Back in 2014, the world was shocked when two 12 year old girls stabbed one of their friends 19 times in the woods, claiming that they did so to show devotion to Slenderman so they could run away with him and so that he didn’t kill their families. The Slenderman is an internet meme that was created around 2009, which makes the whole story even more bizarre and terrifying.
Somehow the girl managed to survive, and now the girls are waiting in the dock ready to be put on trial – they’re facing 64 years in prison if found guilty of the crimes. In the meantime, documentary maker Irene Taylor Brodsky headed over to Wisconsin (a hot spot for this kind of thing if Making A Murderer is anything to go by) and decided to film the aftermath for an HBO documentary which is soon to premier. Here’s the synopsis:
Featured Image VIA
Image VIA
Shot over 18 months with heartbreaking access to the families of the would-be murderers, the film plunges deep down the rabbit hole of their crime, a Boogeyman and our society’s most impressionable consumers of media.
The entrance to the internet can quickly lead us to its dark basement, within just a matter of clicks. How much do we hold children responsible for what they find there?
The documentary uses the (fictional) disturbing figure to explore not only the effect that Internet lore has on real-life actions, but also how the digital age is saturating the imagination and actions of children.
Sounds haunting, especially with the families of the young attempted killers being involved too. Following the success of real life crime dramas like Making A Murderer and The Jinx and with its added ‘supernatural’ element and horrific subject matter, Beware Of The Slenderman could be the most successful one yet.
It’s premiering at SXSW on March 11th and doesn’t have an air date on HBO yet. No doubt it will be soon though. In the meantime, catch up with all the developments since Making A Murderer finished here, and if you want to know the true story of Slenderman, click here.
