The Unexplained S1E4 Bedtime Stories: The Legend of Slender Man

The Chira Project is covering different types of bedtime stories that will scare the pants off of little children. If you know of any kind of scary bedtime story, please share it with us. This is our Fourth bedtime story is none other than... Slender Man!

Slender Man (a.k.a Slenderman) is a mythical creature often depicted as a tall, thin figure wearing a black suit and a blank face. According to the legend, he can stretch or shorten his arms at will and has tentacle-like appendages protruding from his back.

Depending on the interpretations of the myth, the creature may cause memory loss, insomnia, paranoia, coughing fits (nicknamed “slendersickness”), photograph/video distortions and can teleport at will. The urban legend has inspired fan arts, fictional creepypastas and a mockumentary series in the style of the 1999 indie horror film Blair Witch Project. As the character has grown in popularity, he’s gained a number of other nicknames including The Operator, Der Großmann, Mr. Slim, The Administrator, Daddy LongLegs, Mr. Thin, The Tall Man, The Thin Man and Slendy.

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On June 8th, 2009, a “’paranormal pictures” photoshop contest was launched on the Something Awful (SA) Forums. The contest required participants to turn ordinary photographs into creepy-looking images through digital manipulation and then pass them on as authentic photographs on a number of paranormal forums. Something Awful users soon began sharing their faux-paranormal creations with layered images of ghosts and other anomalies, usually accompanied by a fabricated witness account to make them more convincing.

On June 10th, SA user Victor Surge (real name Eric Knudsen) posted two black and white photographs of unnamed children with a short description of “Slender Man” as a mysterious creature who stalked children.

“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 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 June 11th, 2009, Victor Surge continued to improve upon the myth by adding another picture and a fake doctor’s account. The following day, SA user LeechCode5 posted a photograph of a burning building with a Slender Man back story. On June 14th, SA goon TrenchMaul reused the Slender Man character for his own story. The original thread, which still remains active today, extends for 46 pages as of June 2011.

Where did the legend of slender man come from? As far back as Ancient Egypt, even farther back than that maybe in the caveman times but there was no document of no such thing at that time; only in Ancient Egypt and Germany.  In Ancient Egypt there is a symbol of a man with no face and multiple arms. It reminds me of The Gentleman from the episode "Hush" from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. He is also called "Slendy" or "The Operator".

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Here are a couple of links where you can learn more about The Slender Man...
http://theslenderman.wikia.com/wiki/Slender_Man
http://urbanlegends.about.com/od/horrors/a/The-Slender-Man.htm
http://www.mythicalcreaturesguide.com/page/Slender+Man

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The Legend of Slender Man S1E4