Along with the Abominable Snowman and the Loch Ness Monster, the Slender Man is one of those terrifying supernatural myths that strikes fear in the heart of people across the world.
Credit: Screen Gems / Slender Man
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In 2014, two girls from Wisconsin were apprehended by police for attempted homicide, after a 12-year-old girl had been found bleeding by the roadside, having been viciously stabbed 19 times. The pair placed the blame on the Slender Man.
Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser, who were also both 12 years old when the crime allegedly took place, claimed a terrifying tall, faceless man in a black suit stalked them and threatened their families, coercing them into attempting to commit the murder.
The case will be examined in a new film that will come out in the spring.
The two girls told police they read about the fictional character on a website known as Creepypasta Wiki, where scary stories are submitted by users.
While it is unlikely the Slender Man exists, there are entire websites dedicated to the mythical creature that cite evidence it is a living being. And it is even claimed that there are representations of the Slender Man in Egyptian hieroglyphs and ancient cave paintings.
Furthermore, the work of Tudor period German artist Hans Hobein arguably depicts the figure with his 1540 wood carving Der Ritter, appearing to show the Slender Man attacking a knight.
In a video posted on YouTube, Christian Craughwell, a paranormal investigator, said: "This is widely considered to be the first documented encounter.
"In this carving we see somebody battling what is clearly a non-human entity.
"Since that time, sightings and encounters have increased hugely."
"We have countless sightings around the globe with photographic evidence to back it up."
The mythical creature is often depicted as an unnaturally tall, thin figure with a blank, featureless face, wearing a black suit. It has long, tentacle-like arms, which can be extended to capture prey, and is said to stalk, abduct and traumatise children.
British author and journalist David Barnett has even written and researched the Slender Man.
Speaking to the Daily Star, he said: "Slender Man has certainly captured the imagination.
"People like these urban myths which no one is 100 percent sure are true or fictional.
"They are willing to believe in weird stuff and the Internet age has exacerbated that."
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Scary stuff.
Featured image credit: HBO
Featured Image Credit: HBOTopics: TV and Film