Have you long remembered your gatherings around the fire with friends, which were accompanied by terrible and bloody stories? As a rule, this ended in insane fear and goosebumps, and after such stories it was possible to sleep for several nights only with the light on. So, now young people are doing essentially the same thing, only with a slightly different interpretation. Today, the so-called creepypasta has become fashionable. This word refers to virtual communication carried out between anonymous authors. In other words, the guys scare people by telling terrible stories with bloody endings, only through the Internet. So, one of these terrifying stories is dedicated to a character named Slenderman. Whether or not this frightening and mysterious hero who excites the consciousness of many exists or not, we will figure it out in our article.
Slenderman (or Thin Man) was created as a result of a collective competition that brought together members of the Something Awful forum. The event occurred in 2009. All participants were asked to place various mystical elements on ordinary photographs. One of the forum members, a guy named Victor Surge, posted several photographs online with children, behind whom stood an unknown man with a rather thin figure and long, tentacle-like arms. This created a sensation.
Despite the fact that this character was fictional, many still study his origins in detail and try to find out whether Slender Man exists in real life. That's what! Some claim to have seen it with their own eyes. Of course, everyone interprets the Thin Man differently, apparently due to the fact that everyone wants to create their own terrible character that will excite their own consciousness. Some say that his hands resemble black wings, others - long tentacles, and still others - dark ribbons developing in the wind.
But what does Slenderman look like in real life (virtual) as conceived by the creator Victor Surge himself? He is a very tall man with pale bluish skin. One of the most important features is facelessness. His clothes are black, mostly a funeral suit with a white shirt and a tie as red as blood.
Whether or not this character actually exists is of interest to many. After all, some claim that the Thin Man chased them in the forest the day before, and post this story on the Internet, which terrifies users. Why is Slenderman so scary? They say that he often lives in the forest, near rivers and lakes, and attacks his prey only after observing it for some time. The Thin Man prefers not to walk or run after the victim, but to teleport in space, stopping behind his back and thereby causing unimaginable horror.
It is believed that Slenderman is a killer who can erase human memory and completely clear consciousness. This also applies to computers (we are talking about memory!). Some claim that the Thin Man entered the machine through the game and completely took over the operating system, after which it was simply impossible to work on the computer due to interference and the regular appearance of some incomprehensible mystical signs in the form of a crossed out circle.
Before attacking the victim, Slenderman dreams of him several days in advance, warning him of his imminent appearance. He hugs his victim and deprives him of any feelings and emotions, turning the person into a typical puppet. Many argue that most often Slenderman attacks children and photographers, before spying on them for a while through a window or door crack. In particular, the bloodthirsty hero loves to visit those who think and talk about him, considering this a hint that the person is ready for his appearance and subsequent death. It is almost impossible to escape from meeting this creepy character.
If you are interested in the question of who Slenderman is, whether this mysterious character exists in real life or not, think about what his goals and objectives are? What is most interesting is that nothing is known about this, the information is simply missing. Perhaps the authors simply did not think of this moment, or perhaps they simply wanted to add some mystery and mysticism to this story. In this case, we can say with confidence that they succeeded brilliantly.
Since you are interested the real story of Slenderman, that's what I'll tell you about him. Slenderman or its other name stick insect (Slender translated from English means Stick). He is long and very thin, and always wears a formal black suit, white shirt and red tie. The most amazing thing is that he has no face. It has the ability to stretch and lengthen its limbs or torso. Most often it appears in forests or near rivers, but sometimes it is seen in cities. He kidnaps children under 16 years old, the most interesting thing is that adults almost never see him, and only children notice him (whom often none of the adults believe). Seeing his face, the victim experiences panic, falls into a daze, and cannot scream or move. Slenderman extends his arms for a hug, and then the victim disappears without a trace. Some say that this is just a myth, a horror story, and some are sure that his site’s existence is real and proven. I know this is reality because I met him myself.
Let me start by saying that I am only 13 years old. I will not give my real name, I will remain under a pseudonym Scarlett. I live an ordinary life: friends, school, family - everything is like everyone else. But this meeting changed everything.
The next day I became interested in this Slenderman and began looking for reliable information about him on the Internet. I learned that he has “spider legs” coming out of his back and his hobby is looking into people’s windows. I shuddered and looked out the window - everything was calm, day, the sun was shining. “I should go for a walk,” I thought, took the phone and called my friend. We walked for quite a long time, I came home in the evening, sat down at the computer website and again looked for information about Selendman. Everything was the same, nothing new, I knew a lot about him.
It was getting dark, night came, I went to bed, but the feeling of fear did not leave me. I lay down and couldn’t sleep for a long time. Suddenly there was a noise in the kitchen. I felt scared and covered my head with a blanket. The noise did not stop, it seemed that someone was sorting through the dishes. Suddenly the noise stopped, but I was still under the blanket, I became very scared. Suddenly I heard someone coming here to my room. I pretended to be asleep and suddenly felt someone’s hand on my waist, my heart started beating like crazy. Something leaned towards me and whispered:
- I know that you are not sleeping.
I was silent, I wanted to scream, but I physically couldn’t do it. It breathed right into my neck, and then whispered again:
- Wake up, I want to talk to you.
I took a deep breath and, stuttering, asked:
- O-o-o w-what?
- I don’t know, maybe about the fact that I’ll kill you soon? - He said this with some kind of grin.
- For what? - I became very scared.
“You know too much about me, and this cannot be allowed.”
I cried and through tears and fear I told him:
- I won't tell anyone about you.
“Hmm...” he stood up.
I became very scared, I began to inhale and exhale deeply, because... I didn't have enough air. It was hot and stuffy under the blanket, but I didn’t dare get out.
“Get out from under the blanket, you’re probably stuffy there,” Slender told me.
- No, no, no, I'm afraid of you! - I answered him.
He took the blanket and pulled it off me. I covered my face with my hands and curled up into a ball. He put his hand on my head and the fear disappeared somewhere
- Why are you so afraid of me?
- I don't know.
He started stroking my head.
- Everyone is afraid of me. Do you understand what it’s like to be eternally alone? — Slenderman removed his hand and bowed his head. I felt sorry for him and still decided to look at him. She opened her eyes - the light coming through the window illuminated only his silhouette and in the darkness he didn’t look so scary.
- You're not like that... probably. I don’t know you at all and people come up with some creepy stories. That you are some kind of terrible creature. They don't know the real you.
“I don’t want everyone to know what I really am.”
“Then don’t let them know,” I forcefully put my hand on his shoulder. He grabbed it and I flinched.
“Please don’t be afraid of me, I’m not that terrible,” he looked at me, but nothing was visible in the darkness.
“Okay,” the fear dissipated, but something still remained from it. He hugged me and then left almost immediately.
Now I know that Slenderman exists and what it really is. He showed me that he is not a cruel creature, but on the contrary, he has a kind soul. I hope I meet him again.
P.S. Example video with Slender:
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The Thin Man was created as a result of a competition Create Paranormal Images held at the forum Something Awful in June 2009: participants were asked to use a graphic editor to add any supernatural and frightening details to ordinary photographs. June 10, 2009 forum user under a pseudonym Victor Surge(according to the game credits " Slender: The Arrival", his real name is Erik Knudsen. Eric Knudsen)) published two black-and-white photomontages depicting a fictional character chasing a group of children as part of the competition, and gave him the nickname “ Thin Man" and accompanied them with the following text:
We didn’t want to go, we didn’t want to kill them, but his stubborn silence and outstretched arms both frightened and reassured us... / 1983, photographer unknown, presumed dead.
Original text (English)
we didn't want to go, we didn't want to kill them, but its persistent silence and outstretched arms horrified and comforted us at the same time... / 1983, photographer unknown, presumed dead.
One of two photographs that survived the Stirling City Library fire. Notable for the date - the day of the disappearance of fourteen children - and the object, called the “Thin Man”. Officials explain the distorted proportions as defects in the film. A fire in the library occurred a week later. The photographs themselves were confiscated as evidence. / 1986, photographer: Mary Thomas, missing June 13, 1986.
Original text (English)
One of two recovered photographs from the Stirling City Library blaze. Notable for being taken the day which fourteen children vanished and for what is referred to as “The Slender Man”. Deformities cited as film defects by officials. Fire at library occurred one week later. Actual photograph confiscated as evidence. / 1986, photographer: Mary Thomas, missing since June 13th, 1986.
On topic Create Paranormal Images The Thin Man's photographs created a sensation, and Victor Surge continued the theme by adding more photos, a police report, and even some children's drawings. Some users also decided to contribute by posting their own montages and fictional stories. This tradition gradually spread beyond Something Awful, and on the Internet the Thin Man quickly became very popular.
Video diaries that appeared Marble Hornets had a significant influence on its mythology: for example, from there came the famous “Operator symbol” - a circle crossed out by a cross - and such concepts as Proxy (English Proxy, Slenderman’s “puppet”) and English. slender's sickness, symptoms that indicate his attention paid to a person. The idea of video diaries with the participation of this character, using filming principles similar to Marble Hornets, and suggesting different theories of its origin, also gained great popularity on YouTube.
Today, he has a large fan base, including stories, videos, amateur films, and even characters created in his image (for example, Offenderman, Splendorman and others, others). In the ideas of different people, his behavior and appearance may have almost no points of contact, since no one can describe a single image and model of behavior, and one can even say that each fan has his own image of the Thin Man, which is at least a little different from the others. This legend is also unique in that, despite its unconcealed fictitiousness, there are a relatively large number of people who, accepting this fact, believe in Slenderman and study him, and some also claim to have encountered him. This makes him the first full-fledged urban legend created on the Internet.
Thin Man appears as a very tall, pale man with unnaturally long limbs that bend at random and sometimes black flexible tentacles or appendages growing from his back; one of his most striking features is his absolute facelessness (in some photographs by Erik Knudsen there are visible holes in the place of the eyes and nose, but later users picked up the idea of a complete absence of sensory organs on this character’s head). He wears a black funeral suit with a white shirt, which could lead one to mistake him for a government agent or one of the Men in Black. Fan art often shows a modified image of him, different from the original one, and he can be depicted with a different build, body structure, skin color and clothing elements. Some researchers even tend to divide these images into the most realistic “classical” (which is usually described by people who allegedly encounter it; in English-language wikis this direction is called surgism) and “fan”, in which the character appears more as an Internet meme than an urban legend. First and foremost, the Thin Man is a kidnapper, in particular of children, whom he takes to a place where they are never found again.
An integral part of the Slenderman image is the absolute uncertainty and ambiguity of his intentions. The canonical version of his origin, nature and goals remains, paradoxically, its complete absence, that is, perhaps even its author does not know where he came from, whether he was someone else before and why he would kidnap people. Some sources may present various hypotheses, from the tractable to the downright absurd, but it should be remembered that none of them are official theories, because there simply isn’t one. It is the uncertainty that scares people the most, since no one can say with certainty what the Thin Man does with the victim after the abduction. In addition, its inherent inevitability is also taken into account, which makes it similar to death, since it is impossible to resist it and in most cases the victim can only help himself by fleeing.
It is believed that Slenderman is an excellent telepath, due to the absence of most senses and, accordingly, a hypertrophied sixth sense, and in Marble Hornets he was credited with the ability to erase, edit human memory and manipulate people, turning them into puppets. As a rule, the children he abducted began to have nightmares of him a few days before their disappearance. There is also an opinion that the Thin Man “feels” when people are talking or thinking about him, and tries, if possible, to find and take these people. In games based on this legend, its influence on electronic photo and video devices was noted, which began to produce strong interference when approached. He is able to teleport, lengthen his body, arms, change their number and even turn them into tentacles. As a result, he basically does not use weapons or improvised means. It is unknown whether he has any other abilities, although his appearance was often accompanied by thick fogs.
Apparently, the Thin Man is not very active in terms of movement: he usually stands modestly in the distance, sometimes with his head tilted to one side, and does not take outwardly aggressive actions, almost nowhere is he described as running and even walks quite rarely, preferring to move using teleportation behind the limit of the observer's vision. When trying to grab someone, he uses his hands, tentacles, or tries to put the victim into a stupor using hypnosis. Often the stories mention the severe headache that people experienced when making eye contact with him.
Its habitats are mainly forests, in which it can very conveniently disguise itself as a tree, and abandoned buildings. He attacks lonely people, who then disappear, so that neither their bodies nor any traces of their presence are found, however, Victor Surge wrote that several missing people were found impaled on trees in the Steinmen Woods. A thin person is also characterized by the habit of knocking and peeking at windows at night (on any floor).
Victor Surge emphasized that the image of the Thin Man was completely invented by him, and noted that he used the image of the Tall Man from the film “Phantasm” (), as well as photographs of men in formal suits taken from the network for photo montages. Despite this, some users Something Awful noted his resemblance to a mythical character called him. Der Großmann (Russian: The Tall Man), a fairy-like creature resembling the Boogeyman and according to legend lived in the Black Forest. The tall man was used to scare naughty children who ran into the forest at night, and in appearance he was very similar to Slenderman, except that he had a face with two white spheres instead of eyes. Der Großmann popular among fans and researchers of the Thin Man, but as an independent myth it is practically unknown.
The thin man was also “found” in Romanian folklore: one of the users Something Awful a tale was posted about two girls, Stella and Sorina, who, together with their mother, encountered a tall man dressed all in black with many arms, “long and boneless like snakes, sharp like swords, and wriggling like worms.” The tale noted the demonic nature of the tall man, and presumably his ability to telepathy. This tale is probably nothing more than an invention of a forum participant (since, in addition to Something Awful, was not found anywhere else), but it had a significant influence on the formation of the final image, since, coupled with the legend of the Black Forest Tall Man, it made it clear that Slender Man may be several hundred years old and was known long before Eric Knudsen came up with it.
There are many characters similar to the Thin Man: nopperapon, Kabadat (eng. Cabadath) from the game series Chzo Mythos, the devil in Stephen King's story "The Man in the Black Suit" or thin people in Brian Lumley's story "The Thin Ones", aliens from the episode "Silence" of the series "Doctor Who", etc. Despite sometimes considerable (as in the case of Kabadat) They have no similarities or connections with Slenderman and his mythology.
It is also possible that this character is similar to a common vision during sleep paralysis.
The Thin Man gained popularity as a character in scary “creepypasta” stories that spread among websites, forums and image boards. Web series dedicated to Slenderman, Marble Hornets(rus. Marble Hornets), was created by another user Something Awful under a pseudonym ce gars and was distributed through the YouTube service. The Marble Hornets webisodes, stylized as found footage, told the story of a fictional student filmmaker who, while trying to make a feature-length film, encounters paranormal phenomena, including the appearance of the Thin Man. Subsequently Marble Hornets was developed into a game in an alternate reality; As of 2013, the web series had 65 episodes, over 55 million views and 250 thousand subscribers on YouTube. In 2013, production began on a feature-length film based on the web series.
In the TV program Digital Human The BBC's Thin Man has been called "the internet's first great myth". The success of his legend was attributed to the collective structure of the network: although almost everyone involved in creating the myth was well aware that Slender Man was a fiction, the online nature of this peculiar game allowed each participant to add their own details, thereby giving the image of the Thin Man a sense of authenticity. Victor Surge noted that a number of people, even knowing that the Thin Man was invented on the forum Something Awful a model of pseudo-folklore, but still allowed its existence in reality.
Fairy tale characters have always existed. And depending on the era when they were invented, they had different abilities, appearance and place of residence. In the modern fairy-tale and fictional world you will no longer meet Baba Yaga or Koshchei the Immortal, Leshy or Domovoi. They were replaced by Boogeyman and Spider-Man, Enderman and Slenderman. The last characters generally raise bewilderment and a lot of questions. They say that such characters can even be seen in reality. Let's tell you how to summon Slenderman and is it true that he exists?
The story of the birth of a new character - Slenderman - takes us back to 2009 to one of the Internet forums. A competition was held here, the participants of which had to, using the capabilities of a graphic editor, change real photographs so that they began to resemble a supernatural world with their own characters. One of the participants sent several black and white works with a fictional character who, according to legend, appears in unexpected places and attacks ordinary passers-by. It was called “The Thin Man”. These photographs began to become overgrown with stories of missing children, police reports and mysterious drawings.
Video diaries began to appear online, where people tried to show and talk about their meetings with the stick man, suggesting various theories of its origin. People came up with a name for him - Slenderman, taking his appearance as a basis. Slender - translated from English means thin, thin; man - person or man.
That's how the name appeared Slendermen- skinny person.
Now Slenderman has acquired a lot of fans, a video database and characters created in his image. People have appeared who sincerely think that he really exists and are studying his behavior. They claim that they have met him several times, and this makes the existence of Slenderman a real legend created on the Internet.
In appearance, the Stick Man resembles a truly thin man, with unnaturally long arms sticking out from behind his back and performing involuntary movements. The anatomical feature of the character is a faceless creature, only in some photographs of which one can see hints of eyes and nostrils, namely the nostrils, like holes, and not like a full-fledged organ.
As clothes Slenderman is extremely conservative. According to witnesses, he always appears in a black suit and white shirt, only occasionally changing the tie. It is most often found in the forest, where it can easily hide among bushes and trees due to its height and branch-like arms. There is absolutely no hair on the head of the Thin Man; it simply resembles a skull covered with skin. He has no skin color, it is pale or gray, as some say.
Slenderman is unlike previous characters in his complete absence of any sense organs capable of conveying his emotions and mood. That is why it is generally accepted that the Thin Man is wonderful telepath. He can control people by penetrating their thoughts and memories.
Slenderman is an unpredictable character, no one knows where and when he will appear. The motives of his behavior, ideas and goals that he wants to achieve are unknown. And, as you know, inexplicability scares the most. Nobody knows why he kidnaps people, which ones, and what he does next with him. He is somewhat reminiscent of death, which quietly stands aside and waits for the right hour.
Active movements on the part of Slenderman was not noticed. No one saw him walking or running, there was always only one pose - a silent stand somewhere in the background of the frame. This kind of infantile behavior is most frightening.
It is believed that he moves using teleportation. Researchers say that Slenderman grabs people with his tentacles or tries to hypnotize them. No one can prove for sure whether this is true, because his victims never return home.
Slenderman gained popularity in the form of hero of scary stories. About Thin Man They have filmed more than one web series, which received a colossal number of views on video resources, up to 55 million on YouTube. Imitating characters and computer games appeared. And the BBC channel filmed an entire program dedicated to the Thin Man, where they called him “ the first great myth of the internet ».
Where else have you met a similar hero?
In 2015, the full-length horror film “ Slender"made in the pseudo-documentary genre. Thus, the Tall Man has spread throughout the world and some myth lovers are even looking to meet him.
The desire to meet the Thin Man overcomes all rationality among fans of urban legends. People come up with different rituals to call Slenderman home or other places.
Sometimes on the Internet you can come across instructions that clearly indicate how to proceed if you want to see the Thin Man.
For those who want to check whether this is true or not, we will provide several such recommendations and instructions for calling the Thin Man.
They say it really works.
Every year the story of the Thin Man receives more and more confirmation. People post pictures and videos on the Internet where they supposedly can see it. In one photo he stands quietly behind a tree, in another he can be seen against the background of a residential building.
It’s as if interest in this character is being stirred up on purpose. And we even managed to calculate that 937 people have disappeared due to his fault over the past five years in Russia and the USA, Finland and Norway. All these people went missing, and of course the reason for this is Slenderman. We have been inventing myths and fairy tales for ourselves since ancient times and trying to explain the inexplicable with them. And the Tall Man is one of the same legends characteristic of the modern era.
To believe in the existence of Slenderman or not to believe is, of course, up to you. As they say: “Trust, but verify!” Now you know how to summon Slenderman and you can test the theory yourself.
In this video, Artem Savinov will tell and show about his successful experience of calling Slenderman in the forest, what came of it:
It used to be that in the villages, young children and youths listened to stories about brownies, anchutkas and shishigs. Today's teenagers living in big cities now have their own new “horror stories.” One of the most striking and popular characters in such modern “scary stories” is Slenderman - a product of urban folklore and a child of the Internet. Who is Slenderman, and does he exist?
Slenderman, aka Thin, aka Skinny Man or Operator, is a fictional character, the hero of numerous creepypastas (scary stories distributed on the Internet), as well as several computer games and short films.
According to fans of Slenderman, he looks very strange. A thin person is extremely thin and tall. He has long arms that bend in the most unnatural way. Sometimes scary black tentacles or suction cups grow from Slenderman’s back.
But what especially frightens people is Slenderman’s face, or it would be more correct to say his complete absence - Slenderman is completely faceless. The Thin Man dresses like an employee of a funeral home - he always wears a completely black suit and a snow-white shirt. Slenderman can teleport, he is an excellent telepath, he can manipulate human consciousness and has several other paranormal abilities.
Slenderman is a fictional creature. The story of Slenderman is the clearest example of pseudo-folklore. At its core, it is the first detailed, full-fledged urban legend artificially created on the Internet. The Thin Man is the product of long-term collective creativity of numerous network users. During this time, the image of Slenderman became so convincing and acquired so many vivid details that many people began to sincerely believe in his existence. The uniqueness of the Thin Man lies in the fact that some of his fans, even knowing the entire history of the creation of the legend of Slenderman, still believe in his reality in their hearts.