Why do we obsess over Slender Man so much?
- Thread starter Saviordd1
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I've stopped reading King books since he finished the Dark Tower series, feeling that was the real culmination of his works (yes I'm aware there's a new Dark Tower book but I feel its not right, it ended as it should have depending on where you stopped reading).
I tried to tell one of my facebook friends that the slender man was made up on the internets and he insisted that it was part of old German folklore (that part was also made up by the internets). that was probably the scariest part of the Slender Man: people have already begun to accept something that still has traceable roots to fiction as reality.
He's scary because there is to some degree, the Uncanny Valley effect to him, among other theories that can be applied to him.
He resembles a human until you see the tentacles, by that point, it becomes disturbing because Humans don't have tentacles, and your mind knows that.
It's all based on comfort zones. We are supposed to be mindful of Police Officers, but if you were a young kid and you saw Robert Patrick with Knife-Hands dressed as a cop, that would aim to be uncomfortable to you to some degree, because police are good people, and the T-1000 is not.
I think the same thing can be applied to Slender Man, in that the suit is comforting to some extent (I don't see Giraffes or Chickens Wearing Suits/Tuxedos) because it is appropriately human. However, there is also no face, so he can't be considered a Villain (I have heard that bad guys are more dislikable if they have eyes you can see two of/Have faces), but as a sort of Lovecraftian Horror character, there are no eyes, so its a force you fear, not fight.
Does any of this make any sense?
As for Obsession, It's because it hasn't been sold to death Via Hot Topic products or anything else. The moment a movie ends up being made, Slender Man will have been too much.
He resembles a human until you see the tentacles, by that point, it becomes disturbing because Humans don't have tentacles, and your mind knows that.
It's all based on comfort zones. We are supposed to be mindful of Police Officers, but if you were a young kid and you saw Robert Patrick with Knife-Hands dressed as a cop, that would aim to be uncomfortable to you to some degree, because police are good people, and the T-1000 is not.
I think the same thing can be applied to Slender Man, in that the suit is comforting to some extent (I don't see Giraffes or Chickens Wearing Suits/Tuxedos) because it is appropriately human. However, there is also no face, so he can't be considered a Villain (I have heard that bad guys are more dislikable if they have eyes you can see two of/Have faces), but as a sort of Lovecraftian Horror character, there are no eyes, so its a force you fear, not fight.
Does any of this make any sense?
As for Obsession, It's because it hasn't been sold to death Via Hot Topic products or anything else. The moment a movie ends up being made, Slender Man will have been too much.
People are scared of the idea of intruders, of something invading there personal space to do them harm, of shadow figures and strangers. The slenderman is manifestation of the ultimate intruder. He's the boogeyman. He also wears a suit, making him seem human and average but has no face, alien, and also unidentifiable, the ultimate stranger. People fear what seems familiar but is twisted or warped slightly. The appearance of the character does that. His omnipresence, in that he can seemingly be anywhere takes away a sense of security. The fact that most images of him hide him in shadow create a layer of mystery where you can't quiet see him, and people of course fear what they can't see and don't understand. Honestly, people fear him because he's unsettling... A distorted image in the shadows with ill will... A modern boogeyman.
The reason that he's scary is threefold:
1. According to the myth, he exists BECAUSE WE THINK ABOUT HIM. This is probably the most distilled "Don't Think About It" we can get, and it's scary.
2. He's silent and unkillable. Compare to a Weeping Angel, which is silent but can be defeated by making it look another angel in the face. Or compare to classic demonic presence, all of which is nigh-unkillable but can be heard/avoided.
3. We don't "get" Slender Man.
The complete unpredictability of Slender Man is what really gets us. We know that: A. he targets people who "dig too deep", and B. he will stalk them for a short amount of time before killing them violently. The rest, such as "why", "when", "who", and "how", are unanswered.
1. According to the myth, he exists BECAUSE WE THINK ABOUT HIM. This is probably the most distilled "Don't Think About It" we can get, and it's scary.
2. He's silent and unkillable. Compare to a Weeping Angel, which is silent but can be defeated by making it look another angel in the face. Or compare to classic demonic presence, all of which is nigh-unkillable but can be heard/avoided.
3. We don't "get" Slender Man.
The complete unpredictability of Slender Man is what really gets us. We know that: A. he targets people who "dig too deep", and B. he will stalk them for a short amount of time before killing them violently. The rest, such as "why", "when", "who", and "how", are unanswered.
I chalk up the popularity of him as "one of those Internet things." Sometimes, certain subjects on the Internet strike just the right chord with just the right people at just the right time. That's when things go viral.
For me, what makes it such a great story is that he (in most cases) doesn't have any clear goal. He just follows people for no apparant reason, until the stalkee either goes insane or mysteriously vanishes. And that unknown factor can be pretty scary when applied right in whatever story is using him.
For me, what makes it such a great story is that he (in most cases) doesn't have any clear goal. He just follows people for no apparant reason, until the stalkee either goes insane or mysteriously vanishes. And that unknown factor can be pretty scary when applied right in whatever story is using him.
He's not really creepy until you immerse yourself in the lore.Suki_ said:
Sad but true, Hollywood will ruin him.ruedyn said:
That does make sense, I guess its just more "What you're used to" than anything else.shogunblade said:
If they make a movie, it will suck.
Too late.shogunblade said:
http://theslenderman.wikia.com/wiki/Windigo
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ajmeadows/the-slender-man-movie
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1658837/ (????)
We're obsessed with him?
News to me.
I think he's just important to the internet generation because he's pretty much the first myth that has been born from this medium.
News to me.
I think he's just important to the internet generation because he's pretty much the first myth that has been born from this medium.
Nice reference.Saviordd1 said:
Nah, I rarely go outside /k/ on 4chan and I find Slender Man fascinating.AC10 said:
Essentially, you're creating Slenderman in your thoughts. That gives him powers such as disappearing and appearing. He can choose to be seen or not. His suit actually serves as camouflage in the dark so you're always looking for the telltale white shirt.
It depends on how much you want to believe. If you're looking at things from a purely logical standpoint no supernatural being would ever be scary.Suki_ said:
If you let yourself believe that a few video tapes are actually showing up... Marble Hornets can be very tense and not stupid.
My guess is the whole in-joke mentality surrounding it. Everyone's heard of the scary guys like ghosts, aliens, demons, the whole bunch. When people stumble on Slenderman, they aren't given a bastardized mental image created by other movies or images. They are given stock-like photos with a "when you see it..." purpose, a slight explanation, and that's it. No movies to look up to satisfy your curiosity that you created by looking further than the KnowYourMeme article. The few indie games, Marble Hornets, etc. are enough for you to get a better idea of the Slenderman.
He also has that 'no purpose' villain mentality. He doesn't have a backstory, he wasn't made in a lab, he isn't a reincarnation, he isn't a sweet-talking Lucifer, he's a big black stickthing that doesn't do anything but look scary and cause disappearances.
He also has that 'no purpose' villain mentality. He doesn't have a backstory, he wasn't made in a lab, he isn't a reincarnation, he isn't a sweet-talking Lucifer, he's a big black stickthing that doesn't do anything but look scary and cause disappearances.