Along with the Abominable Snowman and the Loch Ness Monster, the Slenderman is one of the terrifying supernatural beings that, though yet to be discovered, strikes fear in the heart of people across the world.
Next year, two girls from Wisconsin will face trial for attempted homicide. Their defence could rest on that claim that the Slenderman made them stab their friend 19 times, almost killing her.
The pair, who were each 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.
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The case will be examined in Beware the Slenderman, a HBO documentary that will be aired in January 2017.
Watch the trailer here...
Credit: HBO
The two girls, Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weier 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 Slenderman 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 Slenderman 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 Slenderman 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.
Der Ritter (1540)
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"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 Slenderman.
Speaking to the Daily Star, he said: "Slenderman 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
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